Arsenal for the (baseball) league championship?
Part three, in which our heroes battle it out with Spurs for the league title.
BASEBALL IN THE LONDON DISTRICT
Some of the Tottenham Hotspur footballers are already shaping well with the new game. Notably is this the case with Messrs. Burton. Walter, Bull, Walton, and the old Spurs favourite, Jack Kirwan. In addition, Messrs. Roberts and Deacock, of the Tottenham directorate, and John Cameron, the secretary, promise well.
Woolwich Arsenal was the first club to settle down into its stride, as a string three successes testifies. The Reds have got a very serviceable team, in which Theobald and Bellamy will probably figure. In fact manager Phil Kelso says that Ashcroft, the international goalkeeper, will join the team in July on his return from his home in Liverpool. Meanwhile their local lads shape up exceedingly well, and the Gunners, like the [other sides] feel assured of first place in the League tourney.
(excerpts from an article in the Nottingham Journal, 14 June 1906)
After starting their campaign in style against Tottenham, Woolwich Arsenal’s baseballers (baseballists? Baseballographers?) took the first few weeks of the inaugural season by storm.
On 16 June, the Gunners edged Leyton in a thrilling 19-17 game.
Fulham were dispatched 34-20 on 23 June.
Woolwich Arsenal followed this up with emphatic wins over Clapton Orient (25-8) and Fulham again (26-9). This placed the Gunners top of the league with five wins from five, giving them 10 points. Even more remarkably, they had scored 120 runs in the process.
Spurs recovered from the opening day disappointment to record four straight wins, putting them second on eight points. Pitcher Jarman is particularly impressive for Tottenham and has limited many an opposition’s scoring with his clever play.
The league table at the season’s halfway stage looked like this:
On 14 July 1906, Woolwich Arsenal hosted Tottenham Hotspur for the return fixture. A win would put Arsenal four points clear with four games to play and make them the hot favourites to take home the inaugural championship.
Grimsby’s Saturday Telegraph reported on the match on 21 July, describing it as “a game of rare excitement”. I think this means it was good, although it could easily be interpreted as meaning excitement was rare.
The Arsenal team… is very strong in every department, and the fact that they were playingat home lent [sic] them a confidence in their own ability which the result of the game did not belie. As things turned out the Reds won a most exciting match by 9 runs to 8.
(From the Saturday Telegraph, 21 July 1906)
Reserve pitcher Birch for Arsenal played well, standing in for Angilly who couldn’t pitch but “gave an excellent account of himself” at first base. Footballers Steve Theobald and club captain John Dick were also mentioned in dispatches.
Despite Spurs pitcher Jarman’s best efforts, Arsenal stole the win in the final inning. The championship was in the Gunners’ grasp.
A familiar name
On reading the Telegraph’s account of the Woolwich Arsenal versus Tottenham Hotspur game, imagine my surprise when I saw the following line:
This ‘Chapman’ was none other than Herbert Chapman, at the time a forward for Tottenham’s first team in the Southern League. I’ve already discussed his footballing career and appearances against Woolwich Arsenal.
This line clearly shows that Chapman played baseball too, and “acquitted himself right well” against his future employers.
I’m probably far more excited about discovering this than I should be.
A double defeat
The Reds should still further strengthen their position at the head of affairs by beating Clapton Orient… The Orientals are not by any means a weak team, but I cannot imagine them putting “paid” to the Arsenal account.
(The anonymous columnist for Grimsby’s Saturday Telegraph makes a bold prediction on 21 July 1906.)
A week after the narrow victory against Spurs, Woolwich Arsenal travelled to Clapton Orient with confidence aplenty. Having already comfortably beaten Orient just three weeks earlier, this was a sure thing. One more win and the Gunners could be champions, certainly if Spurs were to slip up at home to Fulham.
Clapton Orient, however, had other ideas.
Arsenal started strongly despite missing their captain and catcher, Morehouse. By the bottom of the fifth inning the Gunners led 12-7, but Orient roared back in the final few innings, eventually pipping their opponents by a single run, 16-15.
Orient were praised for a “brilliant achievement” in handing Arsenal their first baseball defeat of the season by the Daily News on 23 July.
“I’m sorry, Arthur. We were lacking a wee bit in the field today.” Manager Phil Kelso looks glum as he enters the directors’ area at the Manor Ground.
“Don’t fret, dear boy,” chuckles Arthur Kennedy. He slaps the Scotsman heartily on the back. “That run was bound to end sometime. Fine margins in this sport, Mr Kelso, fine margins.”
“Aye, you’re not wrong,” Kelso agrees. After a moment, he smiles. “It’s the Nondescripts next week, and again the week after that. Two more wins ought to be enough, I think.”
“That’s the spirit, old chap! And if someone can do us a favour or two by walloping the Spurs, we could even indulge in a bottle or two a little earlier, if you know what I mean.”
Kelso nods, grins, and departs to debrief his players.
Enter Nondescripts
The Nondescripts are the whipping boys of the league. After seven games, they are yet to win and are rooted to the bottom of the six-team league.
On 28 July they are duly dispatched 17-5 by Woolwich Arsenal, the Gunners maintaining their two-point advantage over Spurs.
A week later on 4 August, the Gunners travel to Ilford to face Nondescripts again, knowing that a win will keep them top with a game left.
No one has been able to deliver upon Arthur Kennedy’s hoped-for favour, however: Spurs have continued to improve and are hot on Arsenal’s tail.
Woolwich Arsenal are confident again, however. The defeat to Orient was obviously a blip, and with winless Nondescripts again the opposition, another two points was pretty much in the bag.
This particular bag had a hole in it, however.
For the first time this season, the Nondescripts are able to field a full-strength team, and play with “spirited character” throughout, according to Sporting Life. Woolrich and Farrell score particularly well in the third inning to put the home team 13-8 up.
In the field, the Nondescripts are just as tenacious with first baseman Kelly “invincible” (The Sportsman), and manage to limit Arsenal to just five more runs in the last five innings. The Dandies help themselves to 10 more (potentially 11, depending on which report you read) and cruise to an astonishing victory.
On arriving back in Plumstead, the Gunners learn that Tottenham have won comfortably again, this time 23-15 over Leyton. Arsenal have blown a four-point lead and must win their last game to have any hopes of the championship.
For the 10th and final round of games, Arsenal took on Leyton while Tottenham played Fulham.
Woolwich Arsenal v Leyton
The Arsenal took a strong team to Leyton for their league match, the result was of great importance to them. However, they had no need for alarm, as. always playing the better game, the visitors ran out winners by 25 runs to 14. For the victors, Angilly, both in the field and with the bat. played a brilliant game, his splendid work on first base undoubtedly being the cause of the downfall of Leyton. The home team never seemed to settle down to their game, and of the three pitchers tried none really proved effective.
(Match report from London’s Daily News, 13 August 1906)
Spurs’ fortunes were just as good, however, as they walloped a hapless Fulham side 19-4. It was all square at the top.
Initial newspaper reports expressed excitement at the idea of a one-off title decider. However, this never materialised.
The final table
A knockout competition – which I’ll cover in a future post – was in progress that promised to take up the rest of August before the new football season began in September, so there was no time to fit in a league decider. Eventually it was agreed that Woolwich Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur would share the championship.
It might have been just as well. As we’ll see next time, Woolwich Arsenal had very clearly run out of steam while Tottenham were on the charge.