Waltonians Baseball Club is a baseball club located in Skipness, Albaland. They are the only professional club from the city and are one of sixteen teams that formed the inaugural season of the Albaland Baseball League. They are affectionately known as The Shrimpers, or more commonly, The Shrimps.
The foundation of Waltonians can be traced back to a group of local enthusiasts who had a passion for the sports of fishing and baseball. In the early 1900s, baseball was a relatively new and unfamiliar game in Albaland, but it had already gained popularity in the United States and other parts of the Southern Union. The founding members of the club were inspired by the game and decided to form a team to compete against other clubs in the area.
The club was named after Izaak Walton, a renowned writer and angler who lived in the 17th century. Walton was an influential figure in the development of modern angling techniques and was best known for his book “The Compleat Angler,” which is still considered a classic in the field of fishing literature. The founders of the club chose Walton’s name to honor his legacy and his love of outdoor sports.
Waltonians played their first game in the summer of 1902 against a team from nearby Blairgowrie. The game was played on a makeshift field, and Waltonians emerged victorious, 6-3. This victory marked the beginning of a long and successful history for the club. In 1907, Waltonians entered the Alba Shield, reaching the Quarter-Finals before going down 2-1 to eventual winners Fossoway. The Shrimpers repeated the feat the following year, losing to Rigside Nine 7-1 but in 1909 went one step further, reaching the Semi-Finals before losing to eventual winners Douglastown after giving up 3 runs in the ninth inning to lose 7-6.
After being approached by Tadd Steward in 1909 to join the Albaland Baseball League, Waltonians became a founding member of the league that began play in the 1910 Baseball Season.
The club plays it’s games at The Abbey Field, which as the name suggests, is built on the grounds of an old abbey that once stood in the area before being destroyed in a fire in 1892. The stadium’s designers took inspiration from the abbey’s architecture, incorporating elements of its Gothic style into the stadium’s design. The result is a unique and visually striking stadium that is unlike any other in Albaland. 11-foot high walls surround the outfield that has a slightly shorter centre-right which severely impacts the number of triples compared to league average. One of the most distinctive features of The Abbey Field is its location. The stadium is situated on a hill overlooking the city, and offers panoramic views of the sea and surrounding countryside.
The clubs primary colors are dark blue and orange.