New Forest Thunder’s remarkable 2026 season came to an end on Sunday as they were beaten 16–9 by London Mastadons in the BBF National Play-Off Division 5 Final.
After winning the SWWBL Division 5 Severn title and then progressing through the national playoffs with victories over Plymouth Mariners and Guildford Millers, Thunder arrived at the final looking to cap their season with a national championship.
It was the Mastadons, winners of the London Mets Canal League, who made the stronger start, scoring twice in the opening inning before adding five more in the second to establish a 7–0 lead.
Thunder responded immediately.
Chad Tew and Kieran Jewell both walked to start the bottom of the second, with a combination of stolen bases, errors and disciplined hitting putting pressure on the London defence. Lewis Kelly and Shaun Barrett both brought runners home, while Sam Williams also scored as Thunder turned a difficult start into a three-run inning.
The Mastadons extended their lead with two more runs in the third, but the Thunder were continuing to create opportunities on the bases as Mitch Sullivan singled and stole second.
Thunder’s defence prevented Mastadons from extending their advantage further, limiting them to one run in the fourth and getting their first scoreless inning in the fifth, leaving the London side with a 10–3 advantage heading into the sixth.
Then came the biggest scoring inning of the game.
Mastadons put five runs on the board in the top of the sixth, taking their lead to 15–3 and putting Thunder under significant pressure.
New Forest, however, refused to go quietly. They needed three runs to avoid losing on the Mercy Rule, but they each came to the plate fired up, determined to play the final inning of the game.
Thunder produced a five-run response of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Kieran Jewell walked before Nath Tew reached on an error, and Sam Williams then singled to bring Tew home. Bryan Barry grounded out to bring Williams across, while further defensive errors and aggressive baserunning allowed Lewis Kelly, Shaun Barrett and Mitch Sullivan to score.
With the inning eventually ending by the competition’s run rule, Thunder had cut the deficit to 15–8.
The final, open inning, saw London add just one final run, but New Forest again showed their fighting spirit as they attempted to score the 9 runs needed to win. The team had scored 9 in an open inning before, and there was a ripple of belief that they could surprise the Mastadons.
Kieran Jewell walked and advanced to third, before Nath Tew grounded out to bring him home and make it 16–9. Sam Williams was then hit by a pitch and stole his way around the bases, but Mets closed out the game before Thunder could mount another comeback.
The final score was London Mastadons 16–9 New Forest Thunder.
It wasn’t the ending Thunder had hoped for, but reaching the national final represents an outstanding achievement for a club that only entered its first season in 2023.
From winning the SWWBL Division 5 Severn title, to beating Plymouth Mariners in the regional championship game, then overcoming the Mariners again in a dramatic national quarter-final before defeating Guildford Millers in the semi-final, Thunder’s playoff run took them all the way to the final day of the national competition.
They leave the 2026 season as SWWBL Division 5 Severn champions and BBF National Play-Off Division 5 runners-up.
A national final. A championship title. A season to remember.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Forest Thunder | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| London Mastadons | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 19 | 5 |
