Personally I blame George W Bush, the Christian Right, Jerry Springer, the films of Jerry Bruckheimer and the music of the MTV generation, but ten years ago, I am convinced that softball was a damn site cooler concept to sell.

2005, and promoting a slice of Americana to a largely ignorant British audience is not as easy as apple pie. Look like you, I have a lot of mixed feelings about the good old US of A. On the one hand we have, the Simpsons, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, West Wing etc, on the other hand George W Bush. At my age don't get me started on Slipknot, Hollywood formulaic pap, or whether the average waistline of middle America is higher than their IQ.. Yet for each varied Bristol summer, I willingly participate in America's favourite recreational sport, Softball.

Two things I would like to put forward in my defence. The first being is that I don't wear a baseball cap with that funny logo, the white 'N' and two 'Y's intertwined and frankly no one should. This symbol is a secret code telling those in the know that the wearer is an idiot / chav savant and should be ridiculed at all costs. That 'N, Y and Y', is the US version of the letters, 'M,a,n,U,n,i,t,e,d,' loved by the faithful hated by the masses.

Secondly, the only reason I ever got involved in this sport was that in 1995 I was single and so were a lot of my mates. In 1995, Softball was a mixed team sport and cricket wasn't and the choice was easy. This is still the case in 2005, well except I am married now and guess how I met my wife?

With the annually expanding local league now the biggest outside London, the eternal question about Bristol Softball needs to be tackled, namely, out-door dating agency or sport? The answer is a little from Column A, a little from Column B. Both columns entitled 'Getting to First Base'.

The social side is legendary. Long summer evenings on the manicured lawns of Clifton College's Abbots Leigh playing fields in the company of 20 friends and friendly foes topped off by a social drink. Thankfully, the league is not dominated by Advertising Execs called Nigel or Emma who wear NYY baseball caps, and not everyone lives in Clifton. The Bristol Softball Association League contains a veritable cross section of city-life, my team even lets someone from Montpelier play, though to be fair he is an economic migrant from Clifton.

On any given weekday night over 100 men and women, exercise and socialise. Inevitably relationships and friendships have been forged. I have lost count of the number of people brought together through the sport it has expanded the social horizons of nearly all who participate.

On first sight of an actual game, people usually ask two questions, so to save you time, here are the answers. No, it's not rounders, and no, the ball isn't soft! Take the fundamental rules of Baseball, have someone pitching underarm and you've got the basic premise. Fielders get to wear those gloves you see in the movies, and after a few weeks coaching, most people get to use them like they do in the movies. Most teams don't dress in uniforms, we don't turn into slack-jawed yokels every time a home run is hit, we don't refer to our ground as 'A Field of Dreams' and we play in the rain. All in all representing a very English approach to an all American pastime.

All abilities are catered for, four local players have helped steer Great Britain to World and European Championship success. On the other hand a few players had actually managed to hit the ball by the time the end of the season came round. With three divisions, there is an entry level for all, give it a go, at least it will enable you to wear that baseball cap without looking a complete chav, unless of course there is a 'Y' in the logo.