South London Pirates
| Croydon Pirates/South London Pirates | |
|---|---|
| League | National League, AA south |
| Location | Waddon, Croydon |
| Ballpark | Roundshaw Fields Dave Ward diamond |
| Year founded | 1981 |
| Nickname(s) | The Pilots, SLP, Pirates |
| Colors |
Black, gold and grey |
| = | |
| Manager | David Ward |
The South London Pirates, known until 2012 as the Croydon Pirates, is a British baseball club based in South London. The club formerly ran three teams. Pirates 1, Pirates 2 and Pirates 3. Although they dropped Pirates 2 and now only run two teams "Pirates 1" and "Pirates 3". They have two diamonds based in Roundshaw playing fields in south Croydon. There main one being "Dave Ward 1", which is classed as one of the best baseball diamonds in the U.K., meaning the Pirates are hosts to the London Tournament every year and on occasions The National Finals.
The first team known as Pirates 1 competes in the NBL League which is the top flight of British baseball. British baseball. They were National Champions in 2004 and 2005 and runners up in 2006.
In 2007 the team again won the National League South earning them the right to compete in the Final 4 tournament on the weekend of 1–2 September 2007, along with The London Mets, Menwith Hill Patriots and Liverpool Trojans. Croydon and the Mets won their semi-finals to advanced to the final where the Pirates were defeated 2–0 in a best of 3 series. The team is one of the most diverse, having other 15 nationalities at the club in one season.
In 2008, Croydon Pirates 3 won the British Baseball A-Division, finishing the season with a record of 10 wins and 2 losses. They were subsequently promoted to the AA-Division in 2009, Pirates III having a very strong season tying joint first place. However, the Kent Mariners and Brentwood Stags had better offensive stats, rather than having a 3-way play-off, these 2 teams made it to the Championships.[1] In 2011, Pirates I were defeated at the Play-off stage.
In 2012 the club changed its name to the South London Pirates, and dropped from three teams to two. South London Pirates 1 (P1) play in the British NBL League; while South London Pirates 3 (P3) play in the AA South Division. They continue to host the London tournament on their home diamond, Dave Ward Field. They have a second diamond, Dave Ward 2, as well as setting up other temporary diamonds around Roundshaw playing fields. The tournament is normally held around mid July.