The 1911 Southern Union Baseball season was the seventeenth season of professional baseball within the Southern Union. It was the last season of professional status for Uckford Gemenskap after they were voted out of Division Ett in Koana Islands and also the final year of eight teams competing in the Houtmansland Topklasse Divisie before it expanded to 10 teams with the inclusion of HC Notendaal and Herksen-Heerenveen.

International Baseball

Centaurus Cup

The Günsovölk capital of Shoof was the location of the second Centaurus Cup which was expanded from 4 teams to 5 with the introduction of Albaland joining the South Indian Ocean Baseball Association (SIOBA). The home grounds of Hafenstadt BV and Ducibus BV were used to ensure two games could be played simultaneously due to weather concerns. Günsovölk won the Cup, remaining undefeated for the entirety of the tournament, with defending Champions Koana Islands finishing as runners-up.

Albaland had a solid tournament but needed three attempts to claim their first competitive international victory, having lost 11-8 to Koana Islands and then drawing 6-6 with the hosts. A late solo home run by Patrick McIntyre in the 9th inning was enough to break the deadlock over Houtmansland and claim their first win. It was another Centaurus Cup to forget for Houtmansland who finished last once again, going winless in their final 7 fixtures having started their campaign with a 6-3 victory over Ianoia. This prompted the nation’s baseball governing body to hastily add two more teams to the Topklasse Divisie in an effort to provide more opportunities for players to turn professional.

Ianoia was once again left frustrated at their performances as they finished 4th with a 2-3-3 record; both wins coming courtesy of Albaland. Newspapers were scathing of the teams performances, suggesting a second division such as Koana Islands’ Division Ett may help strengthen the quality of the nation’s players.

Matchday 1
Houtmansland   0   0   2   1   0   0   0   2   1    6      Albaland       3   4   0   0   0   0   0   0   1    8
Ianoia         2   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0    3      Koana Islands  0   0   6   0   0   1   4   0   0    11

Matchday 2
Ianoia         0   1   1   0   0   1   0   0   0    3      Günsovölk      0   0   0   0   5   0   0   1   0    6
Koana Islands  0   1   0   0   1   0   0   0   1    3      Albaland       0   0   2   0   0   0   0   4   0    6

Matchday 3
Albaland       1   1   1   0   0   0   2   0   1    6      Koana Islands  2   0   1   1   1   0   0   1   0    6
Houtmansland   1   1   0   1   0   2   0   0   0    5      Günsovölk      0   0   0   0   4   2   0   1   0    7

Matchday 4
Ianoia         0   0   1   0   0   2   0   0   0    3      Houtmansland   0   1   1   1   0   0   0   0   0    3
Günsovölk      0   0   0   2   2   0   0   0   0    4      Koana Islands  0   1   0   1   0   0   0   4   2    8

Matchday 5
Albaland       0   2   0   0   3   0   0   3   0    8      Günsovölk      0   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0    2
Ianoia         3   4   3   0   0   0   1   0   1    12     Houtmansland   0   0   1   0   0   0   0   0   0    1

Matchday 6
Ianoia         0   2   2   0   0   0   0   1   0    5      Koana Islands  0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1    1
Houtmansland   1   0   0   0   2   0   1   0   1    5      Albaland       0   0   0   1   1   0   0   0   0    2

Matchday 7
Koana Islands  0   3   1   0   1   1   0   0   0    6      Albaland       0   0   0   0   4   0   0   2   0    6
Ianoia         0   0   0   0   0   0   2   1   0    3      Günsovölk      2   1   0   0   0   0   0   2   1    6

Matchday 8
Houtmansland   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0   0    1      Günsovölk      0   3   1   0   1   0   5   0   1    11
Albaland       1   0   2   0   0   0   0   0   0    3      Koana Islands  0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   0    2

Matchday 9
Günsovölk      0   0   2   2   0   0   1   1   0    6      Koana Islands  0   0   3   2   3   0   1   0   1    10
Ianoia         1   1   2   1   0   0   1   0   0    6      Houtmansland   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   3   2    5

Matchday 10
Ianoia         0   1   3   0   0   0   2   0   0    6      Houtmansland   1   0   0   0   0   0   4   0   0    5
Albaland       2   0   0   1   0   0   1   1   0    5      Günsovölk      1   3   2   2   0   1   0   0   0    9

Domestic Baseball

Koana Islands

Super Ligan

Having finished 5th last year, Ny Aucklanda IF had an extraordinary change in fortune to win their first ever Super Ligan title. Since re-joining the league for the 1900 baseball season, Ny Aucklanda IF finished 2nd in 1903 but sat in mid-table mediocrity in recent seasons. The club’s away form (25-1-7) went a long way to aid the team to their first ever championship, bettering BK Salau’s away from by 12 points who themselves had their best ever finish as runners-up.

Defending Champions Sandford Stad BF had a slow start to the season which included 7 losses in 9 through the month of May. Vizhune IS went undefeated in their final 12 games to finish above Glenton Kullar BbK who dropped back two places from their 4th place finish last year.

Returning to the Super Ligan after a couple of years in Division Ett, BF Oberoendestad held 8th place from Matchday 24 onwards to comfortably survive relegation, albeit 12 points behind AIF Thomassmåstad. The same cannot be said for Portlethen Måndag GK who made an immediate return to the second tier after being swept by both BF Oberoendestad and Omfattandestad BoIS to finish out the year, which allowed Jordnot Kanjon BK to move out of the relegation zone on the final weekend.

Joining Portlethen in Division Ett next year will be BK Humoor 1893 who succumbed to the drop for the first time in their history since joining the Super Ligan in 1898. After holding bottom of the table from Matchday 5 until the end of the season, Humoor was plagued with poor form which included a run of 19 games where they won just two games during that time throughout May and June.

Division Ett

Bryankeld Förenta BK were unstoppable for the majority of the season, holding top spot from Matchday 2 onwards, briefly losing it a few weeks later for one day when they lost to IF Blidområde before storming away with the title and returning to the Super Ligan as Champions after a four year absence. Joining them in the top flight next season is runners-up Centurio Conneaut who have spent the last 5 years in Division Ett and set a new season record for wins by the club with 49.

It wasn’t easy for Conneaut though, who only managed to finish second on Run Difference after they pummeled Körsbärstad IF 8-1 on the final day and recently relegated SK Ryttare – who had the better run difference going into the final games – could only beat Bryankeld Förenta BK by a score of 7 to 6, having led 5-1 after 6 innings. Although technically in the hunt for promotion, IF Blidområde finished 4th but won less games thoughout the year to consign them to another year in the second tier. Yo-yo club Nyhaven SK, who was relegated from the Super Ligan last year, finished 6th after leapfrogging Ruysdael Akademisk IF on the final day; A drop in form throughout June and July cost them a chance at an immediate return to the top flight.

In the bottom half of the league, Prestons-Grenada, having only been re-elected last year, finished 10th despite a slow start to the season where they lost their opening 6 fixtures (all at home) and 8 of their first 10. They placed above BK Randia whose 11-game losing streak in the middle of the year harmed a good finish for the team that had claimed 8th in each of the last three seasons.

Uckford Gemenskap and 1890 Ängelar SK were put up for re-election with the latter’s fall from grace a cause for concern. Ängelar sat 9th in the Super Ligan only three years earlier, but 1 win in 28 games during the months of May through to August saw them plummet to the bottom of the table before a return to form briefly lifted them about Uckford who pipped them to 13th on the final day of the season. The strong finish by Uckford Gemenskap did not convince other club owners who voted to revoke their professional status in flavor of Elon BF, citing travel costs off the mainland as not worth the hassle for a team that doesn’t perform well on the field.

Günsovölk

Baseball Meisterschaft

SG 1632 Schönheit romped to their second consecutive title, having been in a tense battle with Rasensport Sorgenfrei for much of the year. After holding top of the table by a point over BV Küstestadt just before the halfway stage, Schönheit was swept by Sorgenfrei to slip to 4th behind Viktoria Grosstadt SV. However, this lit a fire under the belly of the beast and the club went 18-3-0 in the next 21 fixtures to move clear of Sorgenfrei following their series sweep loss to the hands of 1. Trappen. BV Küstestadt, Mächtstadt VfL and VfB Andacht all kept pace with Sorgenfrei, with Andacht slipping to 5th on the final day after a 7-0 thumping at home to Viktoria Grosstadt SV.

Uelzenia Hüll had a dreadful start to the season, losing 9 of their first 10 fixtures but recovered well to finish 8th, roughly where they were expected to finish. Ducibus BV was in a similar position but managed to avoid the re-election process – having never been up for re-election in their existence – after sitting last at the halfway point of the year. A record of 11-1-5 through August and September was the springboard needed to propel the team up to 11th.

At the opposite end of the table, Hafenstadt BV went through the re-election process for the second time in their history, finishing last after propping up the league since mid-July. They were re-elected along with Käseplatz SSV who entered the process for the second consecutive time having only turned professional four years ago. A string of losses in the latter half of the year pushed the club into the re-election zone, but flirted above it for much of the season to that point; a fact not lost on the other owners who elected to keep them in the league.

Ianoia

I-League

Racing Welford lifted their first I-League title with ease to finish 12 points clear of reigning champions McCutchen City. Welford moved clear at the top of the table by the end of April and at one point held a 16-point lead over second placed Tyrant-Ilford who slipped away to finish 4th. So prolific was Racing Welford’s domination, they never lost more than 2 games in a row and that only happened twice. McCutchen City got off to a shaky start with consecutive losses to old rivals Blenkinsopp Town, but 7 losses in a row during June ended their title challenge despite an 11-game winning streak to end the year.

Oldstead Irish had their worst home record since 1906 as they went 17-3-13 to stumble home 5th, 8 points behind Tyrant-Ilford and tied with Chatteris United. United briefly moved above Irish with a game to play after inflicting a 6th and 7th consecutive loss to Oldstead, but Irish won the last game 7-3 to stay ahead on wins.

At the bottom of the pile, Byfleet Hawks successfully retained their professional status for another year in their first time of asking; a crucial fact that kept them in the league after finishing 11th the previous two seasons and only slipping into 12th with two games to play following Sporting Cuckney’s 3-2 win over Ulcombe United on the Saturday.

Social Cup

In the second running of the Social Cup, non-League outfit Boythorpe Loco – made up of workers at the nearby railway yard – stunned the Ianoian Baseball world, defeating professional outfit Chatteris United 7-4 in the final having also eliminated Athletic Ivychurch only a couple of weeks earlier.

Chatteris United started strong, scoring 2 runs in the 3rd inning, but Boythorpe Loco responded in the 4th, scoring 3 runs thanks to a clutch double by their left fielder, David Wilson. In the 5th inning, Boythorpe Loco added 2 more runs, with their center fielder Ben Davis hitting a solo home run and their shortstop Matthew Jackson driving in another run with a double.

Chatteris United managed to score a run in both the 4th and 6th innings, but Boythorpe Loco held on to their lead, thanks in part to the solid performance of their starting pitcher, Günsovölk player Hans Müller. Müller went 7 innings, allowing just 3 runs on 6 hits and striking out 8 batters.

In the 7th inning, Boythorpe Loco added another run, with their first baseman hitting a solo home run. Chatteris United tried to mount a comeback in the 9th inning, scoring a run, but it wasn’t enough. Boythorpe Loco added another run in the bottom of the 9th, with their Koanian catcher Arvid Svensson hitting a sacrifice fly to drive in a run and secure the victory.

QUARTER-FINALS
Athletic Ivychurch (ILG) 7-4 Littledean (NON)
Bridgerule (NON) 4-7 McCutchen City (ILG)
Chatteris United (ILG) 10-4 Victoria Gawsworth (NON)
Stourport Hotspur (NON) 6-9 Boythorpe Loco (NON)

SEMI-FINALS
Athletic Ivychurch (ILG) 6-7 Boythorpe Loco (NON)
Chatteris United (ILG) 6-5 McCutchen City (ILG) (F/10)

FINAL
Boythorpe Loco (NON)      0   0   0   3   2   0   1   0   1      7
Chatteris United (ILG)    0   0   2   1   0   1   0   0   0      4

Albaland

Baseball League

Despite losing the last three games of the season to flatter runners-up Bridgebank, Sandwick City moved to the top of the table at the end of August and never looked back to win their first Albaland Baseball League title. After dropping just four games by the end of May, City went undefeated in 12 – winning 11 – to move clear at the top of the table before being swept by Rigside Nine to briefly lapse into second place. Bridgebank’s title challenge slipped away in August when they hit a poor run of form but managed to leapfrog Rigside Nine following a 15-2-2 record to see out the year.

Terregles Collieries finished 4th, a loss of 1 place from the year before whilst Strathmiglo Wanderers title defense was basically over before it began, starting the season 3-0-8 putting them on the backfoot. Warriors finished 6th, an improvement on their 10th place last year and above Melton Coss who finished behind them the year before also.

At the opposite end of the table, United Bankfoot propped up the league once again but was successfully re-elected for the 1912 baseball season. They slumped to last place in mid-July before picking up wins against Douglastown BC, Bridgebank and then sweeping Warriors to jump above Oxenfoord Athletic who were in the midst of an 11-game losing streak. The purple patch of form didn’t last for The Crabbers, who dropped back into last place a few weeks later where they remained for the rest of the year. Just above them was South Angel who went from 6th last year to narrowly avoiding the re-election process with a dismal 1-0-15 record through August and September which saw them slump from 10th to 15th.

Alba Shield

It was a historic year for Oxenfoord Athletic as they claimed their first ever Alba Shield with a 5-3 victory over the Waltonians. The game got off to a flying start for Oxenfoord, with their leadoff hitter Jack Brown smashing a home run in the first inning to give them an early lead. They added two more runs in the inning to take control of the game early.

Waltonians fought hard to come back into the game but still found themselves trailing 5-1 going into the final inning. That’s when they rallied, with their third baseman Ryan Wilson hitting a double to drive in a run and give the team some hope. With two outs and runners on base, their LF Sean Gallagher stepped up to the plate and hit a long fly ball to deep center field. It looked like it might be caught, but Oxenfoord center fielder Liam Campbell misjudged it, and the ball sailed over his head and bounced off the wall, allowing both runners to score and bringing Waltonians within two runs. However, that was as close as they would get, as Oxenfoord’s closer Max Reed struck out the final batter to end the game.

Glenarm suffered the indignity of the first giant-slaying of this years tournament, going down 7-6 at home to Torthorwald who scored a run in the bottom of the 9th to end the game, meanwhile eventually ABL champions Sandwick City were dumped out of the competition a few weeks later at the hands of Kelton in the Second Round.

The stand-out team was undoubtably Kellas Academical who beat Tyndrum Rovers and Kilmarnock Albaland away from home to reach the First Round proper before beating Drumoak IE for a Second Round match-up with professional outfit Abner Arduaine. They needed 11 innings to see off The Tigers away from home, and then stunned Bridgebank in the Quarter-Finals 6-5. The dream run came to an end in the Semi-Finals where they were beaten 9-8 by Waltonians who needed 4 runs in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to claim the win.

QUARTER-FINALS
Oxenfoord Athletic (BL) 9-3 South Angel (BL)
Bridgebank (BL) 5-6 Kellas Academical (NON)
Kelton (NON) 4-7 Waltonians (BL)
Rigside Nine (BL) 6-3 Torthorwald (NON)

SEMI-FINALS
Rigside Nine (BL) 0-2 Oxenfoord Athletic (BL)
Kellas Academical (NON) 8-9 Waltonians (BL)

FINAL
Waltonians (BL)           0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   2      3
Oxenfoord Athletic (BL)   3   0   0   0   1   1   0   0   0      5

Houtmansland

Topklasse Divisie

Atletisch Bath set the second-highest Winning Percentage record at the time in the Topklasse Divisie to win their first ever title having never finished higher than 4th since turning professional in 1907. The eventual champions lost just once in the opening month of May to hold a 7-point lead over Bos Aan Zee who had matched Bath point for point in the first two weekends. However, a 0-2-5 record into June saw them slip behind Eikenheuvel HC who never budged from 2nd place afterwards but crucially never got within 5 points of Bath despite a 7-game winning streak to end the year.

HHV had another ho-hum year finishing between 4th and 6th for the 5th straight season despite tussling with SHC Koedijk and KBO Armweide all throughout; the latter of whom went 0-1-7 during August and September to fall away and finish 6th.

At the bottom, SAE Zwingelspaan finished last for the third time in 5 years, only dropping into last place on the final day following RKC Mesch’s 7-5 victory over HHV.

Prior to the Centaurus Cup in December, all 8 team owners were split on how the league was performing with some citing the lack of teams as a hindrance to exciting baseball, whilst others suggesting the season just completed – with the title all but wrapped-up by the mid-season break, and the same two teams battling to avoid last place once again – was a one-off. However, another poor showing on the international stage prompted some owners to push for an expanded competition and to allow a re-election process. By a score of 5-3 at an emergency meeting, two new teams were chosen to turn professional and the league include a re-election process for the bottom placed team. In February of 1912, just a few months before the start of the new season, HC Notendaal and Herksen-Heerenveen were chosen.