BASEBALL: Pirates Stepping Up
JAMES YOUNG
The Hastings Pirates completed their 2025 season with a pair of defeats to Kent Mariners last month, but it has been a summer of solid progress. Only three years after going an entire season without a victory, the Pirates battled their way to eight wins, a draw and nineteen losses in the BBF (British Baseball Federation) Single A League this year, giving them a solid platform to build on in 2026.
Uduak Victor Robert reaches base
Star performers were pitcher Uduak Victor Robert, who also led the team in RBI (runs batted in), veteran catcher Frank Cooper, who finished with the highest batting average, and new arrival Marhil Romano, who hit the most home runs. Solid fielding from the likes of unflappable infielders Tim Whittlesea and Rory Dearlove, and outfielder Daryl Arrowsmith, helped make the team more defensively sound. But according to General Manager Clive Raines, hard work and the team spirit engendered at the club are as important as individual performances.
“We’re trying to build a competitive but open and friendly club,” he says. “It might be a single player up to bat or on the mound pitching, but the support that comes from others in the field or in the dugout makes it feel like the opposition are facing us all. We want to win, but we also want to play the sport as it should be played.”
NEW BLOOD
Part of that team ethos has allowed an influx of new players, including Romano and rookie Lloyd Knight, who manned a number of positions with aplomb despite never having played baseball until this year, to fit smoothly into the side. “Baseball is a hard game to play,” Knight says, “but everyone’s been very welcoming and encouraging, and happy to explain the rules.”
The contributions of Knight and other squad players have given the Pirates vital greater strength in depth – a far cry from recent seasons where multiple games were forfeited when the club failed to field a full team.
There has been much progress off the field too. Home games this season have been accompanied by Hastings-based sports photographer Jochen Hödl, whose photos the club hope will boost its visibility. Colin Dormer, a highly experienced British umpire, has volunteered to take on the role of ‘blue’ (baseball slang for the referee) at Pirates fixtures. And the club even drew a small crowd to their last home fixture at Claremont. Although a Crowdfunder campaign has so far failed to generate as much backing as the club hoped, the club continues to look for funds to replace ageing equipment, improve their home diamond, and start a youth division.
“There’s scope to continue progressing here, winning more games and pushing for a playoff spot in a season or two,” says Raines. “Meanwhile, raising the profile of the club and the team within Hastings and the surrounding area is the main challenge facing us over the winter months. Training sessions are open to everyone, whether they’ve played before or not. We want baseball to be seen as a viable alternative to more traditional team sports, such as football or cricket.”
The Hastings Pirates Crowdfunder can be found at crowdfunder.co.uk/p/hastings-field-of-dreams
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