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Thousands of American and Canadian soldiers were based in the West during World War One. A number of exhibition baseball matches were played across the country to raise money for charity, to emphasise the role of American and Canadian forces in the war effort, and to introduce the UK to a new sport.

鈥淭he two teams were made up of an American team and a Canadian team鈥� explains historian Kent Fedorowich, 鈥淭he Canadian team came up from Salisbury Plain; they were a reserve battalion from all over Canada, to play this exhibition game for what the local paper called another form of rounders 鈥�

鈥淚n July 1918, the war is starting to grind to its conclusion, but certainly with the tens of thousands of overseas personnel in and around the Bristol area there was an opportunity to show the public a new sport and to show a camaraderie.鈥�

Played at Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City Football Club, the game was full of intrigue for the Bristolians who had never seen this game before; but as Kent explains 鈥渢his game had more in common with cricket.鈥�

America won the match 6-5; which Kent, who is Canadian, says was 鈥渦nfortunate鈥�.

However, nearly 100 years on and someone who describes the American win as 鈥渁 nice surprise鈥� is the manager of the Bristol Badgers baseball team Dan Looney. The Badgers were invited back to the Gate to bring baseball back to the ground for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Dan says 鈥淭o be back here is fantastic, the ground wouldn鈥檛 work nowadays but back in the First World War the bats and balls weren鈥檛 as heavy so the rectangle pitch wouldn鈥檛 have been a problem.鈥�
He continues: 鈥�100 years ago baseball was a lot more common than we鈥檇 think, football clubs had multiple sports associated with them Tottenham Hotspur had a baseball team and of course Derby County used to play at the Baseball Ground 鈥� but also cricket was a lot more common in the U.S as well鈥�.

The proceeds of the day went to local charities with the lord mayor and the sheriff in attendance but as the Western Daily Press wrote: 鈥淢any in the crowd could be heard saying that it was like an old game of rounders played on a scientific basis.鈥�

Location: Ashton Gate Football Club, Bristol BS3 2EJ
Image shows an advert from the Western Daily Press promoting the match at Ashton Gate
Presented by Kent Fedorowich

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