Milton Keynes Rebels 25
Guildford Mavericks 1

Guildford, June 29^th 2003. Sometimes you just have to hold up your hands and admit you were beaten by the better team. The Mavericks slipped to their third consecutive defeat on Sunday, but this time it was as comprehensive as the scoreline suggests. Despite fielding a fairly strong side, and even allowing for some below par performances, it was always going to be a challenge to extend the game beyond 7 innings.

Unlike last week, where the Mavericks and the Falcons were swapping leads until the very end of the game, the Rebels took a 2-0 lead in the first, and never looked back, In fact, as it turned out, that would have been sufficient!!

The warning signs were there as the Rebels lead off with a line drive into left field from the very first pitch, which almost took the Mavericks outfielders by surprise as two of them at least were still working out which was the best direction to face to improve their sun tans! 

Although perhaps not quite at his very best, Pete Hammer pitched another good game, and as has been a continuous theme throughout this season, was somewhat let down by his defense. 

However despite their dominance, the Rebels did not come close to reaching the fences, but instead some good hitting enabled them to find the lines, and followed this up with some good baserunning to score the runners. 

Mention has to go to both Ben Mullard at first and Jim Henson at second, both of whom are still fairly inexperienced at those positions, but played with much more competence than their experience would suggest. 

The Rebels were much more like the teams that Mavericks faced in the Premier Division last year, in that they were competent right through their order, and will not be out of place there next season. That said, the Mavericks did let themselves down with their hitting, highlighted by the fact they only 5 hits came off the Rebels starting pitcher, and no one Maverick had more than one. 

What a game like this does allow, is for more players to come off the bench, and a chance for new players to be tried out. As Guildford had gone into this game with confirmation that No.2 starter, Steve Sawyer is out for the season with a torn ACL, changes were made both on the mound and behind the plate, as well as in the outfield. Of course this only allowed Pete Hammer to show off his prowess as a fielder by taking a magnificent diving catch of a line drive at third base. 

Of course in a game such as this, picking an MVP for the Mavericks, is not as easy. The suggestions that Paul Dommett, as scorer for day should receive it, as a result of the outstanding job he did of keeping track of all the Rebels runs, certainly has to be taken into account. However, for his play at first base, leading the team in hits….with 1!, and also taking his first turn on the mound, Ben Mullard, wins this weeks honour. 

With 3 of the bottom 5 still to play at home, it still looks odds on that despite the recent bad run, the Mavericks will still have a top 6 finish…..and so have to face the Rebels again! 

Guildford MVP: Ben Mullard

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