1 Sept 2021
A League Champions, B League Champions & Little League Champions!!
The Mariners Baseball Club has had an amazing campaign and historical season with both A and B Championships as well as winning the little league and our cadet team winning the blitz.
As the 30th year of the club, it is arguably one of the greatest years ever for the club. The club recognises all the support from the players, coaches, parents and supporters for all their efforts. However, the club would like to recognise the contribution of Gareth Donnelly. Gareth is the embodiment of the heart and soul of this club. He has given up a huge part of his life this year to help us collectively succeed. Gareth has been incredible for all of the club - he has supported every one of the club’s teams throughout the year. The club would like to say thank you Gareth for all your sacrifice and support making this the greatest year for the Mariners.
Mariners A Team
The Mariners senior A team came into the 2021 season as defending champions, and bar the addition of the returning Jaime Cuevas, the team was pretty much unchanged.
It was a bit of an up and down season, with some very good wins and some tough losses, but throughout the campaign the team kept themselves very much in the hunt for a playoff spot. Jaime was proving to be a great pitching addition for the team, and the emergence of Matt Dutton added another weapon to the arsenal.
The Mariners in the end claimed a playoff spot with relative ease, and although they let the defense of their pennant slip through their fingers, they dispatched the Hurricanes in the semi final and set up a rematch of the previous years final against the Ashbourne Giants.
On the day itself, everyone did their bit, with Jaime pitching a gem in game 1, and some nice hits from Sweatland, Leo, Danny and Tommy. The season and title defense was achieved in dramatic style as the 15 year old James Kelly came up with the decisive game tying hit, and Daniel Woodburne stole home on a wild pitch to claim the crown.
And so the team claimed it’s second title in a row and 3rd overall. As in previous years, the bond within this group gave them that extra bit when they needed it. A very solid group who are always there for each other. Very proud of them winning, but prouder of the way they won.
Mariners B Team
The B’s finished the 2021 season undefeated 13-0
The Mariners Senior B team put together an unprecedented season in 2021. This was the first year a Mariners team has ever gone undefeated throughout a complete campaign (including playoffs). Led by joint MVP’s Mathew Dutton and James Kelly, the team strung together 12 wins in a row in the league, scoring a whopping 188 runs in the process, and recording a 100 run differential, 61 runs better than the next best team in their division.
Securing top spot in the league, meant they would advance straight to the final in Shanganagh Park, and although the Comets bats caused some worries, ultimately the Navy clad men were just too good. A final score of 9-7 ensured a clean sweep of the senior leagues for the first time. Well done to Matt Green who captained the team to the perfect season, and to all the players who put in so much effort throughout the year. It truly was a remarkable effort by all involved.
Dan Hawtree will be taking over as B team manager for 2022.
Mariners Youth Section
The Mariners youth section in 2021 turned into a great success story. Through the hard work put in by the coaches and the kids, we really couldn’t have asked for a much better season.
In terms of results on the field, it couldn’t have gone much better. The Coach Pitch kids were able to field a team for every game, and although no scores were being kept as such, it would be safe to say they went through the year undefeated.
At Little League level, games were much more competitive, but again the great number of kids meant we were always able to field a team, and ultimately they were crowned league champions.
The Cadets too had a lot of competitive games, and finished joint top of their league, before going on to win the end of year blitz.
Off the field was the real story, with great support from the parents and families, we were able to run a full schedule of training throughout the season. Our club walk at the start of the year was well supported by all the kids. And finally our summer camp was a great success, with very good numbers attending and the kids really enjoying themselves.
We even squeezed in a small bit of t-ball near the end of the year which worked out great.
Our end of season baseball day, which was so well supported by both kids and parents, epitomised the success of the clubs 30th year.