ESSEX REDBACKS suffered a pair of defeats to local rivals Essex Arrows – but the club was cheered by impressive performances by their U14 and U10 sides.
The senior side put in an improved performance against the Arrows, but the losses – 18-9 and 10-3 – leave them adrift at the foot of the National Baseball League standings.
Co-manager Vince Warner is eager to see a change in performances. "We shouldn't have lost both games today and we made some basic mistakes both while batting and fielding – our pitchers again did well enough to help the side but we couldn't pull it all together, which was very disappointing," he said.
"We'll go back to training with every intention of working on those details."
On Saturday, the Redbacks junior teams travelled to Richmond to take part in the Big Cook Out tournament.
Following their season-debut defeats to the mighty London Mets last weekend, the U14s bounced back with two huge wins against a weak Herts Baseball U14.
Adam Roofe showed fantastic control on the mound in Game One and was backed by a big home run from James Scammell.
Matt Scammell, James's twin brother, was the winning pitcher in Game Two, and James launched a three-run home run en route to another emphatic success.
The hitting was a huge improvement from the previous week and an impressive debut from Luke Moyler was one of a number of highlights for the Forest Glade Redbacks.
Manager Richard Crabb said: "After last week we got down to basics at training and really focused on hitting, which paid off.
"Both teams were missing a few players because of half term, but that can take nothing away from our performances, which were amazing.
"If we can repeat this and cause problems for the other teams in the division, there's no reason why we can't go one better than we did in 2011 and perhaps win a trophy this summer."
Across the field in Richmond, the Little Redbacks, the youngest members of the club, took to the field in their first proper competitive action.
Against a well-drilled Herts team, the Little Redbacks, only aged 10 and under, came out swinging and threatened to cause an upset, although were held to a 7-7 draw in the first match.
"Unfortunately, despite great heart and enthusiasm, they were only one run shy of repeating the result in the second game.
Little Redbacks manager Jamie Cairns said: "It was an excellent experience for the kids and I was so proud of how they stayed focused all the way through.
"When they made errors no one let it affect them and they bounced back and picked themselves up. It makes it all worth while seeing them out there playing and as we continue to grow I'm excited to be involved with helping these youngsters develop their understanding and enjoyment of baseball with the Redbacks.
"An extra-special thanks has to go to the parents for their support and helping throughout the afternoon and at training."
At the weekend, the Redbacks host the Southampton Mustangs in their last home game at Melbourne Park for a few weeks, while the Redbacks II are back to action against the Herts Raptors in Hemel Hempstead (both fixtures on Sunday).
The Forest Glade Redbacks U17 take on the Cobham Cougars in their first games of the season in Billericay and the Forest Glade Broncos U14 take on the LYBL Bulldogs with momentum on their side, again in Billericay, on Saturday.
