The 2026 Margaret Borley Youth National Championships concluded over the weekend, bringing together young players from across the British baseball community for the U10, U12 and U14 championships.
Saturday saw the U10 competition join the championships, with teams navigating a full programme of pool play before moving into the placement games.
With several razor-thin tiebreakers deciding the standings, Greenwich Giants advanced to face Cambridge Griffins in the championship game. Cambridge prevailed in the final to claim the 2026 U10 national title.
The U12 competition also reached its conclusion on Saturday, with the four semi-finalists returning following the previous weekend’s quarterfinals.
Cambridge overcame Birmingham in the first semi-final to book their place in the championship game, while defending champions LYBL defeated Herts in the other semi-final.
That set up the first Cambridge versus LYBL final of the weekend, with LYBL coming out on top to successfully defend their U12 crown.
Sunday belonged to the U14s, and the championship produced two memorable semi-finals.
Both games were back-and-forth contests and both were decided by walk-off hits, including one dramatic extra-innings grand slam.
Cambridge edged Oxford in one semi-final to complete an impressive weekend in which the club reached the final at all three age groups. In the other, LYBL came through a gruelling battle with Herts to set up another Cambridge-LYBL championship game.
LYBL prevailed in the final to retain the U14 national championship and complete a successful weekend with titles at both U12 and U14 level.
The Reverend Mark Borley, son of Margaret Borley, in whose honour the championships are named, was also in attendance on Sunday. He watched the U14 final, spoke to both sets of finalists following the game, and presented the players with their medals and the championship trophy.
The championships also welcomed some of British baseball’s youngest players, with girls and boys aged 4–7 taking part in the T-Rex T-Ball Festival on Saturday 26 September.
Players representing Birmingham Goats, Brighton Baseball Club, Cambridge Baseball Club, Croydon Parrots, Greenwich Giants, Guildford Mavericks, Herts Baseball Club and the London Youth Baseball League took part in a series of games designed to introduce and develop hitting, catching and throwing skills while keeping fun firmly at the centre of the session.
Coaches from Greenwich, Croydon and Cambridge joined T-Rex T-Ball founder Will Lintern in delivering activities including Cool T-Rex Hands, Over the Rivers of Lava and Raptor Dash.
Lintern, who is also Chair of the Greenwich Giants, said:
“T-Rex T-Ball at the YNBCs is always a fun event. This is our third year here, and more children and more clubs are joining in every time. T-Rex T-Ball has been the single biggest recruitment tool for us in Southeast London, so it’s great to see more clubs and coaches taking an interest in the format. When a parent comes up to you and says their child wants to play T-Rex T-Ball every week, you know you’re doing something right.”
T-Rex T-Ball is the official format of baseball for children aged 4–7 in the UK. Clubs, coaches and parents interested in running sessions can contact Will Lintern at trextball@gmail.com.
Congratulations to our 2026 youth champions
Congratulations to Cambridge Griffins on winning the U10 championship and to LYBL on successfully defending both the U12 and U14 national titles.
“The championships are a great showcase for just how much youth baseball is developing across the country” said Glenn Taylor, BBF Youth Commissioner. “Seeing players from U10 through to U14 competing alongside our youngest T-Rex T-Ball players gives us a real sense of where the game is heading, and there is a huge amount for everyone involved in British baseball to be excited about.”
Thank you also to the players, coaches, officials, volunteers and families who helped make the championships possible.
We wish all of our youth clubs a fantastic off-season and look forward to seeing everyone back on the diamond in 2027.