HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-07-12, Page 7THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2000. PAGE 7.
Sports
From the sidelines
Baseball memories
By Hugh Nichol
The Brussels
Sportsplex has
always been our
town’s center of
summertime activ
ity. Ideally situated
within a minute’s
walk from the
downtown, evening strollers were
instinctively drawn by the sound of
children's laughter. But now the field
sits empty, its silence the reality that
for the first time in memory
Ontario’s prettiest village is without
minor ball.
Soccer, hockey, Nintendo, com
puters, skateboarding, and
even simple downtown loitering
have ail given today’s child a multi
tude of choice unlike my era when
baseball was our only escape. Yet I
have no complaints for while my
yesterday appears simplistic, softball
has left me with a megabyte of mem
ories. And yes as I “mind back” the
homeruns have become more Mark
McGwire in nature and the catches
more spectacular, but it only
enhances the fondness I enjoyed for
a sport many now have no time for.
I remember my first sweater, red in
colour, and my first coach, the Rev.
Johnston, and that we were Tri
County Squirt champions my first
three years of organized ball. I
remember wearing uniforms only a
mother could love, one a multi
toned brown army fatigue, the sec
ond a lovely purple and yellow
ensemble.
I remember the swing sets left in
centrefield, how the cars lined the
perimeter of the outfield for interme
diate games, and the mad scrambles
when a ball rolled underneath one of
the vehicles.
I remember holding my breath in
anticipation of the mighty splash a
ball would make landing in the old
wading pool, and later holding my
breath in anxiety that no one would
get hurt when the pool was replaced
by the Lions Club playground.
I remember the cat and mouse
game of retrieving a baseball from
the Kumm residence especially if it
landed in their vegetable garden, and
the old bleachers that distinguished
Brussels from all other parks, rising
majestically behind home plate.
I remember the first time Jim Prior
announced my name at the Brussels
fastball tournament and how faith
fully my Aunt Barb would watch
every game I played during that
weekend. I remember playing
against long forgotten baseball vil
lages such as Whitechurch and
Ripley and against Hullett Twp.
when it was still called
Londesborough.
I remember the fly ball that ever so
gracefully cleared the right field
fence in Goderich to give us the
championship, and playing back to
back to back to back to back in
defeating Formosa, Goderich,
Wroxeter, and Clifford twice for the
Mildmay title.
I remember Jack Ritchie jumping
from his seat to exclaim “that’s my
boy” when in a desperation move we
allowed his son to pitch in a game,
and I remember Scott Bridge losing
his front teeth in Shakespeare when
at the exact moment the ball should
have entered his glove a passing
train blew its whistle momentarily
causing him to pull back.
I remember my first game in
Rostock not for the contest but rather
for the seating facilities. Gone were
the customary wooden benches
replaced by what I thought at the
time was a major league dugout and
not those glorified outhouses you see
in Belgrave, Wingham, and
Wroxeter but an actual in ground
bomb shelter.
I remember my Dad’s patience for
not once did I miss a game because
of the harvesting rituals but most of
all I remember a Sunday afternoon
phone call asking if I would be inter
ested in playing ball for Walton. That
call led to the introduction of the
lady who would become my wife.
Rolling along
The Brussels lawn bowling greens was a busy place last Thursday as teams competed in a
tournament under mostly sunny skies. (Vicky Bremnerphoto)
Brewers down Tigers — twice
The Walton Brewers men’s fast
ball team has had a great season to
date, winning four straight since
June 20.
Welcoming Brussels Tigers to
their diamond, Walton took an early
lead, scoring once in the bottom of
the first and twice in the second
before Brussels got on the board.
Brussels tied it up at three then
allowed Walton to add singles in the
next two innings before edging to
within one in the top of the sixth.
Walton closed out the win with two
runs for the 7-4 victory.
Larry Lowes pitched the complete
game for. Walton while Steve
Thomas and Doug Connolly shared
Brussels’ duties, earning a total of
five strike-outs.
Greg Clark led the way for Walton
when they took on the Lieury Jets,
June 27, going two for three and
earning one RBI in the 3-2 win.
Though the visitors tallied two in
the first two at-bats, the Brewers
held them scoreless for the remain
der of the match. Down 2-1 after five
and half. Walton pushed two across
for the win.
Steve Leonhardt pitched the full
seven innings.
The Brewers travelled to Brussels
for a rematch, June 30, doubling
their opponents’ tally.
Brussels held a narrow one-run
margin going into the fourth before
Bruce Peam’s three-run homer for
Walton broke it open.
With four runs tallied in the frame,
the Brewers went up 5-2. They
added three more in the fifth for a
commanding lead.
Brussels scored twice in their last
at-bat, but took the 8-4 loss.
Leonhardt pitched a complete
game with 13 strike-outs.
It was a tight contest, July 4 when
the Exeter Braves came to town.
The game was scoreless through
three and a half until a homerun off
the bat of Steve Knight got things
going.
Exeter evened the total in the top
of the fifth, but Brewer Mike Nolan
earned the game winning RBI in the
bottom of the sixth.
Lowes was solid on the mound,
keeping Exeter batters in check for
*he 2-1 win.
Bats hot for Hullett Squirts
Bowlers compete
A mixed pairs - ladies pairs bowl
ing tournament, which was jointly
sponsored by Teeft Knechtel
Grocery and Susan Carter of
Maitland Valley Financial
Consultants Ltd. was held Thursday
afternoon, July 6 at the Brussels
greens.
Prizes were presented by club
Audrey McDonald, Lucknow; sec
ond, Bob Thompson and Doris
Hackney, Exeter; third, Terry
Gardner and Sharon Farrish,
London, Elmwood; fourth, Lee Ryan
president, Ken Barbour and
Draw master, Jim Coultes.
Winners were: first, Jack and
and Carol Carter, Seaforth; fifth,
Maxine Hunking and Jenny Murray,
Lambeth; sixth, Gordon Bosman and
Edna McTavish, Brussels; seventh,
Kevin Rumig and Dorothy Mero,
Goderich; consolation, Jack and
Marie Muir, Seaforth.
Blacldiawks play Team 2
On June 21 the Brussels U-6
Blackhawks took to the soccer field
against Team 2.
Jacob McGavin took centre kick
ball out quickly with great kicks.
Evan Smith gained control moving
Continued on page 8
Big scores were the name of the
game for the Hullett Squirts ball
team when they out-tallied their
opponents 40-15 last week.
They took on Colbome, July 3, hit
ting for eight in the first two innings
while keeping the home team off the
board.
Hullett pushed four across in the
third and five in the fourth for the 17-
3 lead before the final inning.
With just a single score by Hullett,
Colbome pulled closer with seven,
but took the I8-10 defeat.
Sharing pitching duties for Hullett
were Julian Bolinger, Derek
Dolmage, Eric Radford, Anthony
Wilts and Kody Reid.
The squad travelled to Varna, July
5 for a match against Stanley Twp.
Hullett hit often, giving Stanley
their first loss of the season.
The visitors repeatedly scored
multi-run innings, mounting the
tally. Hullett earned the 22-5 victory.
Pitchers were Dolmage, Radford,
Wilts, Bolinger and Salverda.
Brussels U-9s take on Newton II
It was an exciting match between
the Brussels U-9 I squad and its
Newton II opponent last week with
Brussels taking the win.
Andrew Lindsay was the driving
force in the first half, scoring two for
the visitors while Newton was kept
Continued on page 8
moving the ball down with Brandon
Stolz. Heather Bone and Nathan
Thompson kept the ball out defen
sively giving them a win.
June 28 they played Team I where
Drew McKee showed his fast foot
work moving the ball forward to
Nathan Watson who made the goal.
After half-time MacKenzie
McGavin and Kelsey Smith playing
defence had a lot of action trying to
keep the ball out. Derek Wood
showed his ability playing net stop
ping the shots made and moving the
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