And so it wasn't to be.
The Richmond Flames pushed hard all year long, but in the end retaining the NBL championship was just a step too far. Their trip all the way to the semi-finals however was the highlight of what was an otherwise forgetful season across the Richmond Baseball Club.
It had all started so promisingly back in early April as Richmond picked up the Herts Spring League crown with a team made up of Flames and Knights players. But that was to remain the only silverware to be picked up in 2011. The Flames took this win however and ran with it. They dominated their National Baseball League pool from the off and beat every team in the league over the course of the next five months. Their eventual 19-5 record was testament to the hard work put in by Head Coach Freddy Vibert and his core group of elite players - many of whom were new to the club in 2011.
By finishing top of their pool, Richmond were handed a semi-final match-up against 2011 new boys the Southern Nationals. The Nationals had finished third in Pool B and were definitely considered underdogs going into the contest. Richmond held the lead throughout the first half of the match before the Nationals blew it wide open, running out eventual 18-6 winners. The Nationals would ultimately go on to win it all - proving that once it comes down to the post season, the last five months count for nothing.
The Knights entered 2011 having won twenty straight games to take the 2010 AA title. It only seemed right therefore that the team move up a division, back to their spiritual home in AAA. The winning streak didn't make it past the first game of the year, nor did it make a sign of a resurgence as the Knights went on to win only 5 games all year. The Knights strong pitching rotation from a year earlier had been decimated and it did not take long for the lack of depth to make itself obvious. Hitting too was not up to the standards the Knights have grown accustomed to, but despite the obvious failings there were plenty of positives to take away from the year. Having shown they can compete at AAA the Knights will be looking to bounce back bigger and stronger in 2012.
As with the Knights, the Dragons also moved up a division going into 2011. Their successful pennant winning season a year earlier had created a buoyant, close knit team eager to show what they could do. Unfortunately the going seemed to get much tougher in AA this year and the Dragons soon found themselves over-matched. There were however some standout performances across the team, with the club's rookies really making some big strides forward.
With winter training now only three months away, who knows what 2012 will bring.
