dissolved club) was Ley’s Recreation Club” and the new club would be the real Derby Baseball Club. Ley also maintained his claim that his dissolved works club had actually won the 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain and not Aston Villa, who were the official pennant winners. Ley also agreed to supply all uniforms and equipment. It was questioned by the local population at the meeting who the new Derby club would have as opposition, if they were to remain outside the National League, to which Ley agreed to donate 50 Guineas to establish a ‘Ley’s Challenge Cup‘ for the new town club to compete for. By June 1891 Ley had withdrawn his offer of funds for the proposed Challenge Cup and stated that he believed baseball was dead in Derby. This lull, however, was short lived, with the Derby baseball club once again taking its place in the national championship within weeks of Ley's prediction of the death of baseball. Success at last Steve Bloomer, and the Derby County goalkeeper Jack Robinson both made their first appearances for Derby Baseball Club on 5 May 1894 in a 33-4 win against a team selected from the other clubs who were affiliated to the Derby Baseball Association. Ley led the new Derby Baseball Club to a period of national dominance until 1900, winning the (now amateur) national League title in 1895, 1897 and 1899. A photograph of the 1897 roster shows football star Steve Bloomer still played at that time for Ley's Derby Baseball Club. Derby County name confusion Throughout 1899 Ley set about encouraging regional football clubs to form baseball clubs, with the view to forming a new baseball league. As a result, a number of new rivals to Derby Baseball Club emerged, including a Nottingham Forest Baseball Club and a new Derby based club... Derby County Baseball Club. In the 1900 season both Derby Baseball Club and Derby County Baseball Club existed in the same league, which appears to have led to confusion in modern history. In May 1900 a joint advertisement regarding season tickets for both clubs appeared in regional press, with both clubs having their own secretaries. In fact Ley's Derby Baseball Club was never commonly known as Derby County Baseball Club, so the new club appears to be short lived and the only time a real Derby County Baseball Club actually existed, contrary to