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Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Is there much of a scene anymore?
I used to love it when I was a kid.
A fair amount of kids Football teams in Newport had Baseball teams in the summer.
It kind of stopped then and there were probably 4/5 Newport teams for seniors.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Men’s game has died a death unfortunately, the women’s game is still quite strong though.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
splott parker
Men’s game has died a death unfortunately, the women’s game is still quite strong though.
That's sad to hear.
There was St Mike's, Alex Old Boys, Civil, Pill Harriers and even Hartridge in Newport and probably double that in Cardiff about 20 years ago.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wash DC Blue
Is there much of a scene anymore?
I used to love it when I was a kid.
A fair amount of kids Football teams in Newport had Baseball teams in the summer.
It kind of stopped then and there were probably 4/5 Newport teams for seniors.
you mention 4/5 teams from Newport for seniors
The only teams I can remember playing against were St Michaels , Alexander Old Boys and Ebbw Bridge . Did Pill Harriers have a side too back in the day ?
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MOZZER2
you mention 4/5 teams from Newport for seniors
The only teams I can remember playing against were St Michaels , Alexander Old Boys and Ebbw Bridge . Did Pill Harriers have a side too back in the day ?
Pill Harriers did as did Hartridge and Civil Service out of Bettws.
I think even The Sarries did.
If they were of a Standard to play against the Cardiff teams...I'm not sure.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wash DC Blue
Pill Harriers did as did Hartridge and Civil Service out of Bettws.
I think even The Sarries did.
If they were of a Standard to play against the Cardiff teams...I'm not sure.
yes when i saw your post regarding civil service you are correct it jogged my memory i remember i played a night game up the civil service ground and didn;t finish for bad light as were still playing at 10 in the night -lol
Yes the WBU held representative games and 1 year got selected to play for a good solid cardiff side against Newport but you townies hammered us by an innings :xmashehe:
got selected a for a welsh trial but didn't get in as there were some very good players back then . my lad went on to represent the wales youth side a few years later
great times when i look back
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Used to be huge crowds on roach Park recreation ground, back in the day, and I can remember pretty large crowds only twenty years ago. Seems to have died a dead recently though.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
I played for Penylan B we beat Ebbw Bridge in the B league Cup final about 1992 on the pitch next to the transporter bridge went back to their club for drinks and sarnies.
There club has gone now and was a property for sale on homes under the Hammer.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MOZZER2
yes when i saw your post regarding civil service you are correct it jogged my memory i remember i played a night game up the civil service ground and didn;t finish for bad light as were still playing at 10 in the night -lol
Yes the WBU held representative games and 1 year got selected to play for a good solid cardiff side against Newport but you townies hammered us by an innings :xmashehe:
got selected a for a welsh trial but didn't get in as there were some very good players back then . my lad went on to represent the wales youth side a few years later
great times when i look back
Nice one Mozz.
My Mam was from Pill and moved to Bettws when she was a bit older.
So I'd spend a lot of time in Tees Close which was half a stones throw from The Civil Ground, supposedly visiting Grand Parents but watching baseball on Summers Evenings.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
insider
I played for Penylan B we beat Ebbw Bridge in the B league Cup final about 1992 on the pitch next to the transporter bridge went back to their club for drinks and sarnies.
There club has gone now and was a property for sale on homes under the Hammer.
The pitch would be Coronation Park, right down the bottom of Corporation Road.
Opposite Pill basically.
I heard The Ebbw Bridge had gone.
Reminds me though of a pool match one night against
them when some lad started...and was met with "Sit down, the hardest thing out of Maesglas is The Argus Crossword" :)
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wash DC Blue
The pitch would be Coronation Park, right down the bottom of Corporation Road.
Opposite Pill basically.
I heard The Ebbw Bridge had gone.
Reminds me though of a pool match one night against
them when some lad started...and was met with "Sit down, the hardest thing out of Maesglas is The Argus Crossword" :)
What a road (Corporation) that must have been in its heyday!
I worked for quite a few years at the nearby Whiteheads steelworks. At Christmas time, we would start off on a pub crawl from the West Of England pub, next to the transporter bridge.
Every street corner leading on to Corporation Rd had a pub. A lot of them were boarded up but there were still enough pubs left to make it quite a challenge to finally make it down to the King William pub down the other end.
Many, like myself, were Cardiff lads, but we never encountered any problems in that area in all fairness.
I wonder how many pubs are actually left on Corporation Rd these days?
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rock_Flock_of_Five
What a road (Corporation) that must have been in its heyday!
I worked for quite a few years at the nearby Whiteheads steelworks. At Christmas time, we would start off on a pub crawl from the West Of England pub, next to the transporter bridge.
Every street corner leading on to Corporation Rd had a pub. A lot of them were boarded up but there were still enough pubs left to make it quite a challenge to finally make it down to the King William pub down the other end.
Many, like myself, were Cardiff lads, but we never encountered any problems in that area in all fairness.
I wonder how many pubs are actually left on Corporation Rd these days?
We went for an office Christmas meal in the pub by the Transporter Bridge (can't remember what it was called, but it wasn't the West of England) having, for some reason, walked down Corporation Road and it was noticeable how you began to see more boarded up shops and closed pubs the further you walked towards the bridge. This would have been fifteen to twenty years ago and it wouldn't have been much of a pub crawl if we'd tried one that day.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rock_Flock_of_Five
What a road (Corporation) that must have been in its heyday!
I worked for quite a few years at the nearby Whiteheads steelworks. At Christmas time, we would start off on a pub crawl from the West Of England pub, next to the transporter bridge.
Every street corner leading on to Corporation Rd had a pub. A lot of them were boarded up but there were still enough pubs left to make it quite a challenge to finally make it down to the King William pub down the other end.
Many, like myself, were Cardiff lads, but we never encountered any problems in that area in all fairness.
I wonder how many pubs are actually left on Corporation Rd these days?
Corporation Road is the other side of the river to the West of England. You're getting confused with Commercial Road.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Alan Lung
Corporation Road is the other side of the river to the West of England. You're getting confused with Commercial Road.
Damn, thank you for correcting me. Yeah, Commercial Rd, I should have said. Doh!
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
We used to go to TJs to watch metal bands and would have a drink in a pub over the road
Is that the maindee area ?
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tforturton
Used to be huge crowds on roach Park recreation ground, back in the day, and I can remember pretty large crowds only twenty years ago. Seems to have died a dead recently though.
Yes, I recall when about 12 years old in 1965 or thereabouts that big games played there attracted crowds of up to 8,000. This figure was recorded in the Echo and many times I went it was almost akin to visiting Ninian Park on match days. Except the baseball fans were better behaved!
I could walk there from home.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
also many great players graced the game from the football and rugby world in the summer months . For example I played with and against over a 25 year period Dave 'dai' Bishop , Mark Ring and Mike Rayer from the rugby world and from the football world Ellis Harrison ( Bristol Rovers and Welsh U-21) , Norman Parselle (Newport county ) and Paul Bodin
Before my time players like Dave Giles and the late great Phil Dwyer played for Grange Catholics in the baseball leagues and as a few mentioned used to attract big crowds in its heyday . sadly now just a distant memory
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
I went to Llanrumney High whose Baseball team was a very strong , along with St Illtyds they supplied a few Welsh Internationals.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MOZZER2
also many great players graced the game from the football and rugby world in the summer months . For example I played with and against over a 25 year period Dave 'dai' Bishop , Mark Ring and Mike Rayer from the rugby world and from the football world Ellis Harrison ( Bristol Rovers and Welsh U-21) , Norman Parselle (Newport county ) and Paul Bodin
Before my time players like Dave Giles and the late great Phil Dwyer played for Grange Catholics in the baseball leagues and as a few mentioned used to attract big crowds in its heyday . sadly now just a distant memory
Why has it diminished then Mozz? Do you reckon that it's the lack of community in some of the more traditional working class areas of cardiff? Pub closures, loss of local industry or that young men just aren't that bothered about playing sport on the weekend anymore for a variety of reasons?
The Cardiff and District football league used to have 6 divisions if i can recall, then there was the Combination league as well. Pontcanna and Trelai were packed out on a saturday. I know that numbers have deteriorated slowly over the past 20 or 30 years so it's been a gradual thing, but it's an interesting subject as to why young men aren't playing so much sport on saturday afternoons like we did.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MOZZER2
also many great players graced the game from the football and rugby world in the summer months . For example I played with and against over a 25 year period Dave 'dai' Bishop , Mark Ring and Mike Rayer from the rugby world and from the football world Ellis Harrison ( Bristol Rovers and Welsh U-21) , Norman Parselle (Newport county ) and Paul Bodin
Before my time players like Dave Giles and the late great Phil Dwyer played for Grange Catholics in the baseball leagues and as a few mentioned used to attract big crowds in its heyday . sadly now just a distant memory
Norman Parselle was a very good all round sportsperson and nice lad, as is the family .
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
The biggest reason for the decline in baseball is they don't play it in schools any more partly health and safety and partly teachers not doing extra curricular activities anymore.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
We went for an office Christmas meal in the pub by the Transporter Bridge (can't remember what it was called, but it wasn't the West of England) having, for some reason, walked down Corporation Road and it was noticeable how you began to see more boarded up shops and closed pubs the further you walked towards the bridge. This would have been fifteen to twenty years ago and it wouldn't have been much of a pub crawl if we'd tried one that day.
The Waterloo
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tuerto
Why has it diminished then Mozz? Do you reckon that it's the lack of community in some of the more traditional working class areas of cardiff? Pub closures, loss of local industry or that young men just aren't that bothered about playing sport on the weekend anymore for a variety of reasons?
The Cardiff and District football league used to have 6 divisions if i can recall, then there was the Combination league as well. Pontcanna and Trelai were packed out on a saturday. I know that numbers have deteriorated slowly over the past 20 or 30 years so it's been a gradual thing, but it's an interesting subject as to why young men aren't playing so much sport on saturday afternoons like we did.
pretty much all what you mentioned and as insider mentioned a lack of teachers in schools that come from outside the area that didn't know what baseball was ! lots of trade people played and like yourself worked away in the week and couldn't make night games so teams struggled in the week basically the demographics of work changed around that time . By the late 90's video games and a few years later smart phones etc sadly confined our kids to bed rooms rather than a sporting field
another big factor was alot of politics within the WBU in the late 90's and Noughties but I won't go there as I usually get a good leathering when we go down the politics road on here :xmashehe:
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Another ‘sport’ that has suffered in Cardiff is Pool, lots of pubs closing, the morning after drinking worries of a Sunday night and the way the league has been run have all contributed to the decline.
Only 4 divisions in Cardiff now with less than 40 teams playing, probably only aroun 32 pubs that would be - compare it to Newport who have 6 divisions and over 60 teams it is a bit puzzling.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tforturton
Used to be huge crowds on roach Park recreation ground, back in the day, and I can remember pretty large crowds only twenty years ago. Seems to have died a dead recently though.
Yes I remember going to a couple of matches at Roath Park back in the 60's and seventies where there were big crowds
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rock_Flock_of_Five
What a road (Corporation) that must have been in its heyday!
I worked for quite a few years at the nearby Whiteheads steelworks. At Christmas time, we would start off on a pub crawl from the West Of England pub, next to the transporter bridge.
Every street corner leading on to Corporation Rd had a pub. A lot of them were boarded up but there were still enough pubs left to make it quite a challenge to finally make it down to the King William pub down the other end.
Many, like myself, were Cardiff lads, but we never encountered any problems in that area in all fairness.
I wonder how many pubs are actually left on Corporation Rd these days?
There were some great pubs down Pill.
They all seemed to have closed now, I think the only one left is The Ship and Pilot.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SLUDGE FACTORY
We used to go to TJs to watch metal bands and would have a drink in a pub over the road
Is that the maindee area ?
Technically it isn't Maindee but it's only a stones throw away.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
My brother Russell Davies used to be captain and backstop for Cardiff boys in the early 70s..Gerald Fish..Philip Jay..went up to Liverpool to watch them.
When Liverpool played in Cardiff Peter Reid stayed at our house..he was Liverpool captain
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
I used to love playing baseball, llandaff fields, roath park Trelai, llanrumney rec,
Things went in a different direction when my brother in law pulled base 3 from the ground and assaulted a Llanrumney player with it as he was running past
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MOZZER2
also many great players graced the game from the football and rugby world in the summer months . For example I played with and against over a 25 year period Dave 'dai' Bishop , Mark Ring and Mike Rayer from the rugby world and from the football world Ellis Harrison ( Bristol Rovers and Welsh U-21) , Norman Parselle (Newport county ) and Paul Bodin
Before my time players like Dave Giles and the late great Phil Dwyer played for Grange Catholics in the baseball leagues and as a few mentioned used to attract big crowds in its heyday . sadly now just a distant memory
Llandaff North!
We've had this discussion before on here Mozz, always love a reminisce of Baseball.
Use to watch Mike Rayer smash it in to the taff down Hailey Park and I think Mike Ring played for the north as well.?
Remember wining the U16s at Roath one year, beat llanedeyrn / pentwyn in the final. Only thing I ever won at sport of any note, picture in the Echo
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
OurManFlint II
Llandaff North!
We've had this discussion before on here Mozz, always love a reminisce of Baseball.
Use to watch Mike Rayer smash it in to the taff down Hailey Park and I think Mike Ring played for the north as well.?
Remember wining the U16s at Roath one year, beat llanedeyrn / pentwyn in the final. Only thing I ever won at sport of any note, picture in the Echo
I used to love watching "The North" playing baseball over Hailey Park, such a beautiful setting in the Summer! Llandaff North also had the best baseball kit of the lot. Many teams just used football kits, the North had specially made shirts that were unique.
Mike Rayer's father, Alec, was also an excellent player in his day.
Another fantastic player they had was Mark Powell. He was first-team bowler for the North when still in high school; many senior players struggled against his pace.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Mate of mine just saying that he’s playing again this season for Newport Baseball Club.
Apparently 5 teams from Cardiff now and 1 from Newport.
They are playing at Rumney RFC over at Llanrumney Fields every Saturday.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tuerto
Why has it diminished then Mozz? Do you reckon that it's the lack of community in some of the more traditional working class areas of cardiff? Pub closures, loss of local industry or that young men just aren't that bothered about playing sport on the weekend anymore for a variety of reasons?
The Cardiff and District football league used to have 6 divisions if i can recall, then there was the Combination league as well. Pontcanna and Trelai were packed out on a saturday. I know that numbers have deteriorated slowly over the past 20 or 30 years so it's been a gradual thing, but it's an interesting subject as to why young men aren't playing so much sport on saturday afternoons like we did.
There was a 'Wednesday' football league as well, for those who worked in retail etc. on Saturdays. The Cardiff and district has just 24 senior teams, but everything under 15 is thriving by the looks of it. Cardiff Combination 3 divisions of 8. As you suggest it seems when players reach 'adulthood' they stop playing. Probably tails off as parent power diminishes with age..
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Haven’t read every Fred ,
But we used to travel up to Speke Old Boys, biannually from the Tavistock Pub in roath.
What a weekend that used to be
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BLUETIT
Haven’t read every Fred ,
But we used to travel up to Speke Old Boys, biannually from the Tavistock Pub in roath.
What a weekend that used to be
I’ve been on that trip, 16th-18th June, 1978. I know that because we watched the John Conteh/Mate Parlov fight on the telly in a Liverpool pub. Just checked, didn’t realise the fight was at the Red Star Stadium, Belgrade. Great weekend with a bunch of nutters:hehe:
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
splott parker
I’ve been on that trip, 16th-18th June, 1978. I know that because we watched the John Conteh/Mate Parlov fight on the telly in a Liverpool pub. Just checked, didn’t realise the fight was at the Red Star Stadium, Belgrade. Great weekend with a bunch of nutters:hehe:
I think that was the “pink champagne” trip :thumbup:
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
life on mars
I went to Llanrumney High whose Baseball team was a very strong , along with St Illtyds they supplied a few Welsh Internationals.
Yes Llanrumney had a very good team as did Grange Albion, Penylan and Llandaff.
Remember Paddy Hennessy bowling for Grange Albion.
Also the internationals Wales v England at Roath Park rec. huge crowds in the 60’s
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
I played for Wales at under 14s in the early 2000’s, stayed up in Liverpool. It’s like they dragged a few kids off the streets to be honest, we beat them by an Innings. Still got my Wales jersey. The under 16s and men’s match was competitive though. Everyone went back to a pub called the first base afterwards.
It’s such a great game with a much better format than the American version, a real shame it’s died out. I’ve been involved in epic games for Grange Albions where the last man needs two or three runs to win and there’s a huge crowd watching, always thought it was better than a lot of sports that get televised.
The women’s game is going strong which is good.
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Re: Baseball in South Wales and Liverpool
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wash DC Blue
Mate of mine just saying that he’s playing again this season for Newport Baseball Club.
Apparently 5 teams from Cardiff now and 1 from Newport.
They are playing at Rumney RFC over at Llanrumney Fields every Saturday.
you can get updates every week from this welsh baseball twitter account
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Grange Albion v St Albans yesterday . Nathan Taylor of Grange Albion at the pegs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/welshbaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#w elshbaseball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cardiffbaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"> #cardiffbaseball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/newportbaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"> #newportbaseball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/baseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#baseba ll</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/schoolsbaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"> #schoolsbaseball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/welshsport?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wels hsport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sportwales?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#spor twales</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cardiffsport?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ca rdiffsport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wlbu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wlbu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ladiesbaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"># ladiesbaseball</a> <a href="https://t.co/trRr4pszuP">pic.twitter.com/trRr4pszuP</a></p>— Welsh Baseball (@baseballwales) <a href="https://twitter.com/baseballwales/status/1667991831710253056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>