Telford 26ers help to relaunch women’s baseball league

Participating in a first new all-women's league for 80 years, the side – part of Telford Giants Baseball Club – picked up a creditable draw against Cambridge Valkyries before losing to a strong Bristol Bobcats outfit.

The 26ers, who are named after the atomic number for iron – they train and play in the shadows of Ironbridge – are a brand new team for this season and boast around 17 players, most of whom are new to the sport.

The UK women's baseball league consists of seven other sides, including from Sheffield, London, Buckinghamshire and Aberdeen.

The Telford 26ers are the first all-women's team in the Midlands and are proud standard-bearers for inclusion in the sport.

The men's team launched in the new West Midland's Baseball League last season and stormed to title success.

The 26ers started off with an entertaining 7-7 draw, courtesy of an extra-innings for hosts Cambridge on Saturday.

All match weekends will consist of two games in a tournament-style format, and Telford were beaten 13-6 by a strong Bristol side.

New pitchers Alhieza Perez-Dala Paz, Gena Francis and Farrah Yip, impressed with the ball on their debuts. Sian Howes was catcher for the first time, through both matches.

Head coach Tom Rochester: “We absolutely loved it, we had smiles on our faces all day even when we’d lost.

“We had a great time, it’s the first women’s league for 80 years and it felt like it had something special about it.

“It was really well organised. Hosts Cambridge did a great job, and helped us out with things in the games like extra coaching.”

The 26ers are next in action in a double-header in Bristol on June 12.