The NBL and Single-A divisions joined the playoff race this past weekend, while the AA and AAA divisions moved closer to their conclusions.
NBL
The Sheffield Bruins and Herts Toucans kicked things off in the qualifier game. The Bruins held a 9–3 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th, but the Toucans rallied with 7 runs to reclaim the lead they had lost back in the 3rd inning. Herts added an insurance run in the 8th and shut down Sheffield through the 9th to book their place in the semi-final against the Essex Arrows.
Unfortunately, that semi-final was cut short in the first inning when an Essex pitcher suffered a serious injury. The game has been postponed and will now be played on Saturday, 13 September. The winner will then face the London Mets later the same day in Game One of the best-of-three finals.
Our thoughts and best wishes are with the injured Essex player.
AAA
After rain delays last weekend, the remaining AAA qualifiers were played on Sunday.
Richmond Roebucks opened with a 16–6 win over the Leicester Blue Sox.
London Metros made quick work of the Essex Saxons, winning 20–2 by mercy rule in the 4th inning.
The Roebucks returned for their second game of the day, this time against Bristol Badgers. The Badgers won 7–3 to advance to the AAA semi-final against the Metros.
Despite the loss, Richmond still progress and will face the top-seeded Manchester A’s next weekend.
AA
Milton Keynes Bucks overcame the East London Latin Boys, who struck first with a Trujillo home run in the 1st inning. But the Latin Boys couldn’t add any more runs, while the Bucks scored 4 across seven innings, including a homer from Alex Sencion, to advance to the final on 20th September.
In the other semi-final, the Cardiff Merlins outpowered the Guildford Mavericks in a high-scoring affair. Both teams homered — Jack Burdett for Guildford and Saliya Wijesinghe for Cardiff — but the Merlins proved too strong, winning 15–5 in five innings.
Single-A
The Single-A playoffs got underway on Saturday with plenty of offense on show:
Bristol Buccaneers beat the Norwich Rebels 19–9 to move into the quarter-finals.
London Mercury advanced after Plymouth Mariners forfeited.
London Minotaurs defeated the Richmond Barons 12–2.
Hurricanes scored in every inning on their way to a 16–5 win over the Bognor Cobras.
Exeter Spitfires downed the Brighton Jets 12–2, while the Cambridge Royals beat the Cardiff Merlins 14–4.
Newton Abbot Brewers exploded with 16 runs in the 7th inning as part of a 33–11 rout of the Weston Jets.
Milton Keynes Bucks also advanced in a slugfest, beating the Essex Seaxes 19–12.
Looking Ahead
Next weekend will decide the 2025 NBL champions, while the WBL final will see the Sheffield Bruins take on the London Mayhem.
The NBL finals will be streamed live on YouTube in partnership with Journey Sport and Talk Sport. More details will be announced later this week.