After months of drought and the hottest summer on record, it seemed typically British that the 2026 Summer Cup would be forced into a format change due to rain.
The team managing the competition did a fantastic job of keeping participating teams updated throughout the weekend, ensuring that journeys to Farnham Park were not wasted and that the Summer Cup could go ahead, albeit not quite as planned.
Only four games made it onto Saturday’s schedule, including games involving Scotland, Newcastle and Durham, who had all made the long journey south the previous day. Play eventually got underway at lunchtime, but the rain soon made its way back around and games were once again suspended.
Thankfully, Farnham Park remained dry on Sunday and the remaining first-round games got underway at 8.30am. Owing to the backlog, the remaining games in the tournament were reduced to a hard stop of 1hr 15mins. With no time available for placing games, the winners of each division would instead be determined by the final table standings.
Scotland Werewolves claimed the Gold title after a perfect 3-0 weekend, recording victories over Bracknell Inferno, London Archers and Brighton Brewers.
The Silver division was split into two groups, Sterling and Britannia, with both Stockton Grizzlies and SWWBL finishing 3-0 in their respective groups. The two sides were therefore declared joint Silver winners, with Team Quality Balance (TQB) used to determine which team would take home the trophy.
County Durham Spartans claimed the Bronze title after also going 3-0 in their division. The Spartans saw off Thames Baseball and New Forest Thunder Knights in two closely fought two-inning games, as well as recording a victory over the GBWNT development team.
“Despite the Saturday rain, this year’s Summer Cup proved to be a success, and thanks must go to the organising team, the umpires, scorers, players and ground crew for their patience and hard work,” said Richard Evans, BBF President. “It was great to see players from all corners of the country coming together to enjoy our great game.”
A huge thank you goes to all the teams who participated for their patience and understanding throughout a challenging weekend, and to the tournament volunteers, umpires, scorers and ground crew whose hard work and flexibility ensured the 2026 Summer Cup could go ahead.
Photos by Jody Davies – Rocker Davies Media