Edinburgh Diamond Devils
Area: EDINBURGH
Nick Clark
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Website: http://www.diamonddevils.com
Club Information
The Edinburgh Diamond Devils baseball club was formed in 1986 as the Edinburgh Royals. As one of the teams involved in the inaugural Scottish League, the Devils have enjoyed a long and rich history. League success came in 1991, two years after the 'Royals' became the 'Reivers' with the team claiming its first Scottish Championship. 1992 saw the team repeat as national champions, becoming the first team to do so in league history and saw the start of the clubs first youth team, the Blue Jays.1993 and 1994 were barren years for the team as Glasgow and Dundee emerged as national powers, however 1995 saw a significant change in team fortunes. Long-time General Manager Donald Brotchie retired from baseball and junior team head coach Nick Clark assumed the mantle of responsibility. A superb Reivers team was assembled which won the national title with an 11-1 record for the first time in 3 years. The team aslo won the Scottish Cup tournament. Double glory was secured when the Blue Jays won the first ever Scottish Junior League title with a 10-0 record. 1995 will forever be known as the year the organisation turned the corner and emerged as one of the biggest and best baseball clubs in Britain.
1996 saw the Reivers relinquish their title after a 6-6 season but 1997 and 1998 saw the team return to power with a back-to-back 11-1 seasons and another two titles.
In 1999, as a result of the creation of a new Edinburgh rugby team called the Reivers, the club changed to the Edinburgh Diamond Devils and left the Scottish League to join the British Baseball League - Division 1. This was a first for a Scottish team. Hard work paid off with a successful first foray in to this league with the Devils gaining promotion to the top-flight of British baseball, the BBF Premier Division. In addition, the team became a major supporter of the Scotland National Team and 15 Devils were selected for an international match with England staged at Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh. Although defeated 11-13, Team Scotland enjoyed a tremendous occasion with almost 1000 fans turning out to see the game. 1999 also saw the expansion of the teams youth programme to incorporate a 4 team youth league within the city and a school development scheme called ' Pitch, Hit and Run' which provides baseball for children in 17 schools across the city.
2000 saw the Devils endure a tough first season of Premier League baseball but it ended with a glorious Team Scotland victory over England by a score of 18-5 in the annual international. Perhaps the most exciting development was the team's qualification for the June 2001 C.E.B. (Confederation of European Baseball)Cup of Cups tournament in Prague, the first time ever that a Scottish team has entered a European competition. This will be the most significant boost for Scottish baseball in its history....something that the Edinburgh Diamond Devils baseball organisation will take pride in doing.
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