NEWS / MATCH REPORTS -

Albion take Ted Peterson Cup (16th Aug 09): Grange Albion pulled off an amazing victory against local rivals, Grange Catholics, in  another tense, low scoring cup final at Sevenoaks Park.  In front of the BBC Wales/S4C cameras (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8200569.stm) and a sizeable crowd, the two Grangetown teams served up another cracking game with the bowlers and fielders in control once again.  The Catholics won the toss and elected to field first giving their strike bowler, Mike Sullivan, the opportunity to repeat his excellent performance in the WBU Cup Final a week earlier.  Things started well for the Albion with opening bat and captain, Nathan Taylor, striking four runs and a couple of extras.  However, it wasn't long before the Albion boys began to wobble and a middle order collapse put the pressure on just a few batsmen to try and get a decent total.  Once again though, Sullivan came out on top with the Albion dismissed for a lowly 36 runs (Michael Lucas 8, Nathan Taylor 7).  With such a low score, the Black and Whites knew they had to bowl and field well to stay in the game.  This they did with youngster, Mathew Hopkins (see below), excelling himself in the bowling box and backed up by some first class fielding from his team mates.  Aside from one or two of the Catholics players, Hopkins tore through the batsmen with his raw pace and it wasn't long before the Catholics were dismissed for just 33 runs leaving the Albion with a small first innings lead just as had happened in the cup final a week earlier.  Once again, the final was effectively a one innings game and when Sullivan and veteran backstop, Malcolm Curtis, weaved their magic in dismissing the Albions for a paltry 26 (Mathew Hopkins 6, Nathan Taylor 5) in their second knock, it appeared that history was going to repeat itself with the Catholics requiring just 30 runs to take both major cup titles in 2009.  However, with Mathew Hopkins in such fine form, the Albion boys knew that they had a chance if they could take out the Catholics best bats in the first round.  With a Man of the Match display, Hopkins (see below)duly obliged by removing seven batsmen in the first round and finishing off the remainder of the Green and Gold batsmen in the second round for a total of just 14 runs.  This performance gave Grange Albion the Ted Peterson Cup for the first time since 1974 and left them as 2009 Double Winners having retained the league title a week earlier.  Albion captain, Nathan Taylor, received the trophy from the son of the late, great Ted Peterson and the celebrations began.  The only blot on an otherwise impeccable season was the defeat to Grange Catholics in the WBU Cup Final. Having said that, the two cup finals against the Catholics have been excellent for the spectators to watch and the players to play in as they have both been a true challenge. We hope that a few of the other teams in the Premier League get up to full strength next season so that more of the games are of this ilk and this great game of ours continues to get the pulse racing. 

  Mathew Hopkins of Grange Albion, Man of the Match in the Ted Peterson Cup Final 2009. Go to www.sportingwales.net to see an article on Mathew (Issue 6, pages 30/31).

See Pictures from Cup Final here:
              
Catholics take WBU Cup (9th Aug 09): In the first ever all Grangetown cup final in modern times, the WBU Cup was deservedly won by the boys from the Grange Catholic Club.  On a hot and sunny afternoon, and in front of a sizeable crowd at Sevenoaks Park, the two teams served up a pulsating game which swayed one way and then the other keeping the spectators wondering who would come out on top right to the end.  In one of the lowest scoring but closest cup finals in years, the Albion opened the batting but found runs hard to come by against the bowling of Welsh captain, Mike Sullivan.  It wasn't long before the innings came to a close on just 30 runs with the only Albion batsmen to show any sort of form being young Curtis MacDonald (7) and Andrew Fish (6). This gave the Green and Golds a real opportunity to capitalise on the low Albion score but they also found things tough against Welsh opening bowler Mathew Hopkins and some good Albion fielding. As with the Albion, it wasn't long before the Catholics first innings came to an end on 29 giving the Albion a single run lead.  The game was clearly a one innings game with either side able to take the trophy.  The Albion boys began a lot better in their second knock and at 25 for 4 they looked set to take the game away from the Catholics.  However, Sullivan and his team mates kept fighting and the Albion batting collapsed at 34 all out (Stephen Ayres 7) leaving their local rivals just 36 for victory. This was never going to be easy against an on form Hopkins but, despite removing seven batsmen, the Catholic boys kept their nerve and took the cup with four men still to bat and ruining the Albions unbeaten record in the 2009 season.  The crowd witnessed an excellent match and must be licking their lips at the thought of the two teams going head to head again next Sunday, the 16th August, in the second of their historic cup final meetings, the Ted Peterson cup.  Congratulations must go to the Catholic Club on their achievement and to young Ashley Park in particular who deservedly won the Man of the Match trophy.              

CHAMPIONS RETAIN SHIELD!!: As a result of Grange Catholics shock defeat to St Michaels of Newport on Wednesday evening (5 Aug 2009), the Albion boys were able to celebrate the retention of the league title and the coveted Dewar Shield which will now remain proudly on the wall of the clubhouse for another year and a record 30th win!  The Albion boys were due to play Llanrumney on Wednesday evening but were awarded the points due to the opponents being unable to raise a side.  With no game to play, a few of the Albion players went to Newport to support St Michaels and were delighted with the fight that the Micks put up at this late stage in the season.  It is very much to their credit that they played the match with purpose and desire and this is what the game needs more of if it is to return to former glories. 

The Albion's league success is once again down to a consistent all round effort from the playing squad allied to the excellent off diamond organisation and management of Greg Pelleymounter, Mark Jones, Melvyn Hopkins and Ray Greenslade, all of whom deserve special mention.  With the league title secured, the attention now swings to Sunday's WBU Cup Final against local rivals, Grange Catholics.  This should be a very close and exciting game for the spectators with the Catholics out to capture some silverware for themselves this season.  They will be hugely boosted by the return of talisman bowler, and 2009 Welsh captain, Mike Sullivan.  All lovers of baseball are advised to make for Sevenoaks Park this Sunday for what should be a cracking local derby with high stakes.          

Race for the Title hots up: With just three games remaining for each team, the battle for the title and to avoid relegation reaches a crucial point. Here's the latest standings (1 August 2009):

Harriers Scare for Albion: Pill Harriers gave Grange Albion their hardest game of the season thus far and were close to pulling off an unlikely victory at one stage.  Batting first, the Pill boys struggled against the pace of Matthew Hopkins but were aided in their total of 30 by over 20 extras.  This didn't deter them in the field however and, after a good bowling and fielding display allied to some poor Albion batting, they duly dismissed the Grange boys for just 32 runs.  This close scoreline at the halfway stage made the game a one innings match and it seemed that the Albion were in the box seat by dismissing Pill for 33 in their second knock and needing just 31 runs for victory.  The Pill boys had other ideas though and at one stage they had the Albion rocking with six of their batsmen dismissed.  The Black and White's managed to hold on though with the winning runs coming from the bat of Lewis Jones.  Whilst this was a hard earned victory, it must be said that this was the Albion's poorest display of the season and a marked improvement is needed on Saturday in the local derby match with the Catholic Club.  

Congratulations Mr Lawrence: The Club would like to congratulate former player and pace bowler, Kenny Lawrence (see 1996 Team Photo), on his appointment as referee for the Wales v England B International match on Saturday 25th July. Kenny, who is the assistant groundsman at Glamorgan CCC, was a loyal servant of Grange Albion and Fairwater for many seasons and he played the game to a very high standard before turning his hand to officiating in the last few seasons.  His playing experience has clearly stood him in good stead as he is an excellent referee and surely this international match will be the first of many top games that see Mr Lawrence as the Man in the Middle.  Good luck with your first international game Kenny.        

Albion's reach 2nd Cup Final: Grange Albion reached the final of the Ted Peterson Cup, and their 2nd cup final of the season, in defeating St Albans in a tight game at Sevenoaks Park on Wednesday evening (15th July). St Albans batted first and racked up a very good knock of 69.  In reply, the Albion finished their first innings two runs behind thanks mostly to an excellent display of batting from veteran Wales B international, Gary Jones (19), veteran Wales A international, Mark Jones (11) and more recent A caps, Nathan Taylor and Andrew Fish (both 9).  St Albans were clearly bouyed by their first innings lead and went on to hit another decent knock of 49 leaving the Grange boys the challenging total of 52 runs to win and this with only 10 men following the red card dismissal of one of their players.  The Albion boys were under pressure to deliver once again this season and this they did in achieving 52 for 6, leaving them victorious by 4 men still batting.  Top scorers in this knock were Matthew Hopkins (7), Jamie Churcher (6) and Gary Jones (5).  The Albion's will now meet local rivals, Grange Catholics, in both major cup finals this season as the Catholics comfortably defeated St Michael's of Newport in the other semi-final. 

Semi Final win sets up all Grangetown final: At a cloudy Sevenoaks Park on Monday 6th July, the Albion secured their place in the final of the WBU (Bill Barrett) cup by soundly beating a Llanrumney side shorn of their main strike bowlers.  Batting first, the Black and Whites posted a total of 85 runs with Welsh Internationals, Tyrone Vale (15) and Nathan Alderman (11), ably backed up by Stephen Ayres (9) and Curtis Macdonald (9). The Llanrumney boys started well but fell away in reaching a first innings total of 45.  On a murky evening, the Albion enforced the follow on and, despite starting well once again, the Claret and Blue's eventually fell for 41 leaving the Grange Albion boys to knock of just two runs to win.  The Final will be an all Grangetown affair as Grange Catholics defeated St Michael's of Newport in the other semi-final.  Amazingly, this will be the first occasion that the two Grangetown sides have met each other in a cup final. The final, which takes place at Sevenoaks Park on Sunday 9th August, is sure to provide plenty of excitement from the top two teams in the League and a large crowd is expected.        

Albion Quartet in Wales B Team: The Club is delighted to announce that four of our players (Stephen Ayres, Michael Lucas, Jamie Churcher and Stephen Hubbard) have been selected to play for the Wales B Team against their English counterparts on Saturday 25th July at Trelai Park, Ely.  We wish them and their fellow team mates every success in the game.
 
Two more points for the Albion: Grange Albion notched up another two points with a hard fought win over Ely Social at Trelai Park on Saturday 4th July. With the Albion minus their frontline bowler and backstop duo, Matthew Hopkins and Stephen Hubbard, and veteran opening bat, Dai Beattie, the Club is very fortunate to have such a strong squad and two such good understudys in bowler, Nathan Taylor, and backstop, Nathan Alderman.  The Ely boys were clearly out to make up for their heavy defeat against the Grange boys last week and they batted steadily on an excellent pitch for batting.  The went on to notch up one of the highest scores against Grange Albion this season in notching a very good 66.  After this score, the Albion knew that they were in a game and they had to bat well to get back in the match.  Despite a few early losses, they did this in style going on to reach their highest score of the season in 142.  There were a number of excellent batting displays most notably from player of the match, Dean Brockway (22), Nathan Alderman (20), veteran Gary Jones (18), and the on form Michael Lucas (18).  This score left the Ely boys to get over 80 runs to make the Albion bat again and, despite a few good shots, they were all out for 31 leaving the Albion to return to Grangetown with another two points in the bag.  
    
Ely no match for Grange: An Ely team that defeated the Albion in two close cup matches last season, were no match for this year's Grange Albion outfit.  After winning the toss and batting first against Wales B bowler, Shaun Moore, the Black and Whites enjoyed themselves in amassing 120 runs.  This was due in no small part to an excellent display of batting in reaching 28 runs from the ever consistent Michael Lucas. He was well supported by Tyrone Vale (21), Nathan Alderman (11), Nathan Taylor 910) and Stephen Ayres (10). He was ably backed by a number of other batsmen.  This clearly demoralised the Ely boys who are badly missing two of their more experienced players in David Pugh and Mike Fish.  They were dismissed cheaply in both innings by Albion and Wales pace bowler, Matthew Hopkins, leaving the Albion winners by an innings.  Whilst this was a comprehensive victory for the Grange boys, they are well aware that Ely are a totally different side on their home patch and the away fixture on Saturday will be an early chance for them to try an emulate their cup victories of last season.         

Albion topple Buns: The Albion's unbeaten run continued against third placed St Albans at a hot and sunny Tremorfa Park on Saturday 27th June.  Batting first, the Albion struggled against the young and promising St Albans bowler, Dan Crimmins, with only a few players getting on top of him.  However, the Albion benefitted from some poor fielding and a number of dropped catches with Nathan Taylor (8), Nathan Alderman (7) and the in form Stephen Hubbard (7) top scoring in a total of 63.  With bowlers of the calibre of Matthew Hopkins and Nathan Taylor, anything over 50 is a good total for the Albion and this proved the case once again with Hopkins removing the Buns for 27 and 36 leaving the Black and Whites to score just one run for victory.    

Three Albions in Welsh team to face England: The Club is delighted to announce that three of its players have been selected to represent the full Wales team against England in Liverpool on Saturday 18th July.  Albion captain, Nathan Taylor, pace bowler, Matthew Hopkins, and batsman, Nathan Alderman, have been selected as a trio for the second year running and the Club wishes them all the very best in this season's international.  The Welsh team will be captained by veteran Grange Catholics bowler, Michael Sullivan.  This is just reward for a top quality baseballer and all at Grange Albion congratulate him on his achievement and wish him well on the 18th July.        

Cup Victory: The Albion's winning streak continued with a comprehensive win over Gower Sports at Roath Park on Monday 22nd June. The Gower, who are badly missing their main bowler and a couple of other senior players, were no match for the Black and White's batting line up which powered its way to 116 for 6 declared.  Top bats were, Matthew Hopkins (15), who had his best knock of the season, the prolific Michael Lucas (14), the ever reliable James Churcher (13) and veteran opening bat, Dai Beattie (10).  On a hot and balmy evening, this knock had clearly tired the Gower boys and Albion bowler, Nathan Taylor, took them out in their first innings for just 20.  To their credit, the Gower boys improved in their second knock with a few youngsters showing their potential for the future.  They hit a couple of spectacular fours in their second innings of 36 leaving the Albion winners by an innings and 60 runs and a place in the semi finals of the Ted Peterson Cup.    

Albion survive scare: On Saturday 20th June at Sevenoaks Park, St Michaels of Newport became the first side to have a real opportunity of defeating Grange Albion for the first time this season.  Batting first, the Albion turned in an awful batting performance and this allied to some excellent fielding from St Mike's, saw the team limp to 43 all out.  Only Stephen Ayres (9) and backstop, Stephen Hubbard (6) got on top of Micks bowler, Ross Perrett.  The St Mike's side is a mixture of experience and youth and it was their more experienced players who took advantage of the lacklustre Albion performance taking their team to 56 and a handy 13 run lead.  This put the pressure on an Albion side missing three of its younger batsmen and it wasn't long before St Mike's had made inroads into the Albion's 2nd innings.  Once again, only a handful of batsmen got the better of Perrett but, crucially, he bowled a lot more extras in the innings.  Michael Lucas, Tyrone Vale and Stephen Hubbard (all 8) achieved decent knocks in this innings which closed on 55 leaving St Mike's 43 runs for victory.  This total gave the Albion boys something to fight for and, just as the British Lions had done earlier in the day without success, the Albion fought back strongly to win the game in style, dismissing a good batting team for just 29 runs.  The win was mainly due to some excellent bowling by bowler and backstop duo, Matthew Hopkins and Stephen Hubbard, with Hubbard, in particular, having a fine all round game.  St Mike's had put up a performance that was easily the toughest game the Albion had played this season and it was a stark reminder to all at the Albion that the second half of the season is going to be very tough if they are to retain the Dewar Shield. 

Winning run continues: Grange Albion overpowered an under strength Gower Sports side at Sevenoaks Park on Saturday 13th June. Batting first without their injured captain, Nathan Taylor, the Albion never got on top of Gower's medium pace bowler and, aided by some excellent outfield catches, it wasn't long before the Albion's innings closed on 49 with only consistent bats Curtis MacDonald (8), Jamie Churcher (6) and Tyrone Vale (6) making any decent knocks. This innings was probably the poorest that the Albion boys had batted this season but this was made up for by some fantastic bowling and backstopping once again from Albion duo Matthew Hopkins and Stephen Hubbard.  The Gower boys were unable to handle the pace of Hopkins and the were dismissed for 13 and 22 to leave the Albion victors by an innings and 14 runs.  

Derby win for Albion: On a dull, grey and damp evening, the Albion took the Grangetown derby spoils with a hard fought win over the previously unbeaten Grange Catholics.  Albion captain, Nathan Taylor, won the toss and elected to bat first.  Despite losing some key batsmen early on, the Black and White's went on to amass a decent knock of 80 with good scores from Nathan Taylor (14), Curtis MacDonald (12), Stephen Ayres (10) and Jamie Churcher (10).  This is testament to the increased depth in the Albion's batting these days.  However, the Catholic Club were in determined mood to maintain their own unbeaten record and they themselves achieved a decent score of 65 with the experienced duo of Mike Sullivan and Martin Gould top scoring.  The Catholics were the best batting team the Albion had faced this season and the players knew that they had to post a high total for the Catholics to chase.  They achieved this aim with aplomb and eventually declared their 2nd innings on 75 for 5 with the top bats being Nathan Taylor (13 no), Curtis MacDonald (9 no) and Liam Beattie (8).  This left the Catholics the daunting task of getting 91 runs to win in fading light and it proved too much for them as they were dismissed for just 21 following a spell of excellent bowling and back stopping from Matthew Hopkins and Stephen Hubbard respectively.  

Albion progress in Cup: In Round 1 of the Ted Peterson Cup, Grange Albion overcame rivals Llanrumney by an innings and 14 runs at Sevenoaks Park.  Whilst the scoreline suggests a comfortable win, it should be noted that the Claret and Blues were missing both main bowlers and a number of other established players.  This was too much of a hurdle to overcome for Llanrumney and, batting first, they were shot out by Matthew Hopkins for just 25 runs with a number of their top bats removed for ducks in the first round of bowling.  Facing the medium pace of Gareth Dando and veteran Tony Cachia, the Albion started well and eventually reached a decent knock of 70 with the top bats being Welsh internationals, Nathan Alderman (17), Nathan Taylor (14) and the very consistent Michael Lucas (14).  This left the inexperienced Llanrumney side with quite a bit to do to make the Albion bat again and, despite an excellent shot for four runs by young Lewis Tumelty, they eventually fell for 31.  Once again, the Albion bowling, backstopping and fielding was excellent with Stephen Ayres in particular bagging a hat trick of fine catches.  That said, some of the other aspects of fielding and a number of batsmen need to improve if Grange are to continue in this winning vein. 

Congratulations Albion Ladies: On Thursday 4 June, our Ladies team hit the highest score of the season so far in the Welsh Ladies Baseball League when they totalled 134 runs against Fairwater.  Top scorers for the Albion were Vicky Summers 18, Carly Vella 16, Natalie Ayres 16, Cherelle Ward 15 and Charly Shugars 14.  This score enabled the girls to win by an innings and 1 run.  Team Manager, Greg Pelleymounter, was absolutely delighted with the batting performance. 

Cup of Cheer: In the first round of the WBU Cup, the Albion overcame St Albans at Tremorfa Park by an innings and 42 runs.  In a delayed start due to a dangerous pitch surface, the game finally got under way on another part of the park.  The Buns started well and were aided by an early injury to Grange backstop, Stephen Hubbard, and some uncharacteristicly sloppy fielding which resulted in at least 10 extra runs from overthrows.  Nathan Alderman took over from Hubbard and did very well in holding Albion bowlers, Matthew Hopkins, Nathan Taylor and Michael Lucas, but this didn't stop the Buns from running up a very good score of 64 with the veteran Brian Curtis (11) aided by young Sam Burridge (8) as top bats.  The Albion were deflated by their fielding display but lifted themselves to hit a magnificent knock of 120 for 9 declared against a combination of three St Albans bowlers of differing styles and pace.  Former Wales youth international, Curtis McDonald, struck the ball to all parts of the ground in reaching 21 not out.  He was well supported by the experienced James Churcher who batted for 9 rounds in his 13 not out.  Churcher's batting this season has been of a consistently high standard and his determined but controlled approach to the game is rubbing off well on his team mates.  It was clear that the Buns players were very tired after a long stint in the field and it was no surprise when Albion pace bowler, Matthew Hopkins, removed them in their second knock for only 14 runs.        

Albions win again: Grange Albion continued their winning start to the season by beating title rivals Llanrumney at a sun drenched Recreation Park.  It's great to see the famous Llanrumney club back playing at their spiritual home and this was borne out by the sizeable crowd who enjoyed a really competitive game of baseball. The Albion didn't get off to the best of starts against Welsh international bowler, Russell "Whizz" Martin and at one point it looked like the Black and White's would be dismissed for a low score.  Martin was backed up well by change bowler, Anthony Cachia, but three Albion batsmen, James Churcher (11) and internationals, Nathan Alderman (8) and Tyrone Vale (8) took the score to a decent knock of 50.  This gave Albion and Wales bowler, Matthew Hopkins, enough runs for him to put all his energy into his bowling and this paid dividends as he removed some of Llanrumney's top batsmen for ducks.  Only one or two Llanrumney players looked comfortable against Hopkins pace and their innings came to an end on 34.  Despite a decent 16 run lead, the Albion players were reminded by Manager, Greg Pelleymounter, and Chairman, Mark Jones, that the game was far from over and that they needed another good knock in the second innings.  Once again, Tyrone Vale (8) excelled with the bat and he was joined by Michael Lucas (8) and captain, Nathan Taylor (15) taking the Albions to 55 and leaving Llanrumney 72 runs to win.  This proved to be to big a task for Llanrumney and despite some big hitting from a number of their established players, their innings ended on 35.  Hopkins again bowled well but he was aided by some excellent catches and one piece of superb fielding from Base 3 man, James Churcher, who collected a ball and, whilst off balance, lobbed it accurately to out base the man going to first base.  Fielding like this wins matches as much as the batting.            

The 'Buns' are defeated at Sevenoaks: In front of a sizeable crowd enjoying the glorious sunshine, the Albion put on a decent performance to defeat St Albans by 71 runs.  Batting first against Buns bowler Michael Brind, the Grange boys struggled to get him away.  Brind was backed up well by former Albion back stop, Jason Cross, and a fired up out field.  Only Nathan Taylor (13), James Churcher (6) and Stehen Ayres (5) got the measure of Brind and the Black and White's were grateful to get 43 runs in their first innings.  This gave St Albans a chance to capitalise and they began well up against Matthew Hopkins who was carrying a sore shoulder.  They were also aided by some uncharacteristic dropped catches.  However, Hopkins found form in the second round of batting and he began to make serious inroads into the Buns batsmen eventually dropping them for 34, 9 runs behind the Albion's total.  The Grange boys knew they were now in a one innings game and the pressure was on them to bat well in their second knock.  They did this emphatically, knocking the Buns bowlers all over Sevenoaks for 94 (Gary Jones 16, James Churcher 14, Stephen Ayres 12, Tony Hicks 8 and Nathan Alderman 8), leaving St Albans to hit 104 to win.  Welsh international, Nathan Taylor took over in the bowling box for the Albion's and he made steady progress in removing key batsmen.  The Buns second knock of 32 was cleaned up by the Albion's other bowlers, Matthew Hopkins and Michael Lucas with good catches taken by James Churcher, Nathan Alderman and Liam Beattie.  This win takes the Albion nicely into their next league match on Sunday 31 May, away against the always formidable Llanrumney outfit.

Above: Albion Scorer Melvyn Hopkins and his St Albans counterpart, Christine Churcher, prepare the paperwork for the game ahead.  They are joined by Grange Albion Under 14 player, Regan Poole, son of former Albion player and Wales B international, Geoffrey Poole.

Albion open with Innings win in Newport: Grange Albion started the defence of their league crown in emphatic fashion on Wednesday 20th May at Coronation Park, Newport.  Facing an experienced St Michael's side, the Albion batted first and totalled a decent 48 runs.  New Welsh cap, Nathan Alderman, top scoring with 8.  St Michael's then came up against Albion and Wales strike bowler, Matthew Hopkins, who was in fine form.  In combination with new back stop, Stephen Hubbard, Hopkins ripped through the heart of St Mike's batsmen, removing them for 17 runs in each innings and leaving the Albion's as victors by an innings and 13 runs.  Hopkins was backed up well by some excellent fielding with fine catches taken by Forest Green footballer, Curtis McDonald (2), Stephen Ayres and Welsh Youth Team captian, Dean Brockway.  In this form, Hopkins and his team mates will put in a strong defence of their title.    

New Season Begins: The 2009 baseball season kicks off on Wednesday 20 May with a full league programme.  We at Grange Albion welcome Pill Harriers to the Premier League this season and we are pleased that the Newport contingent in the top division is restored to two following the sad demise of Alexander Old Boys a few years back.

As defending champions we are looking forward to the new season but fully aware that it will be even harder to retain the title with all teams looking to knock us off our perch.  Our league programme kicks off with a tough away game against St Michaels followed by our first home game of the season on Saturday 23rd May against old rivals, St Albans.  All of our fixtures and results are kept up to date on the relevant page of this website.  All the best for the season.   

CHAMPIONS !! (Sat 26 July 2008): The Black and White´s got their hands on Welsh baseball´s top trophy, the Dewar Shield, for the first time since 1974!  The Albion defeated Ely Social, who had knocked them out of both cup competitions this year, by an innings to win the premier league with a game to spare. Star bowler, Matthew Hopkins was on form once again in dismissing the Ely side for 21 in their first knock.  The Albion then batted steadily to post a good score of 87 with Michael Lucas, Nathan Taylor, Gary Jones and James Churcher all scoring well. Second time to the pegs, the Ely side settled better and put bat to ball.  However, a fantastic catch by Grange Albion's youngest player, 16 year old Dean Brockway, turned the game and Hopkins bowled the Social out for 36 leaving the Albion victors by an innings and champions of the Premier League for the first time in over three decades!! The Ely boys delivered a very sporting guard of honour on the pitch and then joined in the celebrations back at the clubhouse. 

Success on the pitch in 2008 was a reward for an all round effort from each of the players in the squad as well as the sterling off diamond efforts of club stalwarts Greg Pelleymounter, Ray Greenslade and Melvyn Hopkins.
  
Hopkins makes Premier history (Sat 7 June 2008): The Albion put all thoughts of Monday night's shock cup defeat firmly behind them to defeat previously unbeaten St Michaels by an innings at Coronation Park, Newport.  Welcoming back a number of key players, the Albion were determined to get back to winning ways but no one could have predicted the history making bowling spell that would follow.  Albion speedster, Matthew Hopkins, opened up and with his first few balls,  he removed Welsh internationals, Paul Hurley and Norman Parselle.  This set the tone for the rest of the batsmen and, with the aid of some fine fielding and tremendous backstopping by Jason Cross, Hopkins proceeded to tear through the Micks order and finished with the history making figures of 11 for 6 runs, all of which were extras.  No St Michaels player scored a run.  This tremendous feat is a first for the top level of the game in Wales.

Not content with his bowling efforts, Hopkins then top scored with 22 runs in the Albions knock of 73.  He was ably supported by Michael Lucas (17) and a reinvigorated Mark Jones (12).  For the record, St Mike's fell for 17 in their second knock.

  
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* 2007 CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS - Our Centenary celebrations continued on the afternoon of Friday the 18th May with a local junior schools tournament for the 'Grange Albion Centenary Trophy' at The Marl. The four schools involved were Ninian Park, St Paul's, Grangetown and St Patrick's.  

The schools produced an exiting and memorable tournament which was thoroughly enjoyed by the children, teachers, parents and spectators (including Lord Mayor, Gill Bird) alike.  In the first round of games, St Patrick's defeated Ninian Park and St Paul's beat Grangetown to see those two schools compete in the final.  In a terrific final, St Paul's just edged out St Pat's by two runs to leave captain Alex Goodman to collect the Centenary Shield from the Lord Mayor.

The winning school, St Paul's:
       

* GRANGE ALBION v COMBINED WALES/ENGLAND TEAM - This match followed on from the schools tournament.  The combined international team was made up of:

Mike Sullivan, Tony Miles and Mike Deacy (Grange Catholics),
Leighton and Russell Martin (ISTL Llanrumney),
Chris Duffin (Caerau),
Peter King (Gower Sports),
Brian Curtis (St Albans),
Norman Parselle (St Michael's), and
Jeff Linge, Paul Hughes and Barry Hughes (Liverpool and England).
 
The combined international team was led out onto the diamond by former player and Grange Albion legend, Charlie Kinsey.  Prior to knock off, both sides were introduced to the Lord Mayor.  The game proved to be an excellent spectacle for the 400 plus crowd with the international side taking a first innings lead.  The Albion's bowlers did well against a highly skilled batting side with youngster, Matthew Hopkins, causing the 'internationals' many problems.

An honourable draw was the final outcome and captains, Matt Hopkins and Jeff Linge, jointly collected the trophy from the retiring head of Cardiff Parks Department, Mike Clark.

The match was followed by a night of celebration and stories of the 'old days' back at the Grange Albion Sports and Social Club.

* TREE PLANTING AT THE MARL - On the afternoon of Wednesday 21 March 2007, members of Grange Albion Baseball Club and officials from Cardiff County Council held a joint tree planting ceremony at the Marl to commemorate both the Club's Centenary season and the reopening of the redeveloped facilities at the Marl.  The event was well attended with a number of former players getting together to mark the occasion. 

The photograph below is of former players (l to r) Alan Barnett, Mark Jones (international cap), Billy Clifton (int. cap), Gary Jones, Mattie Lloyd, Tony Hicks, Mac Purchase (int. cap), Trevor Rees (int. cap) and Graham Finn (int. cap).