Final Tables 1987

Welsh Baseball Union Premier Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	Llanrumney	14	0	28
2	Alexandra Old Boys	9	5	18
3	Caerau	8	6	16
3	St. Michael's	8	6	16
5	Old Illtydians	5	9	10
5	Rumney RFC	5	9	10
7	Grange Albion	4	10	8
8	Gower Sports	3	11	6

Welsh Baseball Union County Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	St. Peter's	11	3	22
2	Ninian Spurs	10	4	20
3	Grange Catholic	9	5	18
4	Llandaff North	8	6	16
5	Tavistock	7	7	14
6	St. Alban's	5	9	10
7	Newport Civil Service	4	10	8
8	Penylian	2	12	4

Welsh Baseball Union 1st Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	Bridgend Street	10	2	20
2	Clifton	9	3	18
3	St. Joseph's	8	4	16
4	Alexandra Old Boys B	4	8	8
4	Caerau B	4	8	8
4	St. Michael's B	4	8	8
7	Llanfrechfa	3	9	6

Welsh Baseball Union 2nd Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	Grange Albion B	12	1	24
2	Fitzalan	10	4	20
3	Machen RFC	9	5	18
4	Llanrumney B	8	6	16
5	Newlands	7	7	14
6	Whitechurch RFC	4	10	8
7	Grange Catholics B	3	9	7
8	Gower Sports B	1	13	2

Welsh Baseball Union 3rd Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	Rumney RFC B	11	0	22
2	Tongwyndale	9	3	18
3	Old Illtydians B	8	4	16
4	Falrook	6	6	12
5	St. Michael's C	3	9	6
6	Newport Civil Service B	2	10	4
6	Whitechurch	2	9	4

Welsh Baseball Union 4th Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	Hendre	14	0	28
2	Newport Dockers	10	4	20
3	Caerau C	8	6	16
4	Wiggins Teape	7	7	14
5	Newbridge	6	8	12
6	Clagon Coronation	5	9	10
7	Ninian Spurs B	4	10	8
8	Tarelblack Saracens	2	12	4

Welsh Baseball Union 5th Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	Llandaff North B	12	2	24
2	New Park Liberals	10	4	20
3	Asko Salvage	8	6	16
3	St. Alban's B	8	5	16
3	St. Phillip Expos (WBU)	8	5	16
6	St. Peter's B	4	10	8
7	Penylian B	2	12	4
8	Llanrumney C	1	13	2

Welsh Baseball Union 6th Division 1987

Pos	Team	W	L	Pts
1	Grange Catholics C	12	2	24
2	Caerndron RFC	11	3	22
3	Essefador	10	4	20
4	Bridgend Street B	7	7	14
5	Cowden FC	6	8	12
6	St. Fallon's	4	9	9
7	Llandalen	4	10	8
8	Morganstown RFC	0	13	1

Recap

The 1987 Welsh Baseball Union (Men’s) season featured 62 teams across 8 Divisions, from the Premier Division to the County Division, and then from the 2st Division down to the 6th Division. There were a couple of teams who forfeited the season but otherwise it was a successful season, with Lllanrumney finishing by far the best team, picking up the Premier Division title with a maximum 28 points from 14 games. St. Peter’s won the County Division on 22 points (11-3), Bridgend Street were the 1st Division winners on 20 points, Grange Albion took the 2nd Division honours on 24 points (12-1). The lower tables were won by Rumney RFC B on 22 points (11-0) in the 3rd Division, Hendre 28 Points (14-0) in the 4th Division, Llandaff North B were 5th Division winners with 24 points (12-2) and Grange Catholics C won the 6th Division title with 24 points (12-2).

The names hark back to a bygone era in South Wales, not just teams such as Grange Catholics and St. Peter’s, which would have had a large Irish Catholic contingent on their rosters, but also teams with names referencing Major League Baseball (a different, but similar sport) such as St. Phillip’s Expos, no doubt a nod to Montreal Expos. Other references to other sports include Ninian Spurs, based in the same neighbourhood as the old Cardiff City Football Club ground Ninian Park, and also Rugby Football Club and Association Football Club (Soccer) teams such as Rumney RFC and Cowden FC. New Park Liberals, Newport Civil Service also make reference to a political and administrative climate which has no doubt shifted radically since. Then there are the Old Boys teams such as Old Illtydians and Alexandra Old Boys, past pupils of Schools in South Wales and the teams with Llan in their name, a popular Welsh-language prefix. Very few, if any, of these teams are still in existence now as the League has become a Schools League.

Welsh Baseball [Picture credit: Pexels.com]

References

[1] Welsh Ladies Baseball Union Facebook (2017) Around the Bases : Welsh Baseball union April / May 1988 [Internet] Available from: http://www.facebook.com/21387949710/photos/pcb.10155902328909711/10155902302069711/?type=3&theater [Accessed 30 November 2017][Actual Page Reference: https://www.facebook.com/Welsh-Ladies-baseball-Union-21387949710/photos/pcb.10155902328909711/10155902303314711 [Accessed 30 November 2017][Last Accessed 15 October 2021]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Eddie Brasil

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, Compiled and Written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | GAA World Archive

Last Updated: 15 October 2021

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

About Welsh Baseball

Welsh Baseball is the Welsh version of Rounders or Baseball and is their Traditional Celtic Sport. It is played like Baseball or Rounders on a diamond, with the original posts instead of bases like in Medieval Rounders, and the diamond is assymetrical. The bat is more like a cricket bat than a baseball or rounders bat, being slightly flat and tapers from the base to the handle. Points are scored for each base reached and also a point for getting all the way round back home.

The sport is played in mostly working class areas of South Wales and Liverpool, particularly in neighborhoods with a strong Irish Catholic population.

The game was originally Rounders but a visiting American Baseball team led by the legendary A.G. Spalding, played matches in Liverpool against local teams at the turn of the 20th Century (early 1900s), and the English Rounders Association (Liverpool) adopted some of the innovations in Baseball, thus deciding it was no longer Rounders and changed the name. It instructed its counterparts in the Welsh Baseball Union and Gloucester Baseball Union (no longer active) to do the same, thus leading to a hybrid Rounders-Baseball code unique to Wales and Liverpool.

Websites

[1] Wayback Machine Internet Archive – Welsh Baseball Union (2013) Premier Division [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20130122204111/http://www.welshbaseball.co.uk/ [Accessed 11 April 2017]

[2] Wayback Machine Internet Archive – Welsh Baseball Union (2013) Premier Division [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20130908075104/http://www.welshbaseball.co.uk/ [Accessed 11 April 2017]

[3] Wayback Machine Internet Archive – Welsh Baseball Union (2014) Premier Division [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20141016050038/http://www.welshbaseball.co.uk/ [Accessed 11 April 2017]