New Forest baseball club, the New Forest Thunder Knights, have found a home at Gang Warily Recreation Centre ahead of South West and Wales Baseball League (SWWBL) season

The New Forest Thunder Knights have taken a massive step towards bringing a home for baseball to the New Forest, installing a dedicated space for training and games in Fawley.

Entering their third season, the New Forest baseball club installed a diamond at Gang Warily Recreation Centre to provide a dedicated space for training and games in the South West and Wales Baseball League (SWWBL).

Gracelands Civil Engineering and Groundwork (Gracelands) kindly donated their time and resources to dig out the four bases and a pitching mound, with members of the baseball club picking up the tools over the weekend to get the work completed.

More than 20 of the current team turned out to be part of building the new home of New Forest Baseball, with New Forest Tea Co. providing refreshments.

The team’s fundraising manager, James Knight, said: “When we started this club three years ago, we never could have foreseen the levels of success we’ve reached in such a short amount of time.

“From first-year playoffs to second-year expansion into two teams to a true home in our third year, our club just keeps growing.

“None of this would have been possible without support from our players, families, friends, Fawley Parish Council, Gracelands, or our other sponsors and donors through the years. A massive thank you from all of us!”

As a thank you to Gracelands, the field will be named ‘Gracelands Field at Gang Warily’ for the inaugural season.

It wasn’t just through support from Gracelands that the field was made possible. The club raised more than £2,000 via crowdfunding over the winter break. Ibstock Bricks also donated vital material for the building of the pitching mound.

The field will host weekly training sessions on Wednesday and games for both the AA New Forest Thunder and the Single-A New Forest Knights.

Opening day for the British Baseball Federation is 6th April, with the New Forest Thunder kicking off their campaign in the AA League against the Cornish Claycutters. Spectators are always welcome.

Anyone interested in trying their hand at baseball – no experience is necessary, and kit is provided – should contact the team via their social media channels or email at newforestbaseball@outlook.com