Welcome!
You have arrived at the website of the Brighton Beachcombers Softball Club, a Recreational softball team based in Brighton, UK.
Here you can find information about what we do, where we do it, when we do it and how good we are at it.
Coming Up
Here's what's happening soon.
Latest news
2010-08-25
Practice Today Cancelled
Heavy rain all evening, so no practice today. Jazz is organising pub visit, so get in touch with her.
2010-07-22
Summertime!
No fewer than 4 members of the Beachcombers Committee are getting married in the next 3 weeks, so we're trusting the rest of you to keep this thing afloat!
No more updates of the website for a while, but the calendar is up to date and you can always turn to the Forums for information.
2010-07-07
Beachcomber Vs Lewes Arms Game: This Sunday 11th July, 10am Preston Park
Jarod and Rick have organised a rematch (still friendly!) game against the Lewes Arms, a local stoolball team.
We play them at softball, we break for lunch (BYO grub) and then we play them at stoolball. Or maybe this time we'll do it the other way round.
Sounds like great plan for a Sunday morning. Let Jarod know if you're coming ASAP (if you don't have Jarod's contact details, contact the club and we'll pass the message on).
Other News
Bristol wRECk tournament, latest goings-on... all will be reported as soon as some kind club member gets round to writing it up.
2010-06-15
Calendar Changes
We are changing the order of our Wednesday practices around and introducing monthly Beachcomber games.
Check the Calendar for full details.
BBQ Alert: Wednesday 16th June Preston Park, 8pm onwards
To celebrate Jazz's birthday, Jeon's last softball session and the upcoming summer solstice, we're having a BBQ after Wednesday's practice instead of the Open House. All are welcome. If you're planning to come please bring your own food, drink and eating/drinking vessels. If you have a disposable BBQ please bring it and any other BBQ kit that you own. Please contact Jazz for more information.
Are you ready to TakePart on Saturday 19th June?
You may have noticed the heightened sporting activity in the city. This Saturday Preston Park will be transformed into a mega-sporting showcase, and of course the Beachcombers will be there flying the softball flag. Please email Sarah to confirm that you can help out on the day. More Beachcombers are needed! Click here for more TakePart info.
Afterwards we may choose to retire to H Bar on Church Road, where our own Michael will be spinning the vinyls; free entry from 22:00 till 03:00, house music all night.
Softball Vs Stoolball Sunday 13th June...BOOM!
England Vs North America, old Vs new, Brighton Vs Lewes... you get the idea. Preston Park was the battleground where the Beachcombers and the Lewes Arms stooball team fought a double-bill bonanza of softball Vs stoolball.
Unless you were raised in East Sussex you probably won't have heard of stoolball: It's a local sport that originated in the 16th century. It's similar to cricket and is played with a very small softball, solid wooden paddle bats and two post-like wickets.
Under Martin's expert coaching the stooball team were taught the softball basics which was followed by a 3 inning game. Then the Beachcombers became stoolball players. We picked up the game easily and excelled ourselves at fielding. However, with such a tiny ball throws were a little inaccurate and our batting skills needed some refining. Notable performances were by Bill, who brought some American-style participation to the game, and Martin's outstanding 'golden duck'. Go coach! A thoroughly good day had by all and we're looking forward to the next one on July 11th. Thank you to Beachcomber's Jarod and Lewes Arms/Beachcomber's Rick for organising.
2010-06-07
Beachcomber Vs Lewes Arms Friendly Game: Sunday 13th June, 10am Preston Park
Want to play a game of softball on our home pitch? Jarod and Rick have kindly organised a friendly game against the Lewes Arms, a local stoolball team.
We play them at softball, we break for lunch (BYO grub) and then we play them at stoolball.
Sounds like great plan for a Sunday morning. Let us know if you'd like to play ASAP!
Diamond 2
The tournament report isn't ready yet, but here is a pretty picture:
2010-06-03
Volunteers Needed for the TakePart Festival of Sport: Saturday 19th June 12:00-17:00
Did you know that Brighton & Hove hosts the biggest sports festival in Europe? On June 19th Preston Park will be transformed into a gigantic sporting showcase. There will be hundreds of sporting activities and events for members of the public to get involved in, and yes you've guessed it, we'll be flying the flag for softball.
We're looking for around 10-15 volunteers to help out on the day and to be ambassadors for the Beachcombers and softball. June 19th is also the 1st day of the BA Tournament so, unless time travel is invented within the next 19 days, you can't do both!
If you can spare some time on the 19th, even if it's just one hour, please email us ASAP.
Find out more about TakePart:
BSUK/GB Open Tournament Feedback
For those of you who came to this tournament, the organisers have asked us to complete a short questionnaire in order to make improvements for next year. Please use the link below to access the questionnaire:
2010-05-29
Beachcombers Staying Fit For Charity
Jenny, Nic and Liam are doing the London to Brighton Bike Ride on the 20th June... and are wondering if there is any chance of possibly putting their fundraising pages on the website?
Easy; go generous or go home:
- Jenny's fundraising page
- Liam's fundraising page
- No word on Nic's page.
Oh, and to attract your attention, here's a photo of our Diamond 1 trophy:
2010-05-26
Tournament Results Are Here
Hi, click over to the Results page to check out the literary genii that are our tournament write-ups.
No photos yet I'm afraid, but maybe that'll come.
2010-05-16
Tom Prince Indoor Tournament Video
We all know what winning the final of the Tom Prince Tournament feels like, but ever wondered what it looks like?
First inning: the setup.
Second inning: bring it it home.
Thanks to Liam for making the video available.
2010-05-15
Brighton Games Update
Those of you who had confirmed with Jarod that you were available to play should already be aware that the game against the Hursley Hurricanes this Sunday has had to be cancelled because they couldn't get a team together.
It's a shame, but we're pushing forward with organising local games, so the following two dates have been confirmed for intra-club games:
- June 13th, Preston Park
- July 11th, Preston Park
They're there in the Calendar, and as you can see Jarod is organising them so get back to him with availability, questions, etc.
Back At Preston Park
After the treat of practicing on an almost-flat field at Hove Park this week, the circus is packing up so we'll be back at Preston Park for our practices all the way till August (when the Pride Festival will be carrying out its traditional "trashing of the diamond" event).
This coming Wednesday is another Club practice (check the Calendar for a description of that means); the practice after that will be an Advanced practice, and then we're back to Rookie practice on the first Wednesday of June. You get the idea.
2010-04-11
First Outdoor Session: Done!
The outdoor season started last Wednesday at Preston Park, with that great feeling of being out in a park doing what we love most.
We had a big bunch of veterans, and a great group of beginners.
What do you think they'd look like in the form of tiny photos? Like this:
A quick reminder: practices during April are open to all comers, from complete beginners to experience players. After that things get more complicated, so read up the details on the Calendar page.
4 New Coaches For The Club!
This weekend we had Stan Doney, BSUK South East Regional Coach, come down to run a Level 1 coaching course for us.
The Beachcombers Softball Club is very proud to announce that all 4 candidates passed their instruction and assessment with flying colours, so let's hear it for our new coaches: Ben, Liam, Michael and Steve:
A special thanks goes to Liam for his efforts and perseverance in making this course happen. It would not have happened without him, and it's going to be crucial in the success of the club this year and for the future.
Coming Up
Many things going on as well as training!
- A baseball-watching night this Thursday at Steve's, where he will be recounting the tales of his heroic coaching assessment exercise.
- We may be going to London this Saturday to the only batting cages in the South East.
- Quite a few players seem keen to do some additional batting practices after work this week.
- New coach Michael will be laying down some phat beats later in the month too!
2010-03-15
A Bit Quiet Lately
You may have noticed that it's all gone a tiny bit quiet on the website.
That's because it's all going on in the Forums, including:
- Batting practice yesterday (Sunday)!
- Planning batting practice this coming Wednesday!
- The opportunity to play indoor in the London League this weekend!
- Planning to watch baseball games at people's houses!
- Committee discussions about how we run the club!
- A trip to some batting cages in London!
- A free kit give-away!
Seriously, what more do you need to know to get in there and get stuck in!?
If you are already a Beachcomber, follow the instructions on the Forums page (they are not terribly clear, so ask Martin if you have any trouble with them).
If you're new to the Beachcombers, drop Emma a line and join us!
As you can see in the Calendar, this week's pub is the Eddy, so see you there on Wednesday from 19:30.
If you are looking for old news items that have been removed from here, they're all conveniently stored under Old News.
What is softball?
Softball is a bat sport derived from baseball. It is specifically meant to be faster-paced and easier to play for beginners.
There are different varieties of softball: fastpitch, slowpitch, single-sex and co-ed. In Brighton we play co-ed (men and women play together) slowpitch (the ball is pitched at the batter slowly so it's easier to hit) at the Recreational level.
If you want to find out how to play, check out our Idiot's Guide; if you want to find out what it looks like, you'll have to come out and Play Ball!
Our Club: The Beachcombers
The Brighton Beachcombers started life as the Brightonians in 1999 with help from a couple of dedicated London and Redhill players and the support of the British Softball Federation. Since then we've changed our name and have increased our player numbers year by year, playing regularly through both summer and winter seasons. We are privileged to have two Great Britain national squad players as coaches.
In the summer season we play in Brighton at Preston Park. We also play in the Solent Softball League and enter many one-day and weekend tournaments in the South-East and as far as Bristol, Manchester and Ireland.
UK Softball
Most softball in the UK is of the co-ed slowpitch variety. There is also some fastpitch (especially women's), and some single-sex. There are three divisions:
- A: Also known as Comp-A, it is the top competitive level of the country. It is mostly based around a number of weekend tournaments throughout the UK.
- B: Also known as Comp-B, it is the intermediate level. Many weekend tournaments include both A and B competition at the same venue.
- C: Also known as Recreational or Rec, it is the entry-level division where most of the fun happens. It is key in making the sport accessible to new players. There are many Recreational leagues all over the country, and many one-day and weekend tournaments during the summer season, sometimes combined with A and B competition.
The Brighton Beachcombers are a Recreational team, although for one or two tournaments in the summer season we enter as a Comp-B team and field our very strongest side.
 
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