Pitching for success: Islington’s national baseball champions
Think of Sunday League sport and you may have visions of hung-over men chasing a ball across a muddy field. But
The London Mets, British baseball champions
there is an alternative with more glamour, better kits, and less exertion: baseball has come to Islington.
The London Mets, who train in Barnard Park, are the best baseball team in the UK, having won consecutive British Baseball National Championships since their foundation in 2007. They finished top of the highest of six national divisions.
“It’s a popular sport and there are several leagues across the country,” says Mets general manager and third baser Alex Pike.
Baseball is in fact so popular in Islington that Pike and co-manager Carlos Diaz have begun recruiting a third team based in North London, the Marauders.
“This team isn’t the highest level of skill,” says Pike. “It’s just a bunch of guys who love to come out and play, more for fun and the social side of things. But it shows that anyone can turn up and play.
“It’s run the same way as a football or rugby league; you have trophies, teams get promoted and relegated.”
Pike admits that the complex rules behind American sports can sometimes put off potential players: “They confuse a lot of people but aren’t that complicated. I’ve been playing since I was six so to me they’re second nature.”
The Mets are aiming to retain their national title and have been training throughout the winter to hone their skills. Pike believes that it is the Mets’ professional attitude which has yielded on-field success.
“We have put a lot of work in to recruiting the best players across London. Baseball is a worldwide sport and that’s reflected in the makeup of our squad.
“We train hard and there’s a real team spirit here. If players drop out at short notice, they’ll feel guilty. That’s quite unusual for a Sunday league sport.”
As more people take up exercise over the summer, Pike wants anyone considering playing sport to try their hand at baseball.
“It’s a game you either love or you hate, but there are plenty of people out there who try it and find out they’re naturals. If you have good hand eye co-ordination, you’ll be good at baseball. A lot of it involves standing about, so you don’t even need to be that fit!”
Anyone interested in joining the Mets can come along for a training session and barbecue on 5 April, 10:00 at Finsbury Park.
