1917 Baseball Season

The 1917 Southern Union Baseball season was the twenty-third season of professional baseball within the Southern Union.

The year saw Division Ett consist of 18 teams for the first time, following Koanian Basebollförbundet voting to expand both divisions with the inclusion of Udde 1903 and SK Vattendal. The Ianoian Baseball Association decided against expanding the Nationwide League until after the conclusion of World War 1, with the country running low on resources and supplies, due to close working relationship with Great Britain.

1917 saw the beginning of the Elite 14 begin play in Novainsula. The league – under the governance of Novainsula Baseball Federation – consisted of 14 teams, with no re-election places.

Domestic Baseball

Koana Islands

Super Ligan

• Jordnot Kanjon BK won their second Super Ligan title and first since 1914, overtaking reigning Champions Ny Aucklanda IF, in the final 10 games after going undefeated.
• Omfattandestad BoIS led at the half-way stage of the season, before collapsing to finish 4th.
• Last season before the league expanded to 16 teams, with only one relegation spot. Ruysdael Akademisk IF spent much of the year in last place, and immediately returned to Division Ett.
• IF Blidområde no-hit Atletisk Nyhamn mid-way through the season, but couldn’t score themselves, with the game finishing 0-0.

Division Ett

• First season with 18 teams.
• With the Super Ligan expanding to 16 teams next season, three promotion spots were up for grabs.
• After finishing 4th in three of the last 4 years, Rovaniemi Förenta won promotion to the Super Ligan for the first time, narrowly edging out BK Humoor 1893 who sat in top spot for much of the year. They return to the top flight after a three-year absence. IK Förenta Saffron bounced straight back up in the third spot.
• Newcomers SK Vattendal and Udde 1903 faired well, although the latter slumped in the back-half of the season, which included a 9-game winless streak, to finish in the re-election spaces along with Elon BF. Both won re-election.
• To accommodate the Super Ligan’s expansion, two new teams were voted in, with Guld Kust SK and Dunnhamn IS winning election; the latter signifies the first time a team from the state of Falkenberg Island turned professional.

Günsovölk

Baseball Meisterschaft

• VfB Andacht repeated as champions, moving to top spot on Matchday 67, after a back-and-forth battle with Blau-Weiss Ruigoord for most of the season.
• Perennial challengers Rasensport Sorgenfrei had their worst ever finish of 11th, let down by poor home form.
• Gelb Kekerdom TuS and 1. Trappen both avoided re-election, but Fortuna Juemen entered the process for the second-straight year, along Käseplatz SSV and Ahnüü 96, with all three gaining re-election. Ahnüü 96 was pointed out for criticism as they moved into the bottom three after Matchday 4 and never left.

Güns-Kelch

• After winning three-straight Baseball Meisterschaft’s between 1910 and 1912, SG 1632 Schönheit finally lifted silverware again, besting Tapfer Concordia BV in 10 innings with a walk-off two-run home run in the Final.
• The two finalists both played in their first Güns-Kelch final.
• Haitink TSV nearly ended the eventual winners campaign in the Third Round after forcing a replay following a 0-0 draw. They, along with 1. Herkenbosch, Oost BV, Vijfhuizen Union and Prijntinck NTSG were the the last non-League sides in the competition, before all bowing out.
• Defending Cup winners, LR Benëe, was knocked out in the Second Round to VfB Andacht, 4-2.

QUARTER-FINALS
Rasensport Sorgenfrei (BM) 2-9 (BM) Tapfer Concordia BV
SG 1632 Schönheit (BM) 3-2 (BM) Käseplatz SSV
VfB Andacht (BM) 8-7 (BM) Ducibus BV
BC Burgbernheim (BM) 7-5 (BM) Viktoria Grosstadt SV

SEMI-FINALS
SG 1632 Schönheit (BM) 5-2 (BM) VfB Andacht
BC Burgbernheim (BM) 1-4 (BM) Tapfer Concordia BV

FINAL                                                                R   H   E
Tapfer Concordia BV (BM)  0   0   2   1   0   0   1   0   0   1      5  17   0
SG 1632 Schönheit (BM)    0   0   0   0   1   1   1   0   1   2      6  12   1

Ianoia

I-League

• Sporting Cuckney won their first ever I-League title, having finished as runners-up in 1914 and 1915.
• Byfleet Hawks briefly held top spot in an impressive season, but eventually fell down to fourth behind defending Champions Ulcombe United and McCutchen City.
• Red Flag improved on their impressive debut season in the top flight, finishing 8th, whilst Athletic Ivychurch finished 8 points clear of the relegation zone on their return.
• Chatteris United dropped to last with 20 games to play, but never recovered, and succumbed to the drop after a 13 game winless streak.

Nationwide League

• Souldrop won promotion to the I-League for the first time, having been a part of the Nationwide League from it’s inception in 1900 as the Nationwide Baseball Alliance.
• They were rarely troubled, with Brinkburn Coastal finishing a distant second for the third year in a row, ahead of Blenkinsopp Town, who were relegated last year.
• Heslington United had a season to forget after being expected to challenge for promotion, going on to finish 9th.
• Leekcliff & Salt were re-elected, along with St. Barlow who finished last for the second straight season.
• The Ianoian Baseball Association decided against expanding the Nationwide League until after the conclusion of World War 1, with the country running low on resources and supplies, due to close working relationship with Great Britain. They originally expected to expand the league to 16 teams for this season.

Social Cup

• Ulcombe United, despite finished second in the I-League, went on to clinch the Social Cup for the first time, beating Nationwide League side Strelda, 8-3. This marks the first time a team not from the top flight had reached the Cup final.
• Ulcombe United had reached the final back in 1914, going down to Spartans of Martletwy.
• Stantonbury South were the last non-League team remaining in the competition, going down 9-3 to Sporting Cuckney in the Third Round.
• Chatteris United – the defending Cup holders – no-hit Nationwide League side Flitwick & Forest in the Second Round, before bowing out in the next round to Strelda.

QUARTER-FINALS
Tyrant-Ilford (ILG) 8-4 (ILG) Sporting Cuckney
Caunton Victoria (NW) 3-5 (ILG) Ulcombe United
Strelda (NW) 7-6 (NW) Canons
Juniors (ILG) 1-2 (ILG) McCutchen City

SEMI-FINALS
McCutchen City (ILG) 2-5 (ILG) Ulcombe United
Tyrant-Ilford (ILG) 6-6 (NW) Strelda [Replay: Strelda (NW) 6-2 (ILG) Tyrant-Ilford]

FINAL                                                             R   H   E
Strelda (NW)               0   0   2   0   0   1   0   0   0      3   6   1
Ulcombe United (ILG)       1   0   0   0   2   1   1   3   -      8   8   0

Albaland

Baseball League

• Glenarm won the Albaland Baseball League for the first time, having never finished higher than fourth prior to this season.
• Defending Premiers Bridgebank finished 4 points behind, but Glenarm moved into top spot just before the halfway stage and never relinquished control.
• Strathmiglo Wanderers moved off the bottom for the first time in two seasons, finishing 15th. Waltonians finished in the re-election zone for the first time since 1914, securing their status for another season.

Alba Shield

• Glenarm became the first team in Albaland Baseball history to win the double, beating Rigside Nine in the Alba Shield final, 7-4.
• Grandtully United was the last non-League team in the competition, reaching the Semi-Finals after knocking out Oxenfoord Athletic in the First Round with a walk-off single.
• Strathmiglo Wanderers woes continued, as they were eliminated in a First Round replay to non-League side Fossoway, as well as defending Cup holders South Angel, who also bowed out to non-League opposition.

QUARTER-FINALS
Tower Hill (BL) 3-6 (BL) Melton Coss
Forfar (NON) 2-4 (NON) Grandtully United
Warriors (BL) 4-4 (BL) Rigside Nine [Replay: Rigside Nine (BL) 2-0 (BL) Warriors]
Kirkcolm Town (BL) 5-7 (BL) Glenarm

SEMI-FINALS
Rigside Nine (BL) 9-1 (NON) Grandtully United
Glenarm (BL) 10-7 (BL) Melton Coss

FINAL                                                             R   H   E
Glenarm (BL)               1   2   0   0   2   1   0   0   1      7   6   0
Rigside Nine (BL)          2   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   1      4   9   2

Novainsula

Baseball League

• Despite a slow start to the season, Soham Town rose through the order and moved into top spot with 20 games to play, holding on to become the first team to win the Elite 14, ahead of early favorites, Alnwick Stags.
• Hammersmith United – also expected to contend – won just three games in their first 17 fixtures, condemning them to an 8th place finish.
• Athletic Halstow were the surprise outfit of the season. They were tasked with battling bravely against a last place finish, but ended the year in 5th.
• The same couldn’t be said of Masticbridge, who finished last, after winning just four times in their final 25 games, despite a see-sawing battle with Meopham Pirates.

Houtmansland

Topklasse Divisie

• Atletisch Bath won their third title, and second straight, scoring four more points than last year. Eikenheuvel HC came in as runners-up again, having held top spot until August when they hit an 8-game winless streak.
• KBO Armweide was re-elected after finishing last, with 9 and 13-game winless streaks during the season rooting them firmly to the bottom.