Background
After managing to include baseball as a demonstration sport at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, International Baseball Federation (IBF) president Leslie Mann, sought to establish an international tournament for national teams (which, at that time, were entirely composed of non-professional amateur players, in the spirit of the Olympics). Mann had first tried to set up a tournament between the national teams of the United States and Japan in 1937, but was prevented by the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War that same year. [1]
Instead, Mann wrote to John Moores, president of the British National Baseball Association (the precursor to the modern British Baseball Federation) to organize a tournament between the U.S. and Great Britain teams. Though baseball was not overwhelmingly popular in Britain, Moores' efforts to develop baseball in Britain had earned the admiration of many prominent American baseball executives, including National League president John Heydler. [2]
Moores had established a friendly working relationship with the U.S Amateur Baseball Congress (USABC) sent six players across the Atlantic as baseball instructors the year before. [3] Mann had long hoped to establish an international tournament "that would be emblematical of the World's title, the same as the Davis Cup is to Tennis; the Ryder Cup to Golf; the Stanley Cup to Hockey." [3]
The USABC held trials for the United States national team in Lincoln, Nebraska, with over fifty young players in attendance. [4] England selected their team mostly from the professional Yorkshire-Lancashire League, which in those days was attracting crowds of 10,000 people, though many of the players were Canadian. [2] [a] Until the advent of the Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946, Canadians had the status of British subjects and would be eligible to compete for Great Britain.
Tournament summary
Game 1
The first "test match" was played at Wavertree Stadium in Liverpool on August 13. Before a crowd of 10,000, Canadian-born ace Ross Kendrick struck out 16 American batters, out-dueling curveballer Virgil Thompson. Britain's Danny Wright hit a home run in the seventh inning; in the eighth, Sam Hanna doubled off of Thompson to knock in Sid Bissett, and Larry Marsh singled to bring in player-manager McNeil for a 3–0 Great Britain win. [7]
Game 2
On August 15, the series moved to Old Craven Park in Kingston upon Hull, the home of Hull Kingston Rovers rugby league club. The US opened the scoring with two runs from George Binger and Tommy O'Rourke. Great Britain's Danny Cadorette scored in the second, and a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run homer by shortstop Sam Hanna, saw Britain firmly take the lead. The U.S. scored two more runs in the seventh and eighth, but a rally in the ninth was cut short when O'Rourke was caught out, leaving two men on base, and delivering Britain the 8–6 win and putting them on the cusp of a series victory. [7]
Game 3
The third game of the series was played at Spotlands, home of Rochdale A.F.C., and turned out to be the United States' sole victory. However, this game attracted only about 1,000 spectators, due to uncertain weather and the lack of Britain's U.S.-born players. The U.S. shut out Great Britain 5–0, in a game noted for its defensive plays on the side of the Americans. [7]
Game 4
The best-of-five series then moved to The Shay in Halifax, home of Halifax Town Football Club. Despite hopes of the biggest crowd to date, the game drew only 5,000 spectators. Again, Kendrick shone for the British side, striking out 12 and allowing only three singles. McNeil homered in the second to put Britain ahead. In the fourth, Hanna walked, Kendrick singled, Cadorette got on base through an error. Wright singled to bring home Hanna and Kendrick, then Benson singled to score Cadorette. Controversially, the game was called during the ninth inning due to bad light, giving Great Britain the 4–0 win and clinching the title. [7]
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