New Lewes Giants Baseball Club, normally known as New Lewes, is a professional baseball club located in New Lewes, Novainsula. The club was a founding member of the Elite 14 in 1917 following the club’s founding in 1916. The club’s nickname is ‘The Grays‘.
History
The club’s foundation was the result of a pivotal meeting between Charles Edmondson, a prominent local businessman known for his successful chain of hardware stores, and Jonathan Harrowood, one of the founding figures of the Novainsula Baseball Federation, in early 1916. Harrowood, who was passionate about fostering baseball across the nation, saw the potential for the sport’s expansion in New Lewes and approached Edmondson to discuss the possibility of establishing a professional team. Inspired by Harrowood’s vision and enthusiasm, Edmondson decided to embark on the venture, aiming to contribute to the community and the sport’s development.
Edmondson’s business acumen and community connections played a crucial role in the swift establishment of the club. Leveraging his extensive network and resources, he laid the foundational structures necessary for the team’s operation, including securing a playing field – Rimbiens Park – recruiting players, and setting up a management team. His efforts were guided by the ambition to create a club that would not only compete at the highest levels of Novainsulan baseball but also serve as a beacon of community pride and engagement. The choice of the club’s name, the New Lewes Giants, was inspired by the desire to signify strength and ambition, qualities that Edmondson admired in the Koanian baseball team, Omfattandestad BoIS, from which the Giants drew further inspiration in adopting their colors.
The club played its first public match on the 7th of January 1917, playing away against Soham Town. After losing the first game 7-4, the teams met again in New Lewes 4 days later, with the Giants prevailing 9-3.
The adoption of “beryl-blue” and white as the team’s colors was a deliberate homage to Omfattandestad BoIS, a team known for its storied history and passionate fan base in Koana Islands. This decision was emblematic of the global interconnectedness of baseball and the mutual respect and inspiration shared among clubs worldwide. In 1954, both clubs met for the first time in a friendly exhibition game, with Omfattandestad BoIS prevailing, 11-4. The team is occasionally referred to as “The Grays,” a nickname derived from the color of the uniforms worn by the hardware store employees.
Stadium
Rimbiens Park serves as the home stadium for the New Lewes Giants. The park’s inception into the world of baseball came about when club owner Charles Edmondson made a strategic purchase of a park from the city situated in the heart of downtown New Lewes. Initially, the stadium was equipped with only temporary seating arrangements until 1920, when permanent structures were erected to accommodate an increasing number of spectators. In its early years, the park witnessed a unique challenge where home runs often led to injuries among pedestrians and horses on Webbers Way road, located just beyond the left field.
The outfield walls stand at a height of 10 feet in left field, gradually ascending to 11 feet in right center surrounding a deep center field, which has earned a reputation as a “speedster’s paradise” due to the noticeable increase in triples. However, the same design presents a challenge for right-handed batters who face a slightly lower batting average, attributed to the shallower left field. This particular feature was a necessary compromise to accommodate the nearby tram stop.