Hull Scorpions hope baseball will rise again in its one-time capital city

Baseball team Hull Scorpions is taking the game into the community in a bid to restore its popularity in the city.

Hull was once the UK's capital for baseball, with many city-born players representing the British national side.

Now, the east Hull-based Scorpions want to rekindle the levels of interest seen in the 1990s, when East Yorkshire had a thriving league.

Coach Barry Marshall said: "Hull was, at one point, the focal point of baseball in the UK and there was a league of 50 or so teams competing against each other in the city alone.

"We are looking at a number of ways to try to get people watching and playing the sport again.

"The club is now well organised and we are now getting into the community to get baseball back in people's minds."

Mr Marshall said the club was working with schools such as Kingswood Academy to organise coaching sessions and get children playing baseball.

"We understand the future of this sport is in the children," he said. "If we can get them interested and playing the sport then it will garner interest and maybe some of their mothers and fathers who played baseball in the 1990s will fancy taking the sport up again as well.

"The coaching we have done so far at Kingswood has seen good results and students really do seem interested."

Hull Scorpions are based at Eastmount Community Centre, Longhill, and are focusing efforts on encouraging local youngsters to get involved.

Mr Marshall said: "We hold training on a Tuesday and we have welcomed some of the children to come and join us, but for some Longhill is a distance.

"We are looking to work with schools and the community in Longhill and the surrounding area, as it is closer to them to come to training and get involved in a sport which is fun and improves fitness.

"We believe this sport could really take off in Hull again and be as successful as it was two decades ago."

Hull Scorpions compete in the AA North division and were crowned champions last year, losing only two games.

Pitcher is a former US pro

Hull Scorpions has the only British player to play professional baseball in the US in its ranks.

Gavin Marshall, who played for the Dubois County Dragons, is now the pitcher for the Scorpions at the age of 37.

Gavin's presence, as well as Hull's former reputation in UK baseball, has also meant two Floridian college students have come to Hull for four weeks to work with the Scorpions and coach youngsters interested in the sport.