Lewes Base Ball Club hosts Talbot Fairplays May 3
Lewes will open its 2025 home schedule with a doubleheader against the Talbot Fairplays Saturday, May 3. First pitch is set for noon. The games will be played at the field at the Villages at Five Points near the intersection of Edgemoor Street and Old Orchard Road.
Lewes opened the season on the road, dropping two hard-fought matches to the squad from Elkton, Md.
The club plays by 1864 rules, which includes balls being caught on one bounce for an out, no fielding gloves in use and other fun, historically accurate, 19th century rules of America’s pastime. The games are free and spectators are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket.
The Lewes Base Ball Club traces its origins to 1874. On Feb. 28, 1874, Lewes took on Milton in a match, the results of which are currently unknown. There were likely earlier matches, but no written records of those have been discovered. The club celebrates all baseball history in Lewes, the Cape Region and across southern Delaware.
A vibrant baseball history took the team across Delmarva and even across the Chesapeake to at least one game in Baltimore. It is not known if the team ever traveled to Cape May, N.J., for a contest. Lewes may have fielded a semi-pro team into at least the early 1940s, and other local and recreational teams called the First Town home. Anyone with Lewes baseball information, artifacts, photographs, scorebooks, uniform and equipment or news clippings is encouraged to contact the club.
The current iteration of the club was reconstituted in 2010. It was crowned Delaware state champions in 2016 and in 2023. Interested players and volunteers are encouraged to reach out to the club's Facebook page or to email lewesbaseball@gmail.com. The club is a nonprofit organization with membership is open to all. Other activities include hosting speakers and programs relating to baseball on Delmarva with a particular emphasis on Lewes and Sussex County.
For game-day updates, including weather related information, go to the club’s Facebook page @LewesBaseball. For general information about the team including upcoming schedule, membership and rules, go www.lewesbaseball.org.
