Fonds GB 0210 WELBAS - Welsh Baseball Archive,

The South Wales Baseball Association was established in 1892, when its predecessor, replaced the word ‘rounders’ with ‘baseball’, due to changes in the game. Later, in 1912, the Association adopted the name Welsh Baseball Association and assumed responsibility for all games and clubs, which were arranged into 2 sections: the Monmouthshire League and the Glamorgan Section.

In 1921 the present Welsh Baseball Union was founded when the Association changed its name. By then 60 clubs and 1,400 players were registered with the Union. A Welsh league was created, comprising the main clubs and which was divided into two divisions: the Monmouthshire Association and the Cardiff and District League. Each league was independent and was responsible for its own business, although they remained accountable to and had representation on the Council of the Welsh Baseball Union.

1927 saw the establishment of the International Baseball Board of England and Wales, which was formed in order to deal with the laws of the game. Following this standardised rules and a unified rule book were developed.

The first international game between England and Wales was played in 1908, followed by another in 1914, and after [1920], apart from the war years, became an annual fixture.

Further developments that contributed to maintaining the game’s popularity and development include the establishment of the Cardiff Schools Baseball Association and the Cardiff and District Ladies League in 1922 and the formation of the Newport Schools League in 1923. Baseball’s popularity was at its peak in the 1930s but despite its popularity in some areas, the game never gained a following beyond Cardiff and Newport in South Wales and Liverpool in Northwest England.