# 2023 British baseball season

2023 was the 94th season of competitive baseball in the United Kingdom.
This season saw the National Baseball League contract from 7 teams to 6, with BC Vetra and both Legends clubs (London and Lancashire) leaving, being replaced by the Herts Falcons (who last competed in 2021) and the East London Latin Boys.
Three previously independent leagues, the British Baseball League (Featuring teams from the North West of England), the East of England Baseball League (Representing teams from the East Midlands and East of England) and the North East Baseball League all affiliated themselves with the BBF, being added to the pyramid.
The BBF season had its opening day on 16 April, with the NBL season ending on 13 August. The Playoffs were held at the Farnham Park National Baseball & Softball Complex in Buckinghamshire, with the Single-Game Semi-Finals happening on 20 August, and the Final (reverting to a Best-of-3 series for the first time since 2018) being held across 26 and 27 August. The London Mets won the NBL Final, besting the Capitals 2-1 across the 3 game series.

## National Baseball League
### Teams

| Team | Location |
| East London Latin Boys | Waltham Forest, London |
| Essex Arrows | Waltham Abbey, Essex |
| Herts Falcons | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire |
| London Capitals | Haringey, London |
| London Mets | Haringey, London |
| Sheffield Bruins | Sheffield, South Yorkshire |

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Win% | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | London Mets | 25 | 22 | 3 | 0.880 | – | Qualify for Playoffs |
| 2 | Essex Arrows | 25 | 20 | 5 | 0.800 | 2 | Qualify for Playoffs |
| 3 | London Capitals | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.591 | 7.5 | Qualify for Playoffs |
| 4 | Sheffield Bruins | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0.368 | 12 | Qualify for Playoffs |
| 5 | Herts Falcons | 23 | 4 | 19 | 0.174 | 17 | |
| 6 | East London Latin Boys | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0.091 | 18.5 | |
Source: BBF
Correct as of 13/08/23

### Playoffs

| Semi Finals 20 August | Semi Finals 20 August | Semi Finals 20 August | NBL National Championship 26-27 August | NBL National Championship 26-27 August | NBL National Championship 26-27 August | NBL National Championship 26-27 August | NBL National Championship 26-27 August |
| 1 | London Mets | 11 | | | | | |
| 4 | Sheffield Bruins | 0 | | | | | |
| 4 | Sheffield Bruins | 0 | 1 | London Mets | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| | | | 3 | London Capitals | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Essex Arrows | 5 | 3 | London Capitals | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | London Capitals | 7 | | | | | |

## British Baseball Federation and Affiliated Leagues
### Triple A Level
#### BBF AAA
##### Teams

| Teams | Location |
| Bournemouth Bears | Ferndown, Dorset |
| Bristol Badgers | Keynsham, Somerset |
| Croydon Pirates | Sutton, London |
| Herts Cardinals | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire |
| Kent Buccaneers | Hadlow, Kent |
| London Metros | Haringey, London |
| Essex Redbacks | Chelmsford, Essex |
| Richmond Knights | Richmond upon Thames, London |

##### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Win% | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | Bournemouth Bears | 25 | 19 | 6 | 0.760 | – | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 2 | Richmond Knights | 26 | 19 | 7 | 0.731 | 0.5 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 3 | London Metros | 25 | 17 | 8 | 0.680 | 2 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 4 | Herts Cardinals | 25 | 13 | 12 | 0.520 | 6 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 5 | Bristol Badgers | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0.429 | 8.5 | |
| 6 | Croydon Pirates | 27 | 11 | 16 | 0.407 | 9 | |
| 7 | Essex Redbacks | 27 | 10 | 17 | 0.370 | 10 | |
| 8 | Kent Buccaneers | 25 | 3 | 22 | 0.120 | 16 | |
Source: BBF

#### Playoffs

| Semi Finals 10 September | Semi Finals 10 September | Semi Finals 10 September | AAA Championship 17 September | AAA Championship 17 September | AAA Championship 17 September |
| 1 | Bournemouth Bears | 9 | | | |
| 4 | Herts Cardinals | 5 | | | |
| 4 | Herts Cardinals | 5 | 1 | Bournemouth Bears | 9 |
| | | | 2 | London Metros | 7 |
| 2 | London Metros | 9 | 2 | London Metros | 7 |
| 3 | Richmond Knights | 6 | | | |

#### BBL - Higher
##### Teams

| Teams | Location |
| Liverpool Trojans Army | Sefton, Merseyside |
| Liverpool Trojans Navy | Sefton, Merseyside |
| Manchester As | Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester |
| Manchester Bees | Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester |
| Sheffield Kodiaks | Sheffield, South Yorkshire |

##### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Win% | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | Liverpool Trojans Navy | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0.864 | – | Advance to Final |
| 2 | Liverpool Trojans Army | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0.773 | 2 | Advance to Wild Card |
| 3 | Manchester A's | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0.545 | 7 | Advance to Wild Card |
| 4 | Sheffield Kodiaks | 20 | 5 | 15 | 0.250 | 14 | |
| 5 | Manchester Bees | 22 | 1 | 21 | 0.045 | 18 | |
Source: BBF
Correct as of 20/08/23

#### Playoffs

| Wild Card 2 September | Wild Card 2 September | Wild Card 2 September | BBL Higher Championship 2-3 September | BBL Higher Championship 2-3 September | BBL Higher Championship 2-3 September | BBL Higher Championship 2-3 September | BBL Higher Championship 2-3 September |
| | | | 1 | Liverpool Trojans Navy | 10 | 9 | 6 |
| 2 | Liverpool Trojans Army | 8 | 2 | Liverpool Trojans Army | 13 | 6 | 5 |
| 3 | Manchester A's | 3 | | | | | |

### Double A Level
#### BBF AA
##### Central & East
###### Teams

| Teams | Location |
| Cambridge Lancers | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire |
| Essex Archers | Waltham Abbey, Essex |
| Herts Hawks | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire |
| Milton Keynes Bucks | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire |
| Norwich Iceni | Norwich, Norfolk |

###### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Win% | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | Cambridge Lancers | 19 | 15 | 4 | 0.789 | – | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Norwich Iceni | 19 | 15 | 4 | 0.789 | 0 | |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Bucks | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0.588 | 4 | |
| 4 | Essex Archers | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0.350 | 8.5 | |
| 5 | Herts Hawks | 21 | 1 | 20 | 0.048 | 15 | |

##### South
###### Teams

| Teams | Location |
| East London Latin Boys | Waltham Forest, London |
| Formosa Islanders | Old Oak Common, London |
| Herts Ducks | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire |
| London Musketeers | Haringey, London |
| London Meteors | Haringey, London |
| London Sidewinders | Haringey, London |

###### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | Win% | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | London Sidewinders | 25 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0.800 | – | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | East London Latin Boys | 25 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0.760 | 1 | |
| 3 | London Musketeers | 25 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 0.560 | 6 | |
| 4 | London Meteors | 25 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 0.540 | 6.5 | |
| 5 | Formosa Islanders | 23 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 0.239 | 12 | |
| 6 | Herts Ducks | 23 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0.043 | 17.5 | |

##### South & South West
###### Teams

| Teams | Location |
| Bracknell Inferno | Bracknell, Berkshire |
| Bristol Bats | Keynsham, Somerset |
| Guildford Mavericks | Guildford, Surrey |
| Oxford Kings | Oxford, Oxfordshire |
| Richmond Dragons | Richmond upon Thames, London |

###### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | Win% | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | Richmond Dragons | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0.750 | – | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Bracknell Inferno | 19 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0.632 | 2.5 | |
| 3 | Guildford Mavericks | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0.444 | 6 | |
| 4 | Bristol Bats | 17 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0.441 | 6 | |
| 5 | Oxford Kings | 18 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 0.194 | 10.5 | |

##### South East
###### Teams

| Teams | Location |
| Brighton Brewers | Brighton and Hove, East Sussex |
| Croydon Pirates | Sutton, London |
| Hurricanes Baseball | Hadlow, Kent |
| Kent Mariners | Rochester, Kent |
| Tonbridge Wildcats | Tonbridge, Kent |

###### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Win% | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | Hurricanes Baseball | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0.833 | – | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Brighton Brewers | 19 | 15 | 4 | 0.789 | 0.5 | |
| 3 | Tonbridge Wildcats | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0.368 | 8.5 | |
| 4 | Kent Mariners | 15 | 5 | 10 | 0.333 | 8.5 | |
| 5 | Croydon Pirates | 17 | 2 | 15 | 0.118 | 12.5 | |

##### Playoffs

| Semi Finals 10 September | Semi Finals 10 September | Semi Finals 10 September | AA Championship 17 September | AA Championship 17 September | AA Championship 17 September |
| S | London Sidewinders | 17 | | | |
| C&E | Norwich Iceni | 2 | | | |
| C&E | Norwich Iceni | 2 | S | London Sidewinders | 8 |
| | | | SE | Hurricanes | 10 |
| SE | Hurricanes | 16 | SE | Hurricanes | 10 |
| S&SW | Richmond Dragons | 13 | | | |

### Single A Level
#### BBF Single A
##### Playoffs

| Wild Card 9 September | Wild Card 9 September | Wild Card 9 September | Semi Finals 10 September | Semi Finals 10 September | Semi Finals 10 September | A Championship 17 September | A Championship 17 September | A Championship 17 September |
| | | | SWWBL | Cardiff Merlins I | 12 | | | |
| | | | SCB | Herts Ravens | 2 | | | |
| SCB | Herts Ravens | 18 | SCB | Herts Ravens | 2 | | | |
| EEBL | Cambridge Royals | 1 | | | | | | |
| EEBL | Cambridge Royals | 1 | | | | SWWBL | Cardiff Merlins I | 10 |
| | | | | | | SCA | London Mustangs | 0 |
| | | | SE | Tonbridge Bobcats | 2 | | | |
| | | | SCA | London Mustangs | 13 | | | |

## Summer Cup

On the weekend of 22 and 23 July, the BBF hosted the inaugural Summer Cup, a 2-day Tournament run from Farnham Park. 24 teams from 22 clubs took part, with a variety of teams makeups, including representative teams from Baseball Scotland, Baseball Ireland, the South West and Wales Baseball League, and the East of England Baseball league, plus teams from non-BBF Clubs, such as the Long Eaton Storm, Stockton Grizzlies, and BC Vetra.
Initially, the 3 tiers (Gold, for AAA and NBL-level teams, Silver, for AA and high independent-level teams, and Bronze, for A and low independent-level teams) were split into groups of 4, each of which would play a round-robin, with positional playoffs. However, due to inclement weather over the weekend, this format was instead changed to a single-elimination knockout, with losing teams moving into a lower bracket to decide positions.

### Teams

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Baseball Ireland | Bracknell Inferno | Croydon Pirates |
| Baseball Scotland | Bristol Bats | Fire Breathing Kittens |
| BC Vetra | Bournemouth Bears | Guilford BC |
| Croydon Pirates | Formosa Islanders | Kent Mariners |
| Essex BC | Long Eaton Storm | London Mets |
| Liverpool Trojans | Norwich Iceni | New Forest Thunder Knights |
| London Mets | Newcastle Nighthawks | South West & Wales League |
| Sheffield Bruins | University of Nottingham | Stockton Grizzlies |

### Gold Bracket
#### Main Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| London Mets | 7 | | | | |
| BC Vetra | 1 | | | | |
| BC Vetra | 1 | London Mets | 3 | | |
| | | Croydon Pirates | 1 | | |
| Croydon Pirates | 15 | Croydon Pirates | 1 | | |
| Baseball Ireland | 0 | | | | |
| Baseball Ireland | 0 | | | London Mets | 3 |
| | | | | Essex BC | 2 |
| Liverpool Trojans | 6 | | | | | Essex BC | 2 |
| Baseball Scotland | 7 | | |
| Baseball Scotland | 7 | Baseball Scotland | 3 | Third Place Play-Off | Third Place Play-Off |
| | | Essex BC | 5 |
| Essex BC | 11 | Essex BC | 5 | Baseball Scotland | 13 |
| Sheffield Bruins | 1 | | | Croydon Pirates | 2 |

#### Consolation Bracket

| Consolation Semi-Finals | Consolation Semi-Finals | 5th Place Play-Off | 5th Place Play-Off |
| BC Vetra | 4 | | |
| Baseball Ireland | 3 | | |
| Baseball Ireland | 3 | BC Vetra | 2 |
| | | Liverpool Trojans | 6 |
| Liverpool Trojans | 8 | Liverpool Trojans | 6 |
| Sheffield Bruins | 5 | 7th Place Playoff | 7th Place Playoff |
| | | Baseball Ireland | 15 |
| | | Sheffield Bruins | 1 |

### Silver Bracket
#### Main Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Bournemouth Bears | 3 | | | | |
| Bracknell Inferno | 6 | | | | |
| Bracknell Inferno | 6 | Bracknell Inferno | 7 | | |
| | | Norwich Iceni | 8 | | |
| Norwich Iceni | 12 | Norwich Iceni | 8 | | |
| U of Nottingham | 2 | | | | |
| U of Nottingham | 2 | | | Norwich Iceni | 3 |
| | | | | Long Eaton Storm | 6 |
| Newcastle Nighthawks | 1 | | | | | Long Eaton Storm | 6 |
| Long Eaton Storm | 2 | | |
| Long Eaton Storm | 2 | Long Eaton Storm | 12 | Third Place Play-Off | Third Place Play-Off |
| | | Bristol Bats | 1 |
| Bristol Bats | w/o | Bristol Bats | 1 | Bracknell Inferno | w/o |
| Formosa Islanders | | | | Bristol Bats | |

#### Consolation Bracket

| Consolation Semi-Finals | Consolation Semi-Finals | 5th Place Play-Off | 5th Place Play-Off |
| Bournemouth Bears | 7 | | |
| U of Nottingham | 4 | | |
| U of Nottingham | 4 | Bournemouth Bears | 2 |
| | | Newcastle Nighthawks | 9 |
| Newcastle Nighthawks | w/o | Newcastle Nighthawks | 9 |
| Formosa Islanders | | 7th Place Playoff | 7th Place Playoff |
| | | U of Nottingham | w/o |
| | | Formosa Islanders | |

### Bronze Bracket
#### Main Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Croydon Pirates | 7 | | | | |
| London Mets | 8 | | | | |
| London Mets | 8 | London Mets | 13 | | |
| | | Stockton Grizzlies | 6 | | |
| New Forest Thunder Knights | 3 | Stockton Grizzlies | 6 | | |
| Stockton Grizzlies | 11 | | | | |
| Stockton Grizzlies | 11 | | | London Mets | 8 |
| | | | | SWWBL | 7 |
| Guildford BC | 7 | | | | | SWWBL | 7 |
| Fire Breathing Kittens | 12 | | |
| Fire Breathing Kittens | 12 | Fire Breathing Kittens | 8 | Third place play-off | Third place play-off |
| | | SWWBL | 13 |
| Kent Mariners | 6 | SWWBL | 13 | Stockton Grizzlies | 9 |
| SWWBL | 24 | | | Fire Breathing Kittens | 17 |

#### Consolation Bracket

| Consolation Semi-Finals | Consolation Semi-Finals | 5th Place Play-Off | 5th Place Play-Off |
| Croydon Pirates | | | |
| New Forest Thunder Knights | w/o | | |
| New Forest Thunder Knights | w/o | New Forest Thunder Knights | 12 |
| | | Kent Mariners | 13 |
| Guildford BC | 6 | Kent Mariners | 13 |
| Kent Mariners | 7 | 7th Place Playoff | 7th Place Playoff |
| | | Croydon Pirates | |
| | | Guildford BC | w/o |