The Mob
Clapham Softball Club
Mob vs Hyde Park Squares
I am delighted to report on a smashing job well done; the demolition of worthy opponents by a Mob team that were “on fire” this fine Summer’s evening in North London.
The omens were good before the match began; The ThunderCat Squares had amassed early in Primrose Hill only to be treated to the unnerving site of Mob player after Mob player individually hoving into view over the aforementioned hill – each steely eyed and determined to put behind them the memories of the previous Saturday’s wretched tournament.
The first thing to say about the Primrose Hill “pitch” is that it has been carved into the steep sides of a small mountain. Moreover it is only marginally less blemished than the bomb-holed wastes of The Somme. Running between 1st and 2nd bases requires crampons and a head-for-heights, and chasing a high ball in the outfield becomes distinctly unnerving as the ground disappears below one’s feet...
The game was tight right from the off; by the end of the second innings the scores were level at 1-1, and it wasn’t until the 4th innings that The Mob managed to stretch a 3 run lead. By now Paul D had scored twice, the second time bringing Steph home with him. It was during that magnificent 4th innings that Mark stepped forward to stake his claim as home-run-meister-supreme. Mobsters laughed and Squares cried as Mark turned a seemingly innocuous first base hit into a home run by sheer cheek and turn-of-speed; as Mark made the steep ascent towards 2nd base the coaches gave up on their instructions and let the lunatic loose!
One of the most notable aspects of the game was the extraordinary improvement in our fielding skills; I cannot think of a game where I’ve seen such precision fielding. Time after time the Squares’ strikes were picked out of the air, or plucked up off the ground only to be driven hard and fast towards Jen at 1st. Jen’s stewardship of the base was exemplary; every throw was caught, more often than not to send a batter or two back from whence they’d come. Most of the throws to 1st were accurate, but when they weren’t Jen successfully reached further than her diminutive stature might suggest possible!
Our lead was added to in the 6th and 7th innings with contributions from Al and again from Mark, and so it was with some nerves we watched the Squares come up to bat their last innings; if experience teaches us anything it is that The Mob can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the last innings (as I think happened twice in Saturday’s tournament). We needn’t have worried; the Squares managed just one more run to add to their meagre total. Final score: 6-2.
by Alex
The omens were good before the match began; The ThunderCat Squares had amassed early in Primrose Hill only to be treated to the unnerving site of Mob player after Mob player individually hoving into view over the aforementioned hill – each steely eyed and determined to put behind them the memories of the previous Saturday’s wretched tournament.
The first thing to say about the Primrose Hill “pitch” is that it has been carved into the steep sides of a small mountain. Moreover it is only marginally less blemished than the bomb-holed wastes of The Somme. Running between 1st and 2nd bases requires crampons and a head-for-heights, and chasing a high ball in the outfield becomes distinctly unnerving as the ground disappears below one’s feet...
The game was tight right from the off; by the end of the second innings the scores were level at 1-1, and it wasn’t until the 4th innings that The Mob managed to stretch a 3 run lead. By now Paul D had scored twice, the second time bringing Steph home with him. It was during that magnificent 4th innings that Mark stepped forward to stake his claim as home-run-meister-supreme. Mobsters laughed and Squares cried as Mark turned a seemingly innocuous first base hit into a home run by sheer cheek and turn-of-speed; as Mark made the steep ascent towards 2nd base the coaches gave up on their instructions and let the lunatic loose!
One of the most notable aspects of the game was the extraordinary improvement in our fielding skills; I cannot think of a game where I’ve seen such precision fielding. Time after time the Squares’ strikes were picked out of the air, or plucked up off the ground only to be driven hard and fast towards Jen at 1st. Jen’s stewardship of the base was exemplary; every throw was caught, more often than not to send a batter or two back from whence they’d come. Most of the throws to 1st were accurate, but when they weren’t Jen successfully reached further than her diminutive stature might suggest possible!
Our lead was added to in the 6th and 7th innings with contributions from Al and again from Mark, and so it was with some nerves we watched the Squares come up to bat their last innings; if experience teaches us anything it is that The Mob can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the last innings (as I think happened twice in Saturday’s tournament). We needn’t have worried; the Squares managed just one more run to add to their meagre total. Final score: 6-2.
by Alex
The Mob Roster
Al Morin, Alex Bremer, Greg Howarth, Mark Carroll, Martin Harrod, Paul Duthie
Erika Hertel, Jenny Sivapalan, Mich Antonik, Sarah Hamnett, Stephanie Hawkes, Trish de Souza
Man of the Match:
Erika Hertel, Jenny Sivapalan, Mich Antonik, Sarah Hamnett, Stephanie Hawkes, Trish de Souza
Man of the Match: