Chapter One, Game One - by Timothy D. Olsen

In 1998, the Manchester Baseball Club fielded one team in the British Baseball Federation's First Division - the Manchester A's, and ended the season with an admirable .500 record. During the off season, interest grew to such an extent that two teams were formed for 1999 - the Manchester A's and the Manchester Express. This feature, and those to follow, will deal with the Manchester Express and their exploits on the playing fields of England during the 1999 season.

As the Manchester Express came together in the early months of this year, corporate sponsorship was sought and Baseball Express (the pre-eminent suppliers of baseball and softball equipment throughout Europe) came through with the necessary support. New equipment and sharp new uniforms followed and the team began to take shape. A new manager was needed for the fledgling team and I accepted the role offered to me with a specific goal in mind - to take the Express to glory and promotion to the Premier League. As with all great journeys, it started with a first step - the initial game of the season on April 11th against the West Midland Razorbacks. In much the same way that the Manchester Express were an unknown quantity, the Razorbacks (a team composed primarily of Birmingham area policemen) were an unfamiliar opponent to most of the Express players, having taken a year off in 1998. As the two teams took their practice sessions on the Express home field with blue skies and grey clouds competing for space overhead, and a strong wind blowing out to center field, they both looked sharp; the Razorback's infield turning plays with speed and agility, the Express in their blue and grey pinstriped uniforms scooping up ground balls, baseballs slamming into gloves like magnets to steel. On first appearance, they were equally matched but this initial impression was about to change.

At 2pm, the Express took the field and James 'The Heat' Hatherley threw a few warmup pitches to catcher David Fisher. On the field, a mixed squad of new and rookie players threw the ball around and then it was time to play. The first game of the season was ready to begin and the first Razorback, P. Johnson, strode confidently to the plate, bat in hand. Feeling out his first opponent, Hatherley took him to a full count before walking him. The second batter was much like the first and he also took first base on a full count walk. Finally hitting his stride, Hatherley struck out the next player, got the next to hit into a fly out and then struck out the final batter of the side but not before the first batter had stolen home on an errant throw. The Express went down in order in the bottom of the first and the Razorbacks took an early lead 1-0.

Bouyed with confidence after their performance in the first inning, the Razorbacks were unprepared for Hatherley in the second as they went down swinging 1-2-3. Eager to change the tone of the game, Rick Garcia came to the plate and led off with a blistering home run. Chris Halloran's double, David Fisher's single, and a walk to Dave Allen loaded the bases. Halloran threw caution to the wind and stole home and David Fisher followed his lead to take possession of third base. David Gould walked and a sacrifice RBI from James Rose brought him home before the inning ended. On three hits, the Express had scored four runs and the score after two was 4-1.

Notching up two more K's, Hatherley shut down the Razorbacks in the top of the third but the Express were equally unproductive and the score remained 4-1 after three. In the fourth, the first two Razorbacks struck out and a subsequent on-target throw from David Fisher to second base foiled an attempted steal, closing down the side. The bottom of the fourth saw the Express in top form as John Tucker's sacrifice fly brought David Gould home and doubles from Roger Young and Rick Garcia and a single from Chris Halloran scored four more runs. The score after four - Express 8, Razorbacks 1.

Despite a leadoff single to start the fifth inning, the Razorbacks were unable to score and the Express steamed ahead as the Razorbacks switched pitchers, bringing S. Magee to the mound. Despite his disarmingly slow curveball, the Express notched up 10 hits, 8 walks, and 16 stolen bases in the marathon 60-minute bottom fifth. When the dust settled, they had scored a staggering 16 runs to dominate the game 24-1. The game was effectively over but the valiant Razorbacks battled on with three hits and three runs in the top of the sixth. The Express slowed down what had become a runaway freight train and scored no further runs in the bottom of the inning. The score after six: Express 24, Razorbacks 4.

With a strikeout to start the seventh, and a red-hot throw from James Rose at third to Roger Young at first eliminating the second batter, it appeared that the Razorbacks had given up but it was not to be that easy. McLurgh walked and Snape doubled to bring some life back to their side before a huge home run from Razorback centre fielder Shepherd added three swift runs to the tally. Hatherley had one more strikeout up his sleeve, though, bringing his day's total to twelve, and the side was retired. After some heated deliberation in the Razorback dugout, they elected to call the game and the Express had their first win of the season. The final score 24-7.

With this first game under their belt, the Manchester Express had crossed the first hurdle and shown that they could play together as a team. More than that, though, it showed that an incredible amount of talent was gathered on the field. It was an auspicious start to the season.

Their next opponents are the Edinburgh Diamond Devils and it's time to take to the road for the first of three away games. Can the Express play as well on the road as they did at home during their first game? Only time will tell and I'll be right here next week to let you know how it all turns out.

Chapter Two, The First Roadtrip - by Timothy D. Olsen

Winter returned to Scotland with a vengeance this past week and the scheduled game on the 18th against the Edinburgh Diamond Devils was an uncertainty until the last minute. Reassured by the weather reports which promised a break in the arctic conditions, the Manchester Express decided to travel up on Saturday night rather than Sunday morning. It's a four-hour road trip to Edinburgh, give or take a rest stop or two, so we set off at 5pm to blue skies and scattered clouds. It looked good for the game ... but by the time we had finished breakfast on Sunday morning, a freezing rain had begun to fall and black clouds dominated the skyline.

Not willing to let a little rain spoil the day, the teams took to the field at Noon and the first pitch was thrown. Leadoff batter Roger Young took it to a full count before walking. The Edinburgh pitcher, Keith Graham, showed that he definitely had the 'stuff' as the next two batters failed to make it to first. Slowing down slightly, he then walked Rick Garcia to put two on base with two outs. David Fisher took the count to full before slamming a 2-RBI triple to left field. Coming home himself on a passed ball, the side was then retired and the first Edinburgh player came up to bat. Pitcher Rick Garcia, making his first start for the Manchester Express, sent him down swinging but walked the next player, Billy Jenkins. The next player was thrown out at first and a strikeout retired the side but not before Jenkins had come in to score following a errant throw in the infield. After one, the Express were in the lead 3-1.

In the second inning, David Gould tried to hit it out of the park but an excellent catch by Edinburgh right fielder Neil Wardrope put paid to that plan. The Diamond Devils were equally unproductive as Garcia flatly refused to let them hit anything and the score remained 3-1 after two.

John Tucker grounded out to lead off the third inning and Garcia followed with a single but pulled a groin muscle running to first, narrowly beating out the throw. The next batter, David Fisher, was plunked with a pitch and James Rose moved the players around with a single, before Garcia made it home on a passed ball. With two players on base and two outs, a mirror image of the first inning, Big Jim Gunn strode confidently to the plate. Recently promoted from the Manchester A's, Gunn was understandably anxious to make an impression ... and his subsequent three run homer did just that. David Gould hit a rocket right back to the pitcher and his on-target throw to first ended the Express rally. After a swift strikeout, Rick Garcia's injury came back to haunt him and he left the game. James 'The Heat' Hatherley replaced him on the mound far earlier than planned and the Diamond Devils were able to score four runs before he closed down the side. The score after three: Express 7, Diamond Devils 5.

Roger Young led off the fourth with a single but Chris Halloran hit into a double play and John Tucker hit one straight to David Farr at second to make it three up, three down. Edinburgh player/manager Nick Clark walked and stole his way around the bases, coming home on a passed ball before their side was retired. After four, the score was Express 7, Diamond Devils 6.

A single for Hatherley was followed by two quick ground outs in the top of the fifth before a Dave Allen RBI double brought him home. The side was then retired as Allen was thrown out in an attempted steal to third. Shrugging off the cold, driving rain which made the ball difficult to control, Hatherley kept the Diamond Devils firmly under control in the bottom of the fifth, allowing no hits and finishing off the side with a three-ball strikeout. After five, the Express had extended their lead to two.

The Express were unable to continue their magic in the sixth as Graham sent them down 1-2-3 ... and then the Diamond Devils came up to bat. Three hits later, including doubles for Jenkins, Graham and Farr, they had scored four runs and the Express had relinquished the lead. After six, the Diamond Devils now led 10-8. Despite a single from Hatherley and a double from Fisher in the seventh, three strikeouts brought down the Express and Edinburgh was up to bat once again. After walking two, Hatherley reluctantly handed over pitching duties to James Rose but it was not to be an easy changeover. Rose walked three and hit one before finally getting the third out. On one hit, the Diamond Devils had manufactured five runs. After seven, they had taken control of the game by a score of 15-8.

Things were not looking good for the beleaguered Express as the eighth inning began with two quick ground outs. Fighting back, Young, Zvokelj and Tucker all singled with Zvokelj's single bringing Young around to score. Anxious to add to the run tally, Hatherley flexed his muscles and tried to bring them all home with a powerful hit to center field ... but it ended up squarely in Nick Clark's glove and the side was retired. Returning to the mound, Rose struck out the first batter but two singles and a double followed and the Diamond Devils had scored two more runs. After eight, the score stood at Edinburgh 17, Manchester 9.

After eight hard innings, with the cold rain still falling, the Express came up to bat for the last time ... and were swiftly dispatched 1-2-3. The game was over, the Express had lost 17-9, and it was time to pack up for the long drive home. So why, after such a blazing start for the Express, did the game unravel in the later innings? On paper, the two teams seemed evenly matched. Each had won their first game of the season by a healthy margin and the scoresheet for this game reveals ten hits for the Express and nine for the Diamond Devils. The 18 walks given away by the Express pitchers, however, as opposed to the four walks relinquished by Edinburgh's red-hot pitcher Keith Graham, undoubtedly decided the game. Edinburgh's players were ready to take advantage of any mistake on the field, stealing bases and manufacturing runs one at a time, and therein lies the game. Rough and tumble, and definitely not pretty, but a win for the Diamond Devils nonetheless and a learning experience for the Express.

Next week, it's another road trip as the Express travel to the Leicestershire countryside to take on the Sileby Vikings. See you then.

Chapter Three, In The Shadow Of Mountsorrell - by Timothy D. Olsen

The Manchester Express geared up for their second road trip on April 25th, an away fixture against the Sileby Vikings, but the game was called off at the last minute. The field in Sileby, which the Vikings share with several other local sports teams, was unavailable so the home team forfeit awarded a 9-0 win to the Manchester Express. Following a well-deserved day off, the Express would travel to their next game with a 2-1 winning record.

Chapter Four, On The Road Again... - by Timothy D. Olsen

The Manchester Express took to the road once again on May 2nd to face the Sheffield Bladerunners, a team named not for the Ridley Scott film but rather the knives for which Sheffield is world famous. In much the same way that Pittsburgh is America's steel town, Sheffield is renowned for its steel industry and several local sports teams recognize this in their names.

It was a Bank Holiday weekend and the skies were overcast and cloudy with a cool breeze blowing in from the west. As the Express took to the field to warm up, several players brought it to my attention that the diamond was unbalanced with third base apparently too far away from first. A word with the Umpire brought out the tape measures and it turned out that third base was indeed ten feet out of line ... and second base was ten feet too close to home. (With no boundary fence, and with foul lines which veered off in strange directions, this was a field with problems.) After the corrections were made, Roger Young came up to bat for the Express at 2pm sharp ... and quickly set the tone for the game with a single to left. James Rose brought Young home with a single and David Fisher followed with a single of his own, setting up Rick 'Ironman' Garcia for a base-clearing three-run homer. Chris Halloran walked and stole his way home as the next two batters went down on well-fielded grounders. Iain Kemp walked and stole his way to third on passed balls before coming home on a balk. By the time the dust had settled, eleven Express batters had come up to the plate and six runs had scored. Unnerved by this early show of strength, the first Bladerunner batter grounded out and was followed by two swift strikeouts to end the first inning. The Express had taken an early lead, 6-0.

David 'Killer D' Fisher led off the second with a powerful blast to center field and Garcia followed with a single. Both players made it home as Chris Halloran walked and the next two players grounded out. With two outs, Sheffield pitcher Andy Beacon walked the next two players to load the bases for leadoff hitter Roger Young. It appeared that the Express were about to duplicate the success of the first inning but a swift pickoff throw by the pitcher caught Halloran too far off third base and the side was retired. Rick Garcia took to the mound once again for the Express and thirteen pitches later, his strikeout tally stood at five as the batters went down 1-2-3. After two innings, the score stood at Express 8, Bladerunners 0.

Roger Young kept up the pressure in the top of the third as he hit a powerful blast to center field. The lack of a boundary fence, however, meant no automatic homers so he had to hustle around the bases to score a home run. In his haste, he failed to touch third base and a subsequent appeal ruled him out, despite this author's heated argument with the Ump on his behalf. (Last year, as scorekeeper with the Manchester A's, I was almost thrown out of a Sheffield game when I argued a call so I knew when to give in this time...) The next batter, James Rose, was hit by a pitch setting Garcia up for another RBI as he brought him around to score with his second homer of the day. Chris Halloran then grounded out to end the top half of the inning. Garcia proved himself to be the day's MVP for the Express as he struck out the next three batters in swift succession. After three innings, the Express had the game firmly under control, 10-0.

The fourth inning was strangely quiet for the Express as their batters went down in order but two more strikeouts for the Ironman and a put out at first meant that the score remained 10-0 after four. In the fifth, both Young and Rose singled to be brought home by Fisher and Garcia, adding two more runs to the scoreboard before the side was retired. Three more strike outs from Garcia closed down the Sheffield side with no runs scored. After five innings, the Express were ahead 12-0.

James Hatherley led off the sixth with a single and was brought home by Iain Kemp but some adroit fielding by the Bladerunners held the Express to the single run. Although Garcia pitched two more stikeouts in the bottom of the sixth, a flurry of passed balls and some aggressive baserunning by the Bladerunners finally paid off as they scored three runs on no hits. The score after six: 13-3.

In the Edinburgh game two weeks earlier, the Express players had relaxed after gaining an early lead and had paid the consequences as the Scots came from behind to win the game. As if to prove that they had learned from past mistakes, the Express came out firing on all cylinders in the top of the seventh with singles from Rose and Fisher and a triple from Young. Despite drawing walks, Garcia, Hatherley, Gunn and Kemp all managed to score and three hits yielded seven more runs for the side. Demoralized, perhaps, and unable to hit the red-hot pitcher despite their best efforts, Sheffield went down in order in the bottom of the seventh and conceded the game. The final score: Manchester Express 20, Sheffield Bladerunners 3.

Sunday's game was a prime example of teamwork in action as offense and defense combined to make the Express an unstoppable force. While Rick Garcia's exemplary play, both on the mound and at the plate, earns him the game's MVP, every single Express player was integral to the win. If the Manchester Express can continue in this vein, and I see no reason why they shouldn't, they will surely dominate the division this season.

The Manchester Express are home next week as they take on the Manchester A's, their sister team in the Manchester Baseball Club. It should be a great game - tune in next week and I'll tell you all about it.

Chapter Five, Opening Ceremonies at Allen Field - by Timothy D. Olsen

Over the last two years, the Manchester Baseball Club has grown from a small squad in Stretford which often struggled to field nine players each week to a thriving organization with two teams in the Northern Conference. The 1999 season has seen the introduction of corporate sponsorship from Baseball Express, the creation and maintenance of a fully-illustrated web page for both teams, and a stunning new ball park. While this growth has been the result of hard work on the part of several individuals, there is one man who is acknowledged as having done the most to make the dream of baseball in Manchester a reality - this man is Dave Allen. On May 9th, the Manchester Express took on the Manchester A's at the new ballpark, the aptly-named Allen Field.

After the opening ceremony, where Chris Halloran's short speech acknowledged Dave Allen's contributions to the club and this author presented him with the freshly-painted sign for the new park, Dave was asked to throw out the first pitch. A small crowd of spectators, including the Hatton Polecats junior team, gathered on the sidelines to cheer on the two sides and the game was on.

For the first time this season, the two teams in the Manchester Baseball Club were facing each other as Express pitcher James 'The Heat' Hatherley took to the mound. Two strikeouts and a pickoff at second later, the side was retired and Roger Young came to the plate for the Express. A's pitcher, Adrian Gee, was slow to start, yielding two walks before getting David Fisher to hit into a groundout to first. Express bats came to life after the first out, though, and five hits translated into six runs before a strikeout ended the first inning. After one, the Express were in the lead 6-0.

For the next three innings, Hatherley's pitching dominated the top half of each inning with five more strikeouts as the A's players fell in order. The Express pounded away throughout the three innings, scoring ten runs on ten hits including doubles from Hatherley and Garcia and a home run from John Tucker. After four innings, the Express were in control of the game 16-0.

Hervé 'Frenchy' Boutin, a recent addition to the Express lineup from the French town of Caen, replaced Hatherley on the mound to start the fifth. The first batter he faced, Robert Denham, made it to first on an errant throw and stole three bases to score for the A's. Three strikeouts later, however, and the rally was brought to an abrupt halt. Denham came in to pitch for the A's in the bottom of the inning and slowed things down slightly for the Express. Despite allowing just one hit, walks and stolen bases were to prove his downfall as David Fisher and Alex Zvokelj both scored before the side was retired. After five, the score stood at 18-1.

Andy Cunniffe and Steve Hannan both singled for the A's to start the sixth and Hannan stole his way around the bases before blazing home on a wild pitch. A strikeout and putout at first followed, though, and only one A's run made its way onto the scorebook in the inning. Roger Young singled for the Express and stole his way to third, setting up David Fisher's sacrifice RBI. A single was denied to the next batter as Andy Cunniffe scooped up the ball and rocketed it to first. The side was retired but another run had scored, making it 19-2 in favour of the Express.

'Frenchy' then took to the mound once again and impressed the crowd with two quick strikeouts and a masterful catch of Mark Harris's sky-high pop fly to end the game. With the automatic 'slaughter rule' coming into play this season, the game was officially over and a 19-2 win was credited to the Express.

Throughout the first seven innings, the A's had played hard against the more experienced Express, refusing to give up even when the game was firmly out of their grasp. They showed an enthusiasm and love for the game which, with the quality of the coaching they are receiving from their manager John Fisher and assistant manager Ian Marchment, will undoubtedly turn into talent and ability. As with the Express, who developed over the last couple of years from a group of dedicated rookies into a first-rate team, the A's will soon be a force to be reckoned with. It's only a matter of time...

On May 16th, the Manchester Express make the road trip to Bootle Stadium to take on the Liverpool Trojans for the first time this season. It's sure to be an exciting game so make sure you tune in again next week for all the highlights. See you then.

Chapter Six, A Tale of Three Pitchers - by Timothy D. Olsen

The Manchester Express took to the road again this past weekend to face the Liverpool Trojans at Bootle Stadium. Rumours had filtered through during the week that several players from the TigerCats (the recently-disbanded Premier League team) had joined the Liverpool squad so the Express knew that this would be a true test of their abilities. R. Alger strode to the mound at 2pm for the Trojans and the game was on. Roger Young hit a grounder up the middle but their shortstop scooped it up and threw him out at first. David Fisher walked and John Tucker was hit by a pitch before Rick 'The K' Garcia's RBI single brought one run around. Two quick strikeouts followed as the Express players fell to Liverpool's excellent pitching and the first Trojan came to the plate ... and was swiftly dispatched with three strikes. Rob Orme then slammed a double into the outfield but the Liverpool rally was not to be as the side was retired with no runs scored. After one, the Express were in the lead 1-0.

For the next two innings, the pitchers truly dominated the game (as they would throughout the day) with five K's from Garcia, four from Alger and no hits from either side. After three innings, the score remained 1-0. In the top of the fourth, James Rose manufactured a run, reaching first on a dropped third strike and then stealing three bases as the Trojans catcher seemed unable to hold on to the ball. In the bottom of the inning, three more strikeouts from a firmly-in-control Garcia closed down the Liverpool side and the score after four was 2-0.

In the top of the fifth, Liverpool brought in a new pitcher and he threw three K's of his own but not before Rick Garcia hit his second RBI single to bring Roger Young around to score. Liverpool seemed to come to life in the fifth with three hits scoring two runs before an on-target throw from Rose to Fisher ended the inning. After five, the score stood at Express 3, Trojans 2.

Three quick throws to first stopped the Express in their tracks in the sixth as they hit into groundouts 1-2-3. The Trojan's one hit in the sixth resulted in one run before Garcia's mastery of the plate reasserted itself and the last two batters went down swinging. After six, Liverpool had managed to tie the score 3-3 and the pressure was on. The top of the seventh saw the Express batters go down in order once again and the Trojans capitalized on this as they forced errors and scored once again. An amazing unassisted double play by John Tucker finally ended the inning but not before the Trojans had taken the lead 4-3.

(Before I continue, I should remind the reader that in addition to chronicling these games, my primary role within the Manchester Baseball Club is Manager of the Manchester Express. The next inning was to see my baptism of fire as manager as I witnessed an astonishing display of bad sportsmanship from the opposing side. Now read on...)

Not willing to let the game slip away from them, the Express turned on the heat in the eighth, putting two men on base with a walk and a dropped third strike before two quick outs slowed the pace slightly. When James 'The Heat' Hatherley came to the plate and singled, the Liverpool catcher threw the discarded bat down the third base line towards the advancing runner ... and I stormed out of the dugout to question this blatant attempt to stop the run scoring. Heated words were exchanged between myself and the Liverpool catcher before their Manager joined the fray ... and then things calmed down as players from both sides separated us. (Simply put, throwing the bat down the third base line could have resulted in an injury to one of my players and I wasn't having any of it.) Things returned to normal and the game continued with both Tucker and Garcia making it home to reclaim the lead. Despite the first Liverpool batter making it to base on a single, the empowered Express allowed no further progress as nail-biting catches from Kemp and Young and another strikeout from the arm of Rick Garcia ended the inning. After eight, the Express were once again in the lead 5-4.

The ninth inning provided a suitably tense climax to the game as the Express batters went down in order. Liverpool managed to put two players on base before Rick Garcia ended the game on a high note with two strikeouts. The Manchester Express had come back in the late innings to win the game 5-4 and improve their standings to a 5-1 record in the league tables. Next week, the Express are at home, facing the Barnsley Strikers for the first time this season at Allen Field. The game starts at 2pm - see you there!

Chapter Seven, The Longest Day ... so far - by Timothy D. Olsen

It was to be a showdown between two evenly-matched teams with the Manchester Express facing the Barnsley Strikers for the first time ... but instead it turned into a four and a half hour slug-a-thon. With a final score more suited to American football, the game started something like this:

On May 23rd, the Manchester Express welcomed the Barnsley Strikers to Allen Field and at 2pm, James 'The Heat' Hatherley took to the mound to start the game. Eager to show that they were not a team to be taken lightly, the first batter for the Strikers powered a ball to center field ... right into David Gould's glove. The next three batters walked followed by a sacrifice fly to right field which scored the first run of the day. An RBI double followed before a line drive to first base closed down the side. Overanxious, perhaps, to even the score, Express batters Roger Young and James Rose both reached base but were caught stealing and David Fisher hit an easily-fielded infield fly to end the first inning. After one, Barnsley had taken the lead 2-0.

Hatherley started out strong in the second with a strikeout but Barnsley added two more to the scoreboard before a toss to first and another excellent catch by centre fielder David Gould yielded the third out. With two quick outs and a full count in the bottom of the third, it appeared that Manchester were one strike away from repeating the disappointment of the first inning but it was not to be. Express bats suddenly came to life as Young, Rose, and Fisher all added to their RBI totals before Rick 'The K' Garcia's valiant attempt to hit it out of the park was snagged by the Barnsley right fielder Paul Kilner. After two innings, the Manchester Express were ahead 6-4.

Hatherley returned to form in the third as three strikeouts stopped the Strikers in their tracks but not before a fierce throw to second caught Express fielder Rick Garcia square in the face. Time was called as he was checked over and then the inning continued. Manchester were only able to score one run with a sacrifice RBI from Gould but after three innings, they had retained the lead 7-4. Barnsley struggled back in the top of the fourth with runs from top of the order batters Alan Bowers and Chris Hewitt. Changing pitchers in the bottom of the fourth, Barnsley brought Kris Allott to the mound ... and the game changed gear. The first four batters to face the new pitcher all reached base safely and three had scored before he managed to get Hatherley and Kemp out. With two outs, concentration on the field seemed to waver and four walks and two important errors resulted in five more runs. After four innings, the score now stood at Manchester 15, Barnsley 6.

Barnsley didn't score in the fifth and Manchester added only one run to the score before Allott struck out three batters in a row to end the inning. After five, the tally was now 16-6 in Manchester's favour.

And then it was time for the marathon inning where everything changed and Barnsley struck back.

James Hatherley struggled with his control in the top of the sixth and left the game after the first three batters reached base. Hervé Boutin took the mound for the Express with bases loaded but Barnsley were on the rampage and nine runs scored before Rick Garcia replaced him as pitcher. Two hits and three strikeouts later, the Strikers were finally retired but not before they had scored 11 runs.

And so the game seesawed on to its conclusion. In the seventh, Barnsley scored another four runs on two hits and Manchester replied with four of its own. In the eighth, Barnsley rallied to score three more runs but Manchester came back full speed ahead with eight runs in reply. After eight, the Manchester Express were ahead 33-24 and that was the final score as the Strikers went down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth to end the game. It had taken four hours and twenty minutes and the outcome was never a certainty until the last moments of the game. Next week, the Manchester Express have a well-deserved Sunday off before welcoming the Newark Yankees to Allen Field on June 6th. See you then.

Chapter Eight, '18 K's? You sure that's not a typo? - by Timothy D. Olsen

Think of baseball in the summertime and you think of the green of the infield, a gentle breeze blowing in towards home plate, the whiff of generously-applied sunblock and the sun occasionally hiding its face behind scattered white clouds. In the north of England, however, the sun seems shyer than most everywhere else and on June 13th, the Manchester Express took on the Durham Saints under a grey, foreboding sky with the threat of rain looming on the horizon. Unopened bottles of sunblock remained in kit bags, as usual, but the Express didn't let the inclement weather bother them as they got off to an excellent start. After the Durham pitcher walked the leadoff batter, he gave up four hits which quickly turned into five runs. Rick Garcia took to the mound for the Express and sent the Durham players back to their dugout 1-2-3. After one inning, the Express had set the pace for the game, taking the lead 5-0.

The second inning was similar in style to the first as Jim Gunn, Rick Garcia and James Rose all added to their batting averages. Their three hits, combined with a sacrifice RBI from Gould, put three more runs on the scoreboard and Durham replied with but a single run to make the score after two: Express 8, Durham 1. In the third inning, the Express continued to manufacture runs as James Bogle walked, Hervé Boutin brought him home with an RBI single, and Jim Gunn walked and then stole three bases to add another run to the scoreboard. Both John Tucker and Roger Young tried to slam the ball out of the park but some sharp Durham fielding in center and right field put an end to that plan and the side was retired. Durham fought back in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs before Rick Garcia's amazing right arm kicked into gear once again to send the last two batters down swinging. After three, the Express maintained the lead 10-3.

Durham brought in a new pitcher, S. Sturmen, to start the fourth ... and he promptly hit David Gould with a pitch which was 'just a bit inside. Garcia then walked, setting up two sacrifice RBI's in a row: one for Rose, one for Chris Halloran. James Bogle's single was for nought as an on-target throw caught him on the hop trying to steal third after successfully stealing second. Durham wilted under the precision hurling of Garcia and the side went down 1-2-3. Averaging two strikeouts an inning, Garcia was on form as the Express held on to the lead 12-3.

In the fifth inning, each side only scored one run and the pace of the game had definitely calmed down as the sixth inning came and went with no runs scored. Despite a cracking double in the seventh from John Tucker, it was a quiet inning for the Express. Durham turned up the heat in the bottom of the inning to score two runs but two more strikeouts and a line drive to Young at first ended the rally. After seven, the Express remained in the lead 13-6. Rick Garcia opened the eighth with a triple to right field and subsequently scored but Durham's pitching remained strong and his was the only run in the inning. Aiming for a complete game, Garcia threw another two K's and the amazingly tight Express infield denied the Durham Saints even a single run. After eight, the score was Express 14, Saints 6.

And so, on to the ninth. The bats of the Express players were silenced by Sturmen's consistent pitching and Durham came up to bat for the last time. Eager to show that they were not a side to give up, they scored another run and put two men on base with one out. Garcia's pitching arm was still deadly accurate, though, and the last two batters went down swinging to bring Garcia's strikeout total to 18.

With a final score of 14-7, the Express had won their seventh game in a row and took their place triumphantly at the top of Division One with an impressive record of 8-1.[For those of you awaiting the Newark report I promised last time, Newark forfeited the scheduled game on June 6th.] On June 20th, the Manchester Express take on the Durham Saints once again in a home game at Allen Field. The game starts at 2pm - see you there.

Postscript: While this report deals primarily with the Manchester Express, I wanted to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Durham player Stephen Wade who single-handedly scored four of the seven Durham runs. As he took to the field for the first time, I couldn't help but notice that that he was wearing mismatched cleats - one red, one black. It brought to mind the major leaguers who have their little quirks, those who endlessly adjust their batting gloves or refuse to clean their batting helmets for fear of breaking a hitting streak. After the game, I approached him to ask the reason, expecting an interesting story which I could use as a finale for this piece. Are you poised and ready? Sorry to disappoint you but it simply turned out that one of his black cleats broke on the morning of the game and he had no choice but to wear a shoe of a different colour. Oh well...

Chapter Nine, Game 10, Deja Vu All Over Again - by Timothy D. Olsen

They say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, and that's probably true, but the Durham Saints must have felt that way this past Sunday as they faced the Manchester Express for the second weekend in a row. In one of the shortest games of the season so far, clocking in at just two and a half hours, the Express were victorious once again with a final score of 20-6. To avoid duplicating the report from last week, I have elected to simply feature the Express highlights from this week's game, which include: