Soham Town Baseball Club, normally known as Soham Town, is a professional baseball club based in Soham, Novainsula. The club was a founding member of the of the Elite 14 in 1917 but can trace it’s roots back as early as 1905, when the club was formed by farmers wanting to play baseball for leisure after work.
History
Soham Town baseball club, affectionately known as the Roosters, holds a storied place in the history of Novainsula’s sporting culture. Established in 1916, the club’s inception can be traced back to 1905, when a group of local farmers, seeking leisure and camaraderie, gathered to play baseball, a sport then burgeoning in popularity across the region.
The club is recognized as one of the two teams to play a game for money; the first officially recognized game in the country, when Peddington Farmers played Wrenstead Providores on June 3rd 1911. Peddington emerged victorious with a score of 18-15.
This informal group’s passion for baseball caught the attention of Johnathan Harrowood, a pivotal figure in the formation of the Novainsula Baseball Federation. Harrowood, recognized the potential in the club from it’s ballpark – a disused farmers field – after an extensive search failed to yield other suitable clubs. Acting on Harrowood’s encouragement, Soham Town became one of the Elite 14, the inaugural members of the country’s first professional sporting league, which commenced play in 1917.
The club’s debut on the professional stage was a public exhibition match on January 7, 1917, against the New Lewes Giants. Held in Soham, this match saw the Roosters clinch a victory with a score of 7-4, showcasing their skills in front of 2,500 curious locals who at times spilled out onto the playing area. The teams faced off again four days later in New Lewes, where the Giants emerged victorious, winning 9-3, setting the stage for a rivalry that would captivate fans for years to come.
Stadium
Peddington Farm is the home ground for Soham Town. Before the establishment of the team, the area where Peddington Farm now stands was utilized by local farmers. The land was largely disused, attributed to its poor soil quality and its undesirable proximity to the industrial sectors of the city, making it an unlikely candidate for agricultural development. Following the team’s official founding in 1916, efforts were made to adapt the land to its new purpose, culminating in the construction of temporary seating capable of accommodating 3,500 spectators in time for the team’s first game in the Elite 14 series.
The stadium is also known for the creation of Spicy Cluck, a culinary startup that began as a humble stall near the left field foul pole in 1953. The venture, started by a family from Soham, rapidly gained popularity, evolving into a multi-national chain that boasts dozens of locations across every major city in the Southern Union.
The design and dimensions of Peddington Farm have made it renowned as a pitcher-friendly ballpark, with its outfield walls standing uniformly at 11 feet from pole to pole. The ballpark’s configuration, featuring a large and fairly uniform outfield with a marginally longer distance to the right field foul pole, results in home runs from left-handed batters occurring at a reduced rate, alongside a noticeable decrease in batting average by approximately 27 points. Conversely, right-handed hitters do not experience a significant advantage either, although the stadium’s layout does allow speedier baserunners a slightly above-average opportunity to stretch doubles into triples.