by Joe Gray
In the NBL North, the LIVERPOOL TROJANS forfeited two games against the MENWITH HILL PATRIOTS and so the PATRIOTS now have a 6.5-game advantage over the TROJANS in the battle for the last remaining qualifying spot for the National Finals (set to take place on September 6/7). League leaders MANCHESTER were not scheduled to play.
In the NBL South, the games between the RICHMOND FLAMES and the LONDON METS were postponed, and Sunday August 24 is the only remaining slot in the calendar for that double-header to now be played.
So this left the double-header between the CROYDON PIRATES and the BRACKNELL BLAZERS as the only games played in the NBL on Sunday. Fortunately, these games did not disappoint: the first game was a 2-1 victory for BRACKNELL settled by a walk-off squeeze bunt, while the second game was a 28-8 offensive explosion in favor of CROYDON, with 32 hits between the two teams. The Pirates’ Ty Touchstone was the stand-out batter on the day, with a 6-for-7 performance that included two doubles, a triple, and three walks. For the BLAZERS, Ryan Trask hit his joint-league-leading fourth home run of the campaign.
For a more detailed story on the CROYDON-BRACKNELL match-up, check out BaseballGB.
| Time | Home | Visitor | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, July 27 2008 | ||||
 |
12:00 | Menwith Hill Patriots | Liverpool Trojans | 07:00 |
|
12:00 | Bracknell Blazers | Croydon Pirates | 02:01 (7) |
|
14:30 | Menwith Hill Patriots | Liverpool Trojans | 07:00 |
|
14:30 | Bracknell Blazers | Croydon Pirates | 08:28 (6) |
Standings NL South
| # | Team | W | L | R+ | R- | .pct | GB | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Mets | 23 | 1 | 239 | 53 | .958 | 0 | W2 |
| 2 | Richmond Flames | 15 | 9 | 165 | 131 | .625 | 8 | W1 |
| 3 | Croydon Pirates | 5 | 19 | 113 | 178 | .208 | 18 | W1 |
| 4 | Bracknell Blazers | 5 | 19 | 101 | 256 | .208 | 18 | L1 |
Standings NL North
| # | Team | W | L | R+ | R- | .pct | GB | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester Eagles | 20 | 2 | 176 | 68 | .909 | 0 | W16 |
| 2 | Menwith Hill Patriots | 12 | 8 | 139 | 72 | .600 | 7 | W4 |
| 3 | Liverpool Trojans | 2 | 20 | 55 | 179 | .090 | 18 | L19 |
