by www.baseballeurope.com
Helsinki – 19 December 2010. Despite blizzard conditions outside, a temperature of -10°C and over 20cm of snow on the ground Finland played host to Estonia for the 2nd time in a youth friendship game on Sunday, December 19.
10 Estonian players and 2 coaches from the Kiili Panthers Baseball Club traveled over by ferry from Tallinn to play against a Finnish youth team. The game was played in eastern Helsinki in the Pallomylly, a city-run, 1-year old indoor hall for baseball, cricket, the baseball-related Finnish traditional sport of pesäpallo and other sports requiring a large field. The players’ ages ranged between 8 and 15 and because of the youth and inexperience of many of the players, the game was played with soft-touch baseballs.
Estonians pitchers Kristjan Ojasaar and Riivo Rohi showed good speed and control, and the team’s base running was difficult to slow down but the Finnish kids gave their best effort and never got discouraged. Team Finland’s Markus Jones, son of coach and CEB umpire Tony Jones, came in to pitch in relief in the 4th inning with the bases loaded and went on to strike out 2 and force one ground out to get the team out of a jam.
Less than half of the Finnish team has practiced for a little over 1 year while the rest only started in the last 3 months. Both countries do not yet have a proper youth league and have discussed future development and cooperation for tee-ball and cadet baseball in the region. The Estonians have invited the Finns to visit and play a return game in Tallinn in February 2011.
Photos by Stefan Jones