Summer Camps a Success........     Braintree Rays Baseball Club, supported by Braintree District Council, held two full day summer baseball camps during the summer holidays, offering children aged 8 - 14 the opportunity to try out baseball as a different sport. Both days were fully booked and saw over fifty children attending for ten hours of various training activities which culminated in a match at the end of each day. The activities were designed to give the children an insight into catching, hitting, fielding and running in the context of a baseball match and tailored to the ages of those who attended. Club Secretary Justin Davis said of the training days "It's been wonderful to see so many enthusiastic children who want to try a totally different sport. The real joy has been to see them throw themselves into the day and go from knowing almost nothing of the game to really enjoying the challenge of a competitive game by the time they go home; that sort of transformation takes real effort from the children and they didn't let themselves down". The close links between the baseball club and the council continue to be forged to support sports development around the Braintree area and follow on from a successful Easter holiday baseball camp and a day of baseball activities with 240 children at Great Bradford's Infant school in Braintree . Braintree Rays are now seeking to establish junior teams for ages 9-12 and 12-15 on the back of the successful camps and have the full support of the council - Councillor Lady Patricia Newton, Cabinet Member for Housing and Well-Being said: “It’s been a pleasure to work in partnership with the Braintree Rays to give local children the chance to try out this exciting sport. We are delighted that the children’s enthusiasm has inspired the club to start a regular junior team. We wish them all the best and look forward to following their progress from their new ‘home ground’ at Notley Sports Centre.” If you'd like to know more about Braintree Rays Baseball Club, whether at a junior level of as an adult, then please contact us via the website, baseball is played by boys and girls, men and women of all ages and the club is hoping to extend the opportunities to play to as many people as possible.   Latest News – 25 July 2009 The season so far has not been kind to the team and we have lost several players who have moved on to other clubs, that being said, the tremendous interest and arrival of new players has acted as a real positive force for the development of Braintree Rays Baseball Club and baseball in general. As Club secretary I am delighted that we have so many keen new players supporting us and that we are beginning to take the initiative in local community engagement with the recent success of our baseball day at Great Bradford’s Infant School in Braintree and with four Summer Camps set for the summer holidays, starting next week. Results this year have been mixed, when we have had the majority of players available we have played some excellent baseball, but the lack of availability of some key players has led us to throw games away rather than forfeit them; whilst we could try to rearrange them, the weather only holds for so long and we need to keep an impetus behind us in relation to games. Thus, the games against Bracknell & Essex recently, where we had no regular pitcher available, were particularly bad results – but the experience gained cannot be underestimated and I was impressed by the fortitude shown by the players. One of the key issues for us this year has been a lack of ability to undertake sufficient practice sessions and with players from across an area of about 100 miles, it’s clear why the logistics of extra meetings in the week are so difficult. We will be addressing this in the off season and I am very hopeful that when we have finished this season and are into 2010, we will have a very much stronger and tighter knit team than we have been able to field this season. There are many strong players who’ve recently arrived or taken up baseball with us and the opportunity for development of the club is clear. So if you’ve never tried your hand, or want to come back to the game after years away contact us, we’ll be happy to hear from you and have you on board! Justin Davis Secretary BRBC   Braintree Rays Baseball Club - Children's Summer Camps Braintree Rays Baseball Club have teamed up with Braintree District Council & Notley Sports Centre to offer children the opportunity to try out baseball over four activity days in the 2009 summer holidays. Baseball is open to boys and girls aged 8 - 15 years and there is no previous experience necessary. On Wednesday 5th August and Wednesday 26th August in conjunction with Braintree District Council we will be running a day of activities at Notley Sports Centre; bookings can be made by email to csc@braintree.gov.uk or on 01376 552525. The day runs from 10:00 to 15:00 and costs £5 per child, but second siblings are half price! On Tuesday 28th July and Tuesday 11th August, in conjunction with Notley Sports Centre, we will be running a course from 13:00 to 16:00. The cost is £8 per child and bookings can be made through Notley Sports Centre on 01376 323873.     Braintree Rays gives school coaching sessions!

Great Bradfords Infants School in Braintree ran a health week during June this year, dring which they promoted healthy food and activities. As part of this, Braintree Rays Baseball Club were invited to provide some baseball related activities for children from reception classes and years 1 & 2. During the day, almost 240 children (aged 4-8), teachers & teaching assistants took part in a range of baseball related activities, offering a simple insight into baseball, from throwing and catching to base running and batting from a tee-ball stand. Club Secretary Justin Davis said of the day "From the reaction of the children, they've really enjoyed the opportunity to try a new sport and I think that it's been a very positive day for our club and our efforts towards bringing baseball to children through engaging with our local community". "The day was a great success and Braintree Rays Baseball Club thanks the staff of Great Bradfords for their support in offering the opportunity to children to try out a totally new activity." More details about this event will appear on our club website shortly! Braintree Rays Baseball Club is committed to supporting baseball as a fun activity for boys and girls of all ages and to giving the opportunit to ayone who wants to try something different, to participate in an activities event. If your school would like to discuss a possible baseball day or training session as part of your sporting or educational activities, please contact us via our website; www.braintreerays.com

 

 

 

Latest News 3rd April 2009

 

All,

 

I'm very pleased to announce that we have new kit suppliers and those of you who want to buy game shirts and pants etc can now do so direct from www.covee.nl

 

Covee is a company based in the Netherelands where baseball is fairly big and they supply many British clubs, the website has an English language version and you simply need to look at unifroms, club uniforms, british clubs and we have our own page. New game shirts are 33..50 and already printed (numbers must be agreed with me before you buy or you will not be allowed to wear the shirt in a game). Many of covee's other kit & equipment items are very well priced.

 

I will update you with more soon and possible discounts we might gain even more than I've already got via us having our own web page there!

Thanks

 

Justin

 

Justin Davis

07971 278899

Secretary - Braintree Rays Baseball Club

 

News - 24th March 2009

 

All,

Sport England is the government’s agency responsible for the development and funding of community sport in the UK.  It has organised one of the largest surveys about sport in this country.  The results of this survey will dictate how government funding is used to develop British community sport in the future.

Braintree Rays Baseball Club is encouraging all its members to take part in this survey. The more members take part in this, the better our club’s chances of securing future funding for the development of our club and our facilities.  It will also help Sport England recognise the importance of baseball in this country which means that a greater amount of funding will be available for the development of baseball in this country.

If you can spare a few minutes please register for this survey by clicking here.  This is a great opportunity to help your club and the game of baseball in this country.

 

 

 

Justin Davis

07971 278899

Secretary - Braintree Rays Baseball Club

 

2009 Squad - Updated 23rd March 2009

Braintree Rays squad for 2009 has been supplemented by strong recruitment during the off-season and spring training. The team now has 30 players aged from 20 to their mid forties and with a wide range of experience.

Braintree Rays Coach, Daryl Seymour, said of the teams development "I'm very pleased to see so many people coming out to try baseball and getting involved with the sport. As a club we're determined to grow and involve players from all ages locally and the season ahead looks like the basis of a good development programme."

If you're interested in playing baseball or watching a game, or would like to be involved in any other way, please contact us via the website.


Herts Spring League

Braintree Rays will be entering the 2009 Herts Spring League (a pre-season  tournament similar to the Major League's "Grapefruit" & "Cactus" pre-season leagues) and have a strong squad available for the three rounds of games on 29th march, 5th April & 12th April. More details of the games can be found in the "2009 Schedule" section of the website.

Secretary & General Manager Justin Davis said "This is a great opportunity for us to put the players through their paces and to see what some of the newer team members have learned over the past few weeks. It showcases the team as a rising force in the BBF A division with a strong player base and I'm looking forward to a good showing in the games and to gaining some hard experience against some senior league opposition. This is the place to learn and get mistakes out of the way so that when we start the season, we do so in a concentrated frame of mind. I'm very pleased that we've attracted a number of new players in the off-season and hope that we'll be able to bring them into the squad for the main season".

The HSL sees the Rays pitched against Herts Hawks , Herts Falcons and Kent Mariners in Pool 2 of the league. Game updates will appear on the website and hoepfully in the Braintree & Witham Times. If you want to know more, get in touch via the website.


Community Liaison

Braintree Rays have been working closely in the off-season with Braintree District Council's (BDC) Sports Development Officer and are close to securing access to a new field for playing and to working with a local school and leisure centre.

We are also working toward an introduction to baseball day for children, in conjunction with BDC, during the Easter Holidays - more news will follow on the website and in the "Junior Rays" section.

Secretary & General Manager, Justin Davis, said "We're very keen to involve ourselves in a youth deveopment programme, offering opportunities for boys and girls to try a sport they may never have had the opportunity to play before. If there are companies or organisations locally who would be interesting in helping with the development of youth activities or sponsoring the team or helping to fund or supply some equipment for the youth development porgramme, we'd love to hear from them".

 

Social Evening - March 14th 2009

 

Dear all,

 

It's time to go out for a drink...

We are looking at going out on Saturday 14th March at 7.30pm starting off at The Bricklayers in Colchester which is the first pub you come across as you get off the train.

All welcome but let me know who can make it.

Your social seceratary,

Daryl Seymour

P.S Do not forget Training this Sunday at 10:00am at King George

 

 

 

 

6th February 2009

 

   Thank you to all who attended the AGM last Saturday,it was good to see you all again and meet some new faces as well. It was a very successful evening and fun was had by all.

Minutes and full report will be available shortly on this website in the meantime check out the photos!!!!!!!!

 

Regards

 

 

Alistair

 

Welcome back to the 2009 season!

 

Note to you all - the Annual General Meeting will be held at The Horse & Groom, on Rayne Road in Braintree on 31st January 2009. This is near the town centre, just up from the junction with Bocking End and Coggeshall Road on which sits the White Hart Hotel. If you have any queries over directions, need a lift etc, then let me know and I'll see what can be arranged among you all. Hopefully some of you won't be driving and will be able to enjoy a few drinks with the rest of us and reaquaint ourselves with friends old and new!

 

Meeting will start at 19:30 sharp and I will be there from 19:00hours. 

 

The Agenda for the AGM is as follows:

 

Item 1. Welcome, apologies for absence etc.

Item 2. Club Constitution & Rules.

Item 3. Report on 2008 Season.

Item 4. State of account, assets, items purchased and so forth.

Item 5. Home Ground.

Item 6. Training.

Item 7. Herts Spring League.

Item 8. The 2009 season.

Item 9. Player registration forms and deposits.

Item 10. Election of club officials and co-opting of any players to assist in other areas.

Item 11. Any Other Business

 

Please note, if you have any items that you feel need to be included on the Agenda, please let me know ASAP!

Practices will commence on the 8th February, time and location to be notified, but will probably start with some of us at the batting cage in Ipswich.

 

There is also a pre-season baseball tournament run by Herts Baseball Club on the last three Sundays before the start of the season, that's the 29th March, 5th & 12th of April. I think that this would be an excellent opportunity for us to get our team working together and an opportunity to make mistakes before the season commences, or to fine tune those truly masterful plays that we'll no doubt be pulling off this season.  However, I do know that this will be an additional imposition on everyone's time and availability, so we really need to know that players will be available and committed to making the games, or there is no point in us entering a team and replying to the invitation. There are some details attached for you to consider.

 

That's all for now, I will no doubt update you further in due course.

 

Regards

Justin Davis

o       We are currently negotiating, with some support form Braintree District Council’s Sports Development Officer, to obtain a more permanent pitch for the team to base itself at. This is important for our future adult team development, linking into some funding opportunities and plans to develop a junior team.

   Although there is no firm news yet, I am hopeful that we can secure a permanent site for the 2009 season, within the Braintree area. 

Team News

o       Training will commence fully again in February 2009, meanwhile, Shane Macro, one of our Ipswich based players will be organising some much needed practice in the batting cage at Ipswich.

       Along with a video and still camera we should be able to get a good idea of how people can better correct and improve their swings. Look out for details on the     website and by email!

o       The Annual General Meeting has been set for 19:00 hours on 31^st January 2009, location to be confirmed. Any player who wants to be heard should make every effort to attend. Details will follow with an agenda and nominations for positions etc in due course. If you’ve not already recorded your interests for the 2009 season, please do so by email or via the “Contact us” section of the website and confirm your address so we can send appropriate registration forms etc out to you.

Team Kit

o       New adjustable team caps, in dark green with “Rays” 3D embroidered in white are now available.  Not cheap (or like the faded ones in the photo), but they are top quality and specially made by Richardson Caps and imported from the USA. They are £17.50 each, if you’re interested; contact Justin Davis through the website.

o       New season game shirts are also available, again in dark green and specially imported, printed and numbered. If you’re planning on playing regularly next season and don’t already have one, they are £30.00 each. If you’re interested, contact Justin Davis through the website.

Social News

o       The end of season 2008 meal for players and partners is set for the 22^nd November; there are 34 of us now confirmed.

   Please do not forget your reservation, a reminder will be sent nearer the time just to keep you on your     toes.

o       In 2009 we will be arranging more regular social meetings, for a drink and or a meal, some “players only” and some “with partners”. The first of which, will immediately follow the AGM and involve just players and no doubt some extended and voluble  discussion via one or two watering holes, which, with a bit of luck and research, might actually serve some decent beer!

Thanks!

 

Justin Davis

Braintree Rays Baseball Club

22.10.2008