Alnwick Stags Baseball Club, normally known as The Stags, or colloquially as The Hunters, is a professional baseball club based in the city of Alnwick, Novainsula. The club was a founding member of the Elite 14 and Novainsula Baseball Federation.

History

The club can trace it’s roots back to 1894 as a hunting club but an offshoot focused on baseball was founded in 1904. Initially, baseball was an activity for club members, but it quickly became the primary focus of the organization. By 1926, the club broke all ties with the hunting club.

The Alnwick Stags are widely recognized as the oldest baseball club in Novainsula. Their early involvement in the sport helped establish a foundation for baseball in the region. They played their first game against Hammersmith Old Boys, a now defunct club, where the Stags lost, 11-5. In 1912, the Stags began playing regular matches against cross-town rivals Plystoke United. These matches, dubbed the “Rich-Poor Derby” due to the socioeconomic differences between the two teams, became a notable fixture in the city.

By 1916, the Stags’ success in friendly and regional matches led them to turn professional. They joined the Novainsula Baseball Federation, and in 1917, they were accepted into the Elite 14, the top division in the league.

Stadium

Gray Arcade serves as the home field for the Alnwick Stags. The stadium is named after the Gray Arcade street block, where a shopping arcade once stood. In 1914, a prominent member of the Stags purchased the arcade and converted it into a baseball stadium. Its design is considered to have inspired Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

The stadium features 13-foot-high walls surrounding the outfield, which contribute to its reputation as a slightly pitcher-friendly park. Right-handed batters tend to struggle with home runs due to the dimensions, while triples are slightly more common than at other ballparks.