Back to business

After the success of the Ulster Baseball Championship where they finished in fourth place, the Belfast Northstars will return to league play this weekend at the Hydebank baseball diamond.

In an ironic twist, the team travelling North to face the men in maroon are the owners of the last diamond opened, the Ashbourne Giants.

Coach Sean Shackley will be looking for history to repeat itself tomorrow – these two sides matched up in mid April with Belfast taking both games, 9-2 and 19-2 the final scores.

Boasting a 7-2 record at time of writing, the Northstars know that any letup will allow the crosstown Buccaneers back into the picture and with the Bucs having two games in hand. They know that gap can vanish very quickly.

Looking to continue his current good run of form will be Kevin O'Hare who has enjoyed a breakout period for Belfast. Becoming more assured in the outfield, O'Hare showed off his blossoming defensive skills at the Ulster Baseball Championship and after hard work in the nets, his powerful swing is beginning to consistently make contact.

This gives true pop to the lower part of the order for Belfast and as Baseball Ireland moves into the mid point of the year, the Northstars will need every run to stay atop the division.