Back we came despite the threat of rain and we had a full complement of girls, in fact we had an excess of players.


But we had a down side, No Calvin, The Big C was not present to pitch .. this left us with a quandry. who would do it...

Well we got a a Rafa, Gary B stepped in to the big shoes, and by gum he was good..

The other team however had turned up with out enough players , and our captain said we'd give them 2 girls..

after a hullabaloo, we gave them Marie and Fiona.

Moral victory BD 1- Momentum 0


Note to captain: Marie is not being given away, she is playing far too well , I don't care how many camels the ther team offers us.



We'll have to find another sacrifice.. like edward woodward


We batted well we fielded well we just have to sharpen up on the base running.. (We had a situation where we got 2 people out.).

The team:
Alex B (Getting Better)
Fiona showing some improvement in the genral fielding
Gary B
Nick M
Georgie MH
Rob Sw
John Ab
Nick P
Ravi M

Rookie Alert we had a couple of rookies who played pretty well however they seemed to play better when playing aginst us, please stop that.

Georgie MH
Emma
Melissa
and Clarita (Antonios sister, who had a good hit and got on base).

Note to coach
Good fielders at first shortstop and in the outfield, and we need to play a little deeper in the outfield.

This was close and we should have lost this
however due to the good graces of the opposition it was called a draw

Moral Victory
BD 1 Momentum 1

Player of the match: Gary B, pitching well ,and the trash talk was ace, you got at least 2 outs by sweet talking the opposition girls in to swinging at the balls.
Honorable mention Georgie MH hasn't played since she was 10 , got a base hit
Play of the match :Marie , scoring a run for th eoposition , now if we ran like than we could batter the opposition
Special mention: Nick M, He has a cannon for an arm, he hits, and well he's very good.. hmm,
he's playing Clean up hitter for all the matches.

Rookie Alert:
Emma a little timid but played well
Melissa also a good game
Georgie MH

Now we need you guys to come along regularly.

Import of the week: Jacki magafa, can't stay away from the softball coming many thousand miles, and still showing she's got the competitive player despite having no shoes, she got on base.

Having lost the previous game 10 - 6 and also blanked the opposition for the last 2 inning spirits were sort of high, apart from the fact , we had a lot of drop outs...some were even for reallybad reasons like getting their car taxed, or late night shopping (Yes I mean you Alex Hoffler, this payback for the previous weeks)... not too mention Galstonbury and assorted other "lame" excuses.. bd arrived late, and undermanned (or should that be underwomened (mad up word alert)).

The team of

Ravi

Marie

Nick M

Calvin

Claire

Antonio

Natasha

Adam

Fiona and eventually Louisa (More on this heroic effort later) played

Despite the presence of an even more competitive dopelganger Ravi on the other side meant that we batted first . and by gum a star was born , Having got on base with a comfortable single .

Nick M came to the plate , 2 out sand 1 on,

and






Home Run nick .

BD were up 2 nothing but couldn't capitalise....

snap forward we fielded well and were right in it at the end of the inning

2 - 2

Then what is fast becoming a strength became a weakness, we conceded 4 run and couldn't respond putting us down (eventually for the count).

This was the point were our lack of girls hurt us, we didn't have enough outfield protection and every so often we had to tak ethe automatic out.

Our hitting was timely and over the next couple of inning we were starting to claw it back when we suddenly surrendered a couple of runs, usually on misfields... and occassionally at crucial moments.. come on guys.. I believe..

Then some thing happened, one of the opposition was running down the line , when he tripped over first base, and heard something go ...Crack and not Amy Winehouse's favourite substance.

He had actually broken his fibula

That's not his x-ray that would have been really ghoulish.

However The Ambulance proceeded to take an hour (they couldn't find Regents Park apparentl) , and that sort of killed the game we were just getting into, and Lousia had arrived literally minutes early.. just in time to see the game called off...

Player of the Game: Nick M

Play of the Game : Nick booming one out of the park

honorable mentions:

Antonio making a captins decision when required, the player was injured we played on a bit but it wasn't fun, and you know what , calling it was the right decision especially as we started bleeding runs since I was the only person in the outfield.

Rookie of the game: he should win all the awards, but I a giving Rookie of the game award to Tash Fromberg, with a special to the patron sait of lost causes,St Jude, when the opposition punted a blantant home run Natasha ran it down with all the conviction she brings to work...

Super Honorable mention : Louisa H, for turning up beyond the call of duty

First and foremost with more commitments than an Alan Parker Film , I have been dormant, and the nexts posts will be weak.. commitment to the team, the usual damage that is trying to sort out who plays where, and the general lackadaisical attitude mean that I have not had the usual notes and so forth..however I vow to return , with new impetus.. oh and maybe even a new look..

The first competitive game, the juices were flowing, and the captain.. he was missing.. he had despite advanced warning conspired to buy tickets to see Roger Waters at the O2..

Now all together..BOOO!!!!

after a last minute dash because I hadn't been given a proper list of players... we started batting, and despite some good hitting we didn't get any runs

We started fielding , and a great hit in the deep was caught by Ian, it looked like it was going to be a tense close game. but it started unravel, timely hitting, knowledge of the rules meant we gave up 4 runs, but they did earn all of them..

The second inning so everyone got in the game we ended up with rob sellers pitching .. err I say pitching but it was more a case throwing the ball in the general direction of the batters.

Unfortunately after this inning we were down 11- 2

2 good runs being scored on some quality small ball (this means advancing runners)

It got worse...

Despite a brief rally in one of the later innings here we got lots of hits (against their inexperienced outfield) and runs (5)
Good work Rob Sw, Calvin, Jo, Fiona ,Sellers, Collins(who got a a home run despite crashing over at first base- the Showboat)

the final ignominy.. err score

The Badgers (Think tank) 29 the Bulldogs 7



Player of the Game: Rob Sellers
getting hits, bantering all the time, and pitching so bad it was almost high comedy. yes we were on a hill ..but.. having said that overall he played well
Super Honorable mention: Nick Padmore to come in and rescue a bad inning
Honorable mentions to Adam , for getting the team to the pitch on time, having had an enormous squad assembled by the errant captain

Comfortably numb of the Game: Antonio for manfully going to a gig instead of captaining his team in their first competitive game putting his body on the line

Rookie of the Game : Jo White quality play down at second base, and another potential superstar

Play of the Game: Ian Woodley for a quality catch to start the fielding off
Honorable mention : Rob Swainson for hitting a great inside the park home run


Super Honorable Food mention to Alan Maund for the usual spread.


Team:
The R-Azor
Calvin The Big C
Rob Sellers Sellers
Rob's friend Jack (No Nickname)
Jo White (No Nickname yet)
Marie The Straddler Peyto
Rob Sw Let's f##k this sh#t up
Louisa The Big Hurt
Fiona François (No Nickname yet)
John The runner Ab
Nick (N-Pad) P
Nick The Face Collins
Chris L (C-Lock)
Lynton The south african sensation P
Ian Wooders W


Feel free to come up with other nicknames (true untrue, wildly inaccurate, or harsh, all suggestions welcome).

Having already inflicted a crushing defeat on the London 2012 team. (admittedly they didn't turn up). We organised a scratch game against the Man eating Badgers.. however slightly under
numbers and without a pitch...

with a random passerby supplementing the badgers , and limping bd coach.. the game was on..

BD showed the usual qualities, good batting, great vocal support, and a bit of random action in the field..

an even game for fun was mostly shaded by the badgers, however there were definitely some diamonds.

the "new" bulldogs girls Alex, Alex and marie have been especially good, Hoeffllerererererrrerrrr (not the hoffmeister) was especially good, apparently she's good with the rounders (no not the matt damon poker film).

notes: to team , we really have to work at the fielding and runnign, then we will win a lot more..

In a generally fun game on a nice day, there were still a few incidents of note, antonio flashing the leather, made a couple of very nice palys and catches, every game he plays he gets better, this time next year, who knows...

Nick Collins showed his athletic prowess in the Outfield.. and did it without showing the face...

For all the women of BD, it's true Adam R-Azor is in love.. The opposition was only fielding one young lady Charlotte, and somehow despite the short time they have known each other, it must be said I think an impression was made on the Razor.. twice Charlotte hot a ball softly to Adam, the first time he contrived to misfield it was unlucky , the second time was dubious, howeve
it was in sharp contrast when Joe from the badgers hit a cracking drive, which Adam dynamically jumped and caught robbing him of extra base hits...


Dark Horse of the day award: Alex Hoffler
Play of the Day: Antonio showing some skills.

Player of the Day : Adam Azor or should that be Charlotte.. your call

right all prepped for the real deal monday.. more information and full on entry on Monday..

Yes dear reader's it's time to don your trainers, gird your livers, the summer is somewhat tentatively here, and that means the wonderful shambles that is bd softball.

regardless of the departures
Horobin, Page, Magafa, Watt there appear to be a new crop of fresh faces for the slaughter ... err.. fun



Having sai dthat apparently much arm twisting.. (a quick call) means that we will occassionally have the services of Motha, and Harker and Page and Watt ...and later on in the year magafa for a special straight from oz edition...

well here's to this season... the new captaincy of Antonio and well the general shambles that is our fielding and base-running

With heavy heart, the softball blog has to report the departure of one of the giant of the bd softball team, after the apparent crushing news that captain caroline left to go to ..shh..Mother...(softball ed: commies) and then with the coach departing to the refined air of jwt... Jackyln Magafa, the girl on first base. hands or no hands.
has not only decided to leave the softball team, but has taken it a step further and has decided to leave the country..

She's going to Australia..

What have they got that we haven't??
sunshine, Little creatures, more deadly animals than you can shake a snake (careful with this link)at , men at work

okay admittedly it's an impressive list.

but what the fu...

In Breaking News :
---------------------------
Harry is no longer fighting the Taliban but has returned to convince Magafa to stay by order of the MoD.

A royal spokesman said "It is a national disaster, we must try and keep all the good ones, and fighting the Taliban must take second place to the requirement of First base for the BD Bulldogs."

Harry was heard to say "Of course, I'll return to England! I'll give her the full court press,if Chelsy will let me"
-------------------------
End of Breaking news alert

Antonio Lulic the incumbent captain and organiser of the bulldogs sobbed quietly as he said "It won't be the same, she said of all the things she was going to miss, it was the softball that nearly convinced her to stay"

Rob Swainson chimed in with "Let's f*ck their sh!t up"

drinks are to be held , check out jacki's facebook page