Bognor baseball is 'thriving' with foreign players

A baseball club on the south coast of England has said it is "thriving" with players joining from all over the world.

Bognor Cobras, in West Sussex, have just begun competing in the sport's fourth tier after a restructuring saw them promoted last season.

Head coach Chen-An Yu joined the Bognor Regis club, based at the King George V Recreation Ground in Felpham, when he moved to the UK from Taiwan.

"We've got a lot of good players and it's really connected the community here," he said.

Yu added: "There's a baseball club in Brighton, Guildford, Bournemouth, but not one in West Sussex, so we saw a chance.

"We had three players in 2024 and now we are thriving."

More than 20 now take part in the Cobras' training sessions, he said.

"We want to grow so people recognise the club is part of their life," said Yu.

"We're not too worried about winning and losing - we just want to enjoy the game and, ultimately, the right outcomes will come."

The Cobras have players from nationalities ranging across four continents.

"It's like a second family to me," said Antonio Narvaez, one of the team members.

"I moved from Nicaragua in South America, where you are literally born with a baseball bat and glove in your hand.

"For us back home, it's the same as football is here."

Fabian Jesus, one of the younger members of the team, said: "I started in school and my mates were joking about it being cricket or rounders,."

After he left Venezuela with his family, he said he was sad he could not find a club initially.

"Baseball is in our blood," he said. "I just love it. Hopefully it becomes really popular, it is slowly getting there."