|
|
 |
Past News Articles
This page includes newspaper articles currently from 1979 to 1982. More articles are planned to be included at a later date. If someone has an article that deals with the league, and would like to submit it, please send it to S. Anderson
To jump to a year, please use the links located below.
1979 1980 1981 1982
____________________
1979
13 teams for North Dufferin ball loop
There’ll be a 13-team line-up for the North Dufferin Baseball League this season with Stayner Juveniles joining the even dozen of 1978.
The new team was an Ontario championship one in Midget C last season and they’ll be joining New Lowell who were Intermediate C winners over all-Ontario last year.
To further compound the picture, Creemore Braves were Dufferin League champs but a first-round loser in Ontario intermediate D.
Other 1979 returnees will be Alliston, Lisle, Everett, Mansfield, Honeywood, Ivy, Clarksburg, Hornings Mills, Orangeville and Elmgrove. It is expected Stayner will be using Creemore as a home base.
President for 1979 is Jim Shacklady of Mansfield and Cookstown, vice-president is Tom Anderson of Alliston and Lisle. The secretary is John Wilson of Creemore and treasurer Glen Cameron of Hornings Mills.
League action traditionally opens with a May holiday weekend tournament at Lisle with scheduled play commencing the same week.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Apr. 25, 1979
Three tourney wins for Creemore
WINNERS of three baseball tournaments this young season and 1978 champions of the Dufferin Baseball League is this new edition of Creemore Barons. This photo was taken after a win at Clarksburg and they followed with another at Ivy on the past weekend. As a season opener they also won a tourney at Lisle. In front, from left, are John Wilson, Lloyd Micks, Brian MacIntosh, Steve Hare, Mike Kinghan, Rick Gowan, Danny Gowan; rear: manager Bruce Hare, Mark Hannon, Rick Coker, Bud Grieveson, Terry Gowan, Barry Corby, Bing Coker, Ron MacDonald.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. June 27, 1979
Tie is first New Lowell flaw
Barons Split
Creemore Barons held to their third-place standing in the Dufferin North section with a split in a pair of games last week. One was an 11-10 slugfest at Alliston on Thursday and the other a neat 3-1 decision over Everett here[Creemore] Sunday.
The Sunday game featured fine pitching by Creemore’s Mike Kinghan and Everett’s Steve Cunningham. They allowed five and six hits respectively, three of them home runs.
Grant Jenkins hit one for Everett to create a 1-1 tie and then Rick Gowan and Rick Coker clouted round-trippers in the third and sixth to complete the game’s scoring.
The Barons’ fourth loss of the season was an 11-10 squeaker at Alliston last Wednesday. They led on a couple of occasions in the early innings but couldn’t check the Alliston slugging.
Don Sabourin had a homer for the winners and Lloyd Micks clouted one for Creemore. Rick Gowan and Rick Coker had two hits each. Creemore’s pitching was done by Rick and Terry Gowan and Steve Hare.
Tie For New Lowell
New Lowell Knights have run their unbeaten string to 13 but had a close call last Tuesday at Everett where they played a 4-4 tie. It was the home team that came from behind a 4-2 deficit to tie but couldn’t plate the go-ahead run.
Danny Robinson and Bill Patton divided the New Lowell pitching with Colin Harting going all the way for the improved Everett team. He allowed the visitors only two hits, these to Bill Patton and John Rainbird. Ralph McCague and [Orville] Jenkins had two each for Everett and Eric Jamieson a single.
New Lowell enjoyed a slugfest at home against winless Hornings Mills on Thursday, taking a 12-9 decision. The homesters tried Jerry Lamers and Andy VanderHeyden for a pitching inning each with Wayne Lighheart finishing. The visitors also used three pitchers.
Roger Mumberson chipped in with four hits including homer and Marty Beelen had a homer among two safeties. Jim Halliday had three and Jerry Lamers two.
The Knights took part in Barrie’s big tournament of the weekend and were two-game losers. 3-0 to Whitby and 8-1 to Woodstock.
Two For Stayner
Stayner was winner of two games last week, 3-2 at Lisle and 8-2 at Hornings Mills. Their record is now 6-6 and only one point behind Creemore.
The surprising Everett team has a Thursday date at New Lowell and on Saturday Mansfield is at Creemore. On Sunday league play is suspended in favour of the annual North-South all-star game to be played at Ivy at 2 p.m.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 4, 1979
Mansfield tourney needed second day
Mansfield’s annual baseball tournament turned out to be a two-day affair when rain interfered part way through Saturday’s program.
Semi-finals were put over to Monday and Everett eliminated Honeywood at that time. The final game had Lisle win 10-2 over Everett.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 4, 1979
New Lowell are Dufferin League champions
For the second time in three seasons, New Lowell Knights are champions of the North Dufferin Baseball League. They turned the trick for 1979 with a Wednesday win at Alliston, their fourth successive victory in the final round.
First-time champions in 1977, the Knights fell before Creemore in last year’s championship confrontation. They were able to take the Ontario Senior C title that season after a first-place Dufferin finish.
This year they had another outstanding season with only one loss in 32 league and playoffs games while going to the Dufferin title. They had less success in Ontario playdowns this time although progressing to the semi-final bracket.
Good Pitching Continues
The Knights got a fourth well-pitched game when they finished the series with a 4-2 decision at Alliston Wednesday. Jim Halliday twirled this one and spun a neat three-hitter to go with nine strikeouts.
It was his second win of the series having earlier claimed a 5-1 decision on a four-hit effort. Wayne Lightheart also had two pitching wins for the Knights, one a three-hit outing.
Scores of the earlier games were 3-1, 5-1 and 5-2.
As in several of the earlier ones, New Lowell fell behind early in Wednesday’s finale when the homesters counted twice in their second turn at bat.
The Knights rebounded quickly and replied immediately with four runs. A Mike Dumond single started the rally and an error preceded Roger Mumberson’s two-run clout. Halliday plated the go-ahead tally with another safety and eventually scored himself on a passed ball.
That constituted the game’s run-scoring as Halliday and pitching opponent Barry Orser were in command the rest of the way.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Sept. 19, 1979
1980
Three-day opener for baseball at Lisle
The weather hasn’t been quite summer-like as yet but it is mid-May and near the traditional time of opening of the local baseball season.
On the local scene there is the North Dufferin Baseball League which this season is going with 12 teams, missing Honeywood, one of the originals of 50 years ago but not continuous participant over the half century.
All 12 were league members last season, including champion New Lowell and Creemore, Lisle, Everett, Alliston, Clarksburg, Mansfield, Hornings Mills, Stayner, Elmgrove, Ivy and Orangeville. The league will again play in two sections but with an interlocking schedule of 22 games.
Traditional opening action of the Dufferin loop is the annual tournament at Lisle that used to be a darkness-curtailed Victoria holiday affair. In recent years it has advanced to a two-day presentation and this time will go over three days. There’ll be 12 teams involved, opening Saturday at 1 and including a team of veteran and retired players who’ll be taking part as the Oldtimers. Bill Patton and Brian Nimigeon are seeking additional players for this team.
Sunday and Monday games start at 10 a.m. and will continue to near-dark in each instance. Final games in consolation and championship sets will got at 4 and 5:30 respectively on the holiday Monday.
League activity swings into action on Wednesday of next week with Everett playing Alliston. New Lowell’s opener is the next day, with Lisle.
The Simcoe League has encountered some changes from 1980 but this loop will again have seven teams. A new one is Barrie Juveniles but among the missing is Newmarket.
Returnees are Ivy, Collingwood, Barrie, Alliston and two Orillia entries, the Juniors and the perennial champion Majors. Doug Howard of Orillia is president of this league this time around. David Arnold of Ivy stepping aside for the first time in 13 years.
The Simcoe loop has a Sunday opening with 2 p.m. dates at Ivy and Collingwood.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 14, 1980
Need Sunday re-play for tourney
Lisle’s extension of their annual May holiday baseball tournament to three days guessed wrong by one, the middle one. An early-morning rain and day-long drizzle washed out Sunday’s schedule.
Play was continued through the holiday Monday but only by means of some diligent work on the well-soaked diamond.
Because of Sunday’s washout another day will be needed to complete the tournament and play will resume at 10 this Sunday morning.
In the running in the championship bracket are Owen Sound, Orangeville, Stayner and New Lowell. The consolation section has Creemore, Oldtimers, Ivy Leafs and Ivy Rangers. The latter pair of rivals hook up in a 1 p.m. engagement.
Opening event Sunday has Creemore meeting an Oldtimers team resurrected by veteran players Bill Patton and Rocky Nimigeon and including such as Dale Scott, John Westbrooke, Jim Lovegrove, Bud Anderson, Roger Anderson, Bob Patton, Bob Duff, John Wilson, Robert Walker.
Although there was only one walkaway in games over the opening two days, only three of the 10 could be termed close. One was the 6-4 opener of Stayner over Alliston, another the 3-0 edge of Mansfield over Clarksburg and a second-round 7-6 Stayner win over Lisle.
There were three other shutouts, New Lowell 5-0 over Ivy Rangers and 15-0 follow-up over Mansfield while Rangers blanked Clarksburg 6-0 in a second game. The latter team made two appearances over two days and have yet to score a run.
Extra Contests
Taking a cue from television’s hockey Shoot-Out, the Lisle sponsors organized a somewhat similar competition in three categories. Each team nominated a four-man base rely, two base circlers and two throwers to a tire target.
League Play Opens
North Dufferin league play was to open this week and champion New Lowell was hosting a Thursday opener with Lisle as visitors. Creemore has a Friday date at Hornings Mills and Stayner will open activity at Creemore Park with a Monday visit by Ivy.
The week’s line-up of games around the 12-team circuit may be found in the Sports Calendar in today’s Star. That information presentation is a goodwill gesture of several local and area business people, one that is hopefully appreciated by the sports-minded public.
Tournament Scoreboard
Scores of first-round and other games in the Lisle tournament are as follows:
Stayner 6 Alliston 4
Lisle 6 Ivy Leafs 1
Mansfield 3 Clarksburg 0
New Lowell 5 Ivy Rangers 0
Owen Sound 4 Creemore 1
Orangeville 6 Oldtimers 1
Second Round
Stayner 7 Lisle 6
New Lowell 15 Mansfield 0
Consolation
Ivy Leafs 6 Alliston 1
Ivy Rangers 6 Clarksburg 0
To Play, Sunday, May 25
10:00 – Oldtimers v Creemore
11:30 – O. Sound v Orangev’e
1:00 – Ivy Leafs v Ivy Rangers
2:30 – Stayner v New Lowell
4:00 – Consolation Final
5:30 – Championship Final
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 21, 1980
New Lowell takes section lead, and tourney
It was a curtailed schedule in the North Dufferin Baseball league last week with two days set aside for a Clarksburg tournament.
In league play New Lowell picked up two wins to move ahead of Stayner in the North section. Stayner had a win in their only game, as did Hornings Mills, Everett and Ivy.
On the losing side was Lisle, twice, and Clarksburg, Mansfield and Orangeville. The latter team is winless in six games.
New Lowell’s wins were by 3-0 over Clarksburg and 10-3 at Alliston. Stayner was a 9-3 winner at Lisle and the latter also lost 8-2 to Everett. In other games Hornings Mills won 5-4 at Orangeville and Ivy walloped Mansfield 13-0.
Tourney Winners
Defending Dufferin champs, New Lowell, were tournament winners at Clarksburg. They recorded four wins over three days, opening Friday with a 7-6 decision over Ivy Rangers.
Danny Robinson was the pitcher in that winning effort and Wayne Lightheart followed with two pitching wins and Jim Halliday one. Lightheart’s first effort was a 6-1 win over Lisle and Halliday twirled the 4-3 semi-final over Kincardine. Wayne Lightheart homered in that one and then followed with a deciding 2-0 decision over Creemore.
Hornings Mills was the consolation winner, taking Orangeville 3-1 in the final of this bracket.
Move to Section Lead
New Lowell’s two league wins gave them a one-point edge on unbeaten Stayner in the North section. On Wednesday they were 10-3 winners at Alliston and followed on Thursday with a 3-0 win at home over Clarksburg.
Twirling the shutout win was Jim Halliday who limited the visitors to two hits while fanning six. The homesters collected eight hits off Bob Lee, Marty Beelen getting two, Ron Hubberd, Roger Mumberson, Paul Walker, Wayne Lightheart, Jim Halliday and John Rainbird one each.
Danny Robinson pitched at Alliston and doled out seven hits and whiffed five. Ron Hubberd and Marty Beelen each collected three New Lowell hits and Roger Mumberson had a pair. Others went to Rainbird, Walker, VanderVenne and VanderHeyden
- The Creemore Star, Wed. June 18, 1980
Dufferin Stars at Clarksburg
The Dufferin Baseball League is playing its annual all-star game at Clarksburg this Sunday afternoon. It has a 2 p.m. starting time and will have the North section playing the South.
This has been the format for the past seven years and South has been the winner both of the last two. Before that, though, it was North that came out on top five successive times. Prior to 1973 the league stars played the previous year’s champion and only three times in 10 were the champs able to take the honours.
The North line-up will have six teams to select from and will be favourites inasmuch as that section has grabbed most of the points in league play thus far. The South stars will be selected from five teams.
Representing the North are Marty Beelen, Jim Halliday, Ron Hubbert, John Rainbird, Wayne Rowe and Roger Mumberson of New Lowell; Barry Corby, Rick Gowan, Mike Westbrooke of Creemore; John Glenn, Glenn MacDonald, Tom Scott of Stayner; Wayne Flear, Keith Henry and [Barry] Looby of Hornings Mills; Perry Anderson, Tom Anderson and Frank McNab of Lisle; Darryl Hutchinson, Bill Lougheed and Bob Lee of Clarksburg.
Alternate North choices include Rick Zeggil and Steve Pilkey of Stayner, Wayne Lightheart of New Lowell and Brian Gurnhill of Creemore.
The South line-up has Orville Jenkins, Steve Cunningham, Willy Gauley, Jim Forester, Chris Darling of Everett; Paul Greer, Brent Pendleton of Mansfield; Don Sabourin, Terry [Horan], Brent Bailey of Alliston; John Walton, John Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Greg Applegate, Hank Sanders, Greg Shewell, Dave Speers, John Marshall of Ivy; Frank Merrill, Steve Solomon, Paul Grant, Paul Vincer of Orangeville.
Greg Greer of Mansfield and Ray Shuttleworth of Ivy are the South coaches while Bob Patton of New Lowell will handle the North team assisted by Bud Grieveson of Creemore and Paul Carruthers of Stayner.
- The Creemore Star, Wed July 2, 1980
North Dufferin wins cup
The North Dufferin Baseball League was the victorious team in this year’s Challenge Cup Match against the South Simcoe Baseball League held at New Lowell on Sunday.
The North Dufferin team racked up 10 runs to defeat South Simcoe, victors of last year’s match, 10-1.
For North Dufferin, Rick Gowan’s home run in the second inning also brought in Willy Gauley, [Paul Greer] hit a grand slam in the fifth inning. Dave Speers hit a home run in the seventh to give the North Dufferin team their tenth run.
Tom Arnold scored South Simcoe’s one run in the sixth inning.
North Dufferin’s staring line-up included: pitcher Jim Halliday (New Lowell), catcher Marty Beelen (New Lowell), third baseman Dave Speers (Ivy), second baseman Rick Gowan (Creemore), shortstop Willy Gauley (Everett), first baseman Paul Greer (Mansfield), left-fielder John Rainbird (New Lowell), centre-fielder Tom Anderson (Lisle), and right-fielder Roger [Mumberson] (New Lowell).
Halliday pitched four innings, allowing no runs. He was replaced by [Perry] Anderson of Lisle.
Other substitutes for the North Dufferin were: catcher Orville Jenkins (Everett), third baseman Steve Cunningham (Everett), and left-fielder Wayne Rowe (New Lowell).
Representing the South Simcoe league were: pitcher Don McMaster (Ivy), catcher Al Elliott (Ivy), third baseman Jeff Epps (Orillia), second baseman Tom Arnold (Ivy), shortstop John Glass (Ivy), first baseman Bill Switzer (Collingwood), left-fielder Dave Scandlen (Barrie), right-fielder Bill Patton (Ivy).
Dave Scandlen went in as South Simcoe’s second pitcher and was later replaced by Scott Shaw of the Orillia Juniors.
The other South Simcoe substitutes were: catcher Mike Ciesielski (Orillia), third baseman Greg Campbell (Barrie), catcher Rob Sutherland (Barrie), shortstop Glen Hreljac (Barrie), left-fielder Neil Campbell (Barrie), centre-fielder Dave Hanrahan (Collingwood) and right-fielder Dave Stephens (Barrie).
The South Simcoe league played without representation from the Alliston and Orillia Majors.
The Alliston [Canucks] spent the weekend in Montreal for the Expos’ game.
- The Alliston Herald, 1980
Knights repeat tournament win
New Lowell Knights were winners of their own annual baseball tournament on Monday, repeating last year’s success that was the first in 10 years of the event. The championship game was a 1-0 cliffhanger over a stubborn Stayner Juniors.
It was a third series game for each, New Lowell having progressed to the final on 3-1 and 2-0 wins over Clarksburg and Ivy Rangers while Stayner decisioned Ivy Leafs 4-2 and Collingwood 10-0.
With the 1980 win, New Lowell becomes a two-time winner of the annual Civic holiday weekend tourney. That is a mark held also by Lisle, while Creemore has the distinction of three wins there, others going to Beeton, Mansfield, Shelburne and Collingwood.
Ideal weather prevailed over the two-day event and the baseball displayed – for the most part – was also top-grade. The single-run final game was a most fitting conclusion, even moreso in view of four and one-half scoreless innings.
Only two of the 10 tournament games had top-heavy scores and two of the better ones had those neat New Lowell victories. Stayner also had a cliffhanger in the tournament opener when they hung an extra-inning 4-2 loss on Ivy Leafs, first-place team of the Simcoe League.
The championship final featured strong pitching and equally-sharp defense through a seven-inning 1-0 decision for New Lowell over Stayner. Both teams registered a double play, Stayner pulling theirs off to squelch a NL threat in the very first inning.
The eventual winners collected two hits in that turn and didn’t do so again until the fifth when a walk preceded an infield safety and a clear-cut, run-scoring hit off the bat of Roger Mumberson. It was his second and New Lowell’s sixth off a brilliant Glenn MacDonald. The winners’ Jim Halliday was even more effective with a two-hitter and both were accorded some gilt-edge defense.
The tournament winners gained the Molson trophy and $125 while the losers earned $75 and a good deal of prestige. The youthful Stayner team – mostly of juvenile age – are front-runners in the Dufferin League and will be definitely heard from the future that includes the remainder of 1980.
The consolation final had Ivy Leafs win 6-3 over Clarksburg for a $75-$25 split in prize money.
Awards Designated
The closing ceremonies had the several team awards as well as some individual ones selected by statistician Reg Westbrooke. He had the best batter distinction going to Allan Elliott of Ivy Leafs on a 5-9, two-homer pace, and the best pitcher award a sharing between New Lowell’s Jim Halliday and Wayne Lightheart. The latter was the lone two-win pitcher, giving up two runs in 14 innings and recording 23 strikeouts.
The selector chose Tom Arnold of Ivy Leafs as m-v-p because of his diversity of contributions.
The New Lowell team had their own awards, as selected by the players on a seasonal basis. Jim Halliday was named m-v-p and Ron Hubbert most improved.
Another feature award was the drawing of a ticket on a cash draw and winning $155 was D. Holland of Toronto.
Monday Games
Monday’s opener was a 10-0 win for Stayner over an undermanned Collingwood team. The winners scored in each of their four turns including four unearned runs in the first that had four free trips to first. The winners claimed only five hits and the losers pried only two off Glenn MacDonald. Tom Scott had only one official time at bat but drove in three runs.
The second game was a consolation semi-final won 5-2 by Clarksburg over Owen Sound. Dinsmore and Lennox shared pitching chores for the winners and Carter and Bentley for the losers. The latter worked nearly five innings for one run and a second effective stint of the series. Chaple and Toohy each had two Clarksburg hits among a total of six. OS collected seven, two to Stewart.
The championship semi-final had New Lowell edge Ivy Rangers 2-0, single runs coming in the sixth and seventh. Pitcher Wayne Lightheart drove home the first one with a double and Wayne Rowe plated another in the next frame. Preceding hits were by Marty Beelen, his second, and Jim Halliday. Lightheart doled out only two hits to the losers and fanned 12. Gethons allowed four of seven hits over the last two turns and blanked the winners for five.
The consolation final had Ivy Leafs score three times in their first turn and coast to a 6-3 win over Clarksburg. There were lots of hits, Ivy collecting 11 and Clarksburg 10, including a solo homer by Al Smith. Cooney had three for the winners, and batted in half their total. McDonald and McMaster each had a pair and Arnold was a contributor with a hit, two walks, sacrifice fly, two stolen bases and as many runs scored. Ed Patton pitched for the winners, Mike Dinsmore for the losers who had a pair of hits from Bowen and Toohy.
Sunday Games
Close decisions were registered in three of the four first-round games of New Lowell’s annual Civic holiday weekend tournament. Stayner needed an extra inning and a Tom Scott homer to decision Ivy Leafs 4-2, Ivy Rangers were baserunner winners over Owen Sound in a 3-3 tie and New Lowell edged Clarksburg 3-2.
Even the other count was a respectable 4-1 decision on seven innings for Collingwood over Lisle. Only the first game of the consolation playoff was a top-heavy one – 11-4 for Ivy Leafs over Lisle.
Surprise starter Tim Newlove was a three-hit pitcher in Stayner’s 4-2 win over Ivy Leafs. He hit a batter and walked three to make a tie in the seventh but Tom Scott’s two-run homer in the eighth put Stayner on top again. The losers threatened with a hit and their seventh walk but Newlove got pitching rival Dan Cooney on an infield bouncer to end it. Glenn McDonald, Gord Zeggil, Rick Walker and Newlove had two hits each for the winners.
Collingwood’s 4-1 win over Lisle was a low-hit affair, a 4-3 edge for the winners. One was a Bill Switzer homer that proved to be the winning run. Robbie Jackson and Ken Ward were opposing pitchers, the former helping his winning effort with a run-scoring hit.
Ivy Rangers and Owen Sound waged a 3-3 tie, the former trailing 3-1 after five innings. Dave Speers and Henry Sander produced hits in the tying rally and the former pitched six relief innings. Owen Sound’s Don Bartley registered 14 strike-outs.
New Lowell scored three runs in their first two turns and held on for a 3-2 win over Clarksburg being Wayne Lightheart’s five-hit, 11-strikeout pitching. A Bill Lennox homer in the seventh made it close. John Rainbird had two hits and a run batted-in for the winners and Al Smith two safeties for the losers.
The consolation second-round game had Ivy Leafs winning 11-4 over Lisle in five innings. Allan Elliott’s second homer bringing about a seven-run difference and finis. He had three safeties in all as did Denis McDonald and Don McMaster. The latter was a six-hit pitcher with a Brain Nimigeon grand-slam homer doing all the damage.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS at the New Lowell baseball tournament were shared by two home team members and two from Ivy Leafs. Tom Arnold, left was named tournament most valuable player and Allan Elliott, right, the most productive batter. New Lowell hurlers, Jim Halliday, second from left, and Wayne Lightheart, shared the best pitcher award, the former on a 1-0 two-hit championship win and the latter on two winning performances totalling 14 innings, 2 runs and 7 hits allowed, with 23 strikeouts.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Aug. 6, 1980
Short-lived OBA activity for New Lowell, Lisle teams
Ontario Baseball Assn. playdown action on the weekend eliminated all the teams of local interest, including New Lowell, Lisle and Ivy. Another team, Stayner Juniors, don’t expect to see playdown action until Aug. 23.
New Lowell was bracketed in Intermediate B and drew Orillia Majors for a double loss by 6-0 and 5-4 scores. It was a quite ambitious bid for the local team who progressed past one B round last season and were Ontario C champions in 1978.
In C play were Barrie, Ivy and Alliston, all of the Simcoe League, and they played a weekend round-robin set. Ivy was a 1-0 loser to Barrie and a 3-1 loser to Alliston and when Alliston edged Barrie 3-2 in the third series game these teams advanced. Barrie took honours with two Sunday wins over Alliston by scores of 5-3 and 4-2. Playing an important fielding, hitting and pitching role with Barrie was Brain MacIntosh.
A first-time venture into Intermediate D for Lisle was also overly ambitious in view of a late-season injury to fireballing pitcher Perry Anderson and holidaying John Johnson Jr. They were losers to Clarksburg by 11-5 and 11-06 counts and went into the OBA discard. Clarksburg was to continue against Collingwood in this division.
Stayner will be playing in Junior D, a distinct move up from Bantam and Midget divisions in which they campaigned in 1978 and 1979. They were provincial winners two years ago.
New Lowell Loses
New Lowell went out in straight games to Orillia, the second one being a 5-4 decision at home Sunday evening.
The homesters jumped in front in the second inning with two runs on a walk, Paul Walker hit and mess-up of a Roy Walker fly ball.
Orillia replied with one in the third on Harris and Udell hits and plated three in the fifth when Russell, Udell, Wingrove and Hennessy hit safely. A Cockburn homer in the sixth made the counts 5-2.
New Lowell got close in their sixth on a walk, Corby and Rowe hits and another by Paul Walker. They threatened in the seventh on a Halliday double but, as in the sixth, the next two batters failed.
Gerry Udell pitched for Orillia and claimed eight strikeouts. Wayne Lightheat went all the way for the losers except for one batter retired by Wayne Rowe.
The Saturday game in Orillia resulted in a 6-0 decision for lefty Glen Wingrove over New Lowell’s Jim Halliday.
The winners claimed four runs in the second on four hits and a walk and picked up two more in the sixth and three safeties and an error.
Elwin Lightheart and Wayne Rowe each collected two hits for New Lowell and singles went to Paul Walker and Roger Mumberson.
Lisle beaten
Lisle’s first O.B.A. action was a Thursday outing at home against Clarksburg and an 11-5 win for the visitors.
Clarksburg scored all their runs in the early innings off John Johnson Sr. and Bryan Lawson but had no scoring luck against Ken Ward over four late frames. The only run he gave up was a ninth-inning homer by Ken Fawcett that was washed out by darkness.
The biggest Lisle blow was a base-loaded triple by Rick Cook. Frank McNabb and Willy Crews each had a pair of hits for the losers. Bill Bowen and Bill Lennox each had three safeties for the winners, two of the latters being homers.
Al Smith pitched all eight innings for the visitors.
A Monday game at Clarksburg resulted in an 11-6 home win and finis for faint Lisle hopes.
Tom Anderson pitched for Lisle and contributed a pair of hits as did John Johnson Sr. while Ken Ward clicked for three. Bill Lougheed had three hits for the winners and Brian Kennedy two, one a homer. Al Smith and Mike Dinsmore shared the Clarksburg pitching, the former going six innings.
- Creemore Star, Wed. Aug. 13, 1980
Three wins and first-place finish for Knights
New Lowell Knights, defending division and league champions, put together three wins this week to grab top spot in the Dufferin Baseball League North division.
This closely-contested division provided the schedule-ending drama in two instances. The New Lowell surge wrested first place from Stayner and Lisle lost their hold on the fourth rung to Hornings Mills.
So the pair-off placings are set for playoffs due to start this weekend. In the North section it is Newl Lowell against Hornings Mills and Stayner against Creemore. The South section will have Everett meeting Mansfield and Ivy taking on Alliston.
Knights Sweep Three
The champion Knights edged Mansfield 4-3 last Tuesday and followed with 14-0 and 12-3 wins over Clarksburg and Creemore Friday and Monday. The three wins gave them the North lead by a single point over Stayner.
Wayne Rowe and Roger Mumberson divided the shutout pitching at Clarksburg and Danny Robinson did the hurling at Creemore.
Marty Beelen chipped in with two homers and a double at Clarksburg and had another homer among two safeties at Creemore. Robinson also had two hits in the latter game as did Mumberson. At Clarksburg it was a case of everyone rapping out hits, Elwin Lightheart claiming four and Ron Hubbert and Wayne Rowe three each along with Beelen.
Monday’s game at Creemore went only five innings with Grieveson, Gurnhill, Hare and Gowan all seeing pitching action for the losers. Bing Coker had two hits for the home team.
Mansfield visited Creemore Wednesday and lost their second successive 4-3 decision. They grabbed a three-run lead in their first turn but saw the homesters collect singles in four different frames, including the seventh.
Steve Hare did Creemore’s pitching and Doug Greer worked for the visitors. Bing Coker had three safeties for the winners and Brain MacIntosh a pair. There were two cut-down plays at the plate in the seventh before a Bud Grieveson hit plated the winning run.
Dufferin baseball
North W L T P
New Lowell 16 3 1 33
Stayner 15 3 2 32
Creemore 12 6 2 26
Hornings Mills 10 7 3 23
Lisle 10 8 2 22
Clarksburg 9 9 2 20
South W L T P
Everett 11 6 1 23
Ivy 8 10 1 17
Alliston 5 12 2 12
Mansfield 2 17 0 4
Orangeville 1 18 0 2
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Aug. 13, 1980
1980 Awards
AWARDS NIGHT for the 1980 North Dufferin Baseball League season was a Saturday night event that had dancing and a midnight buffet at Creemore Legion. It also had the honours for this quintette, from left, Rick Gowan, Creemore, leading batter; Glenn MacDonald, Stayner, leading pitcher; Steve Cunningham, Everett, and Dave Speers, Ivy, co-winners as most valuable player; Tom Anderson, Lisle, most sportsmanlike. It was repeat wins for both Gowan and Anderson.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Aug. 27, 1980
New Lowell and Everett gain Dufferin final
The Dufferin Baseball League final was set up last week when Everett ousted Creemore in a fourth game and New Lowell disposed of Ivy after five games, one a tie.
The Creemore at Everett fixture was a Tuesday date that almost assured something less than a regulation seven innings. And such was the case, only moreso as visiting Creemore had a six-run, sixth-inning count washed out by darkness.
They had trailed 3-1 prior to that belated spurt and that is what the score reverted to and an Everett series edge of three games to one.
The homesters got two runs in the second off Steve Hare’s pitching and another off Danny Gowan in the third. The latter finished three innings and each gave up three hits. Pay-off ones came from Whelen Brown, Gauley and O. Jenkins.
Creemore got a first-inning run on an error, sacrifice and R. Gowan single but were blanked over four more frames. They had a four-walk third but didn’t score because of a double play. Ron MacDonald chipped in with the visitors’ second hit in the fourth and Mike Westbrooke did the same in the fifth. A walk then posed another scoring threat to no avail.
Creemore’s sixth opened with a Rick Coker single and he added a double later for the last two runs of a count of six. Besides the two lone hits, the visitors had benefit of three walks, two errors and two fielder’s choices, one unsuccessful. Chris Darling did Everett’s pitching with brief third-inning help from Steve Cunningham.
Umpire-in-chief John Johnson called the game before a pitch was thrown in the last half of the inning. Much of the fast-fading time remaining was used up in an on-field conference with Mansfield colleagues.
The other semi-final was settled Saturday when New Lowell blasted out a 13-7 win at home over Ivy. The visitors twice had a lead, 5-1 after a second batting and 7-6 after another, New Lowell having replied in a second turn with five of their own.
Ivy’s first run came on an Ed Patton homer and Al Elliott doubled fro three runs and John Walton singled for one. A two-run homer by Wayne Gethons got them a second lead in the third but they were stopped cold on one hit the rest of the way.
Ivy contributed three errors to the New Lowell five-run second that had hits from Marty Beelen, Wayne Rowe and Wayne Lightheart.
Paul Walker did most of the damage the rest of the way, restoring a NL lead with a two-run homer in the fourth and repeating in the fifth. Jim Halliday, Rowe, W. Lightheart also hit to pad the scoring.
Although greeted with three successive hits in Ivy’s second and the two-run homer in the third, Wayne Rowe had a standout relief job with four runless innings following. He also had three hits on the day and four runs batted in.
Walker also plated four runs on two homers and other two-hit producers were Wayne Lightheart, John Rainbird and Roger Mumberson. Allan Elliott had three of Ivy’s nine hits.
Wayne Lightheart was the NL starter and Gethons, Marshall, Speers and Patton all saw service for Ivy.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Sept. 10, 1980
Another Dufferin title for New Lowell
New Lowell won its second successive North Dufferin Baseball League championship on Sunday with a 7-1 decision at Everett. It followed a 5-4 last-inning win at home the day before and meant a 4-0 sweep in the championship series.
The series opener, back on Sept 7, was a top-heavy 10-2 New Lowell win and the second needed a last-inning rally to tie and an extra inning for a 7-4 win.
The series sweep duplicated last seasons 4-0 win over Alliston and the first New Lowell championship in 1977 had a four game sweep over Ivy. New Lowell was also finalist in 1978 and 4-2 losers to Creemore that season in a playoff that was mixed with a successful run at an Ontario C title.
New Lowell’s winning season was not as gaudy this time as some of their others notably 22-1-1 in ’77 and 20-1-2 in ’79. They were first-place finishers with a mark of 16 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie and were 9-2-1 in three playoff rounds. Trying the Ontario B category they were two-game losers to Orillia Majors.
Aside from three tournament wins, the New Lowell 1980 season added up to 25 wins, 7 losses and 2 ties.
Three-Hit Pitching
The Knights got near-perfect pitching from Wayne Lightheart in Saturday’s 7-1 clincher at Everett. He gave up a single in the first inning and not another until the sixth. A third safety, an infield tap, came in the seventh to go with an error, two stolen bases and an infield out for the lone run against him.
Lightheart opened with strikeouts on the first two batters and finished with one for a total of nine. He didn’t issue a walk.
Everett had some effective pitching too, from Colin Harding. The winners got to him for a barrage of hits and three runs in each of the third and seventh innings and both times Everett errors contributed. Three miscues handed the visitors another run in the fifth.
Besides his pitching chore, Wayne Lightheart also excelled at bat with three safeties, one a double. Ron Hubbert had two singles and two runs batted in while Roger Mumberson and Wayne Rowe each contributed triples. Paul Walker, Rob Hubbert and Andy VanderHeyden also hit safely.
Steve Cunningham, Grant Jenkins and Chris Darling collected the Everett hits and Harding’s ground-out produced the lone run.
Dramatic Finish
One whish of the bat by Jim Halliday wrapped up a New Lowell playoff win at home Saturday. His homer leading off the seventh broke up a 4-4 tie.
Everett had opened this game with a single run and then put together a three-count in the fifth to hold a 4-3 edge. New Lowell evened it in their half after a single tally in the second and two in the third.
Danny Robinson was New Lowell’s pitching starter and he sailed along handily until the fifth. He was greeted then by a Chris Darling homer and a walk and error followed. Wayne Rowe took over the pitching chore at that point and the visitors collected two more runs on a squeeze fly ball.
The Rowe move from catcher to pitcher got Halliday into the game in the former inasmuch as regular Marty Beelen wasn’t available this weekend. Halliday’s first plate appearance in the fifth resulted in a double and he promptly became the tying run when Paul Walker followed with another two-bagger.
Then in the seventh Halliday finished it with a lead-off homer and sudden 5-4 win. Other two-hit producers for the winners were Paul Walker, Roger Mumberson, Elwin Lightheat, and Ron Hubbert, the latter driving in two runs. Wayne Rowe also had one of New Lowell’s 11 hits.
Everett’s biggest blow was the homer by pitcher Chris Darling and Willy Gauley had a run-scoring double. Other safeties went to Colin Harding. Jim Forester and Grant Jenkins, the first two also driving in runs.
CHAMPIONS AGAIN are New Lowell Knights who collected their third North Dufferin Baseball League championship with a 7-1 win at Everett on Sunday. That game made for a four straight sweep for the Knights who did the same trick last year against Alliston and in 1977 against Ivy. New Lowell was a losing finalist in six 1978 games to Creemore, a season in which they won an Ontario C title. Presenting the 50-year old Strother Cup is league president Tom Anderson, with Knights’ coach Bob Patton, left, and captain Wayne Rowe.
Repeat as N.D.B.L. champions
Capping another four-game sweep for the North Dufferin Baseball League championship were New Lowell Knights at Everett on Sunday. They did the same trick a year ago and also in 1977 and were finalists in 1978. Shown here are from left, front, John Rainbird, Ron Hubbert, Andy VanderHeyden, batboy, Jimmy Prosser, Roger Mumberson, Rob Hubbert, Jim Halliday; rear, coach Bob Patton, Paul Walker, Elwin Lightheart, Wyane Lightheart and Wayne Rowe. Missing were team manager Jim Prosser, hospitalized in Barrie, Marty Beelen, Bill Patton, Danny Robinson, Roy Walker, Brian VanderVenne and Glen Scott.
- The Creemore Star, 1980
1981
North Dufferin baseball loop has 11 teams for 1981 season
The North Dufferin Baseball League again has an entry list of 11 teams and they’ll be playing in North and South divisions.
Heading the North teams is defending champion New Lowell, along with Creemore, Stayner, Clarksburg, Lisle and Hornings Mills. The South group has Alliston, Everett, Ivy, Mansfield and Orangeville.
Official league play is expected to get started on May 20. A pre-season opener taken part in by most of the teams is the Victoria holiday weekend tournament at Lisle.
Officers for the 1981 season include Paul Carruthers of Stayner as president, Bill Patton of New Lowell as vice-president, Bud Grieveson, Creemore, secretary; Kevin Greer, Mansfield, treasurer.
Acting as statistician will be Gord Dunn of Lisle and Charlie McNabb of Stayner is again the umpire-in-chief.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 6, 1981
New baseball site at Lisle for two-day tournament
The Victoria Day holiday is approaching and its mid-May, traditional baseball opening time at Lisle. The past week’s weather has been anything but conducive to baseball with light rains that have gladdened the hearts of the farm element but without some needed warm temperature.
The baseball tournament inaugural at Lisle will have a brand new park and finishing touches are only now being completed. There is new fencing, backstop, bleachers and dug-outs, a limestone infield and grass outfield.
Much of the finishing work has been effected by Lisle area volunteers after a starter development from Tosorontio Township. They’ll pry the lid off with tournament games Sunday and Monday, continued with Dufferin League games later then stage an official opening program on June 27.
Tournament play opens Sunday at 9:30 with Stayner meeting Creemore. At 11 it will be New Lowell and Hornings Mills and Ivy and Orangeville hook up at 12:30.
A peewee game between Lisle and Everett teams will provide a mid-tourney break at 2 o’clock and other afternoon games will have Lisle and Clarksburg meet at 3:30 and Alliston at Mansfield at 5.
There’ll be another Sunday game before the Monday fare takes over at 9:30. The consolation final is carded for 5 p.m. on Monday and the championship event at 6:30 p.m.
The 10 North Dufferin teams will be competing for $300 in prize money with half of that amount going to the over-all winner. The runner-up will collect $75 as will the consolation winner.
A refreshment booth will be maintained throughout both days.
League play opens next Wednesday with Everett playing at Creemore against Stayner. Thursday games have Mansfield at New Lowell and Orangeville at Lisle.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 13, 1981
Weather jells for start of baseball season
Baseball weather arrived just in time for the opening of the local season, and the North Dufferin League, for one, made hay during the first week of play.
Action started on the holiday weekend but the weather only co-operated half-heartedly. That session was coolish but dry and bright and the start of a run of spring warmth.
It was also a start of a run of Stayner baseball success, that team copping the Lisle holiday tourney on a three-win string and following with three league victories since.
They opened at their Creemore home last Wednesday and took a 1-0 decision from Everett with Rick Zeggil outduelling Steve Cunnigham in an early-season pitchers’ battle.
Zeggil also pitched Stayner’s second win, a 5-3 decision at Clarksburg on Friday and he capped a productive week with a two-homer barrage in a 12-6 Stayner win at Ivy on Sunday.
Creemore took a win and a tie in a pair of outings, winning 6-2 at Hornings Mills Friday and playing a 1-1 deadlock at home on Saturday with Lisle.
The 1-1 tie was another pitching epic with Rick Gowan giving the visitors only three while Creemore gleaned only two off John Johnson Sr. and Perry Anderson. The latter, just home from hockey season, blanked the homesters over four frames. Creemore hits went to R. Gowan and Corby and the Lisle bingles to Tom Anderson, Crews and Dunn.
Rick Gowan paced the Creemore win at Hornings Mills with a homer and single and three runs batted in. Mike Westbrooke drove in a pair on one hit and Terry Gowan plated two with two safeties. Danny Gowan and Rick Coker shared the Creemore pitching.
Lisle’s opener was a 14-3 whomping of Orangeville on Thursday. The winners banged out 11 hits including a triple in a lone at-bat for Perry Anderson. Tom Anderson, John Johnson Jr., Ken Ward, Willy Crews and John Johnson Sr. each collected a pair of hits for the winners. The two Johnsons and Ward also pitched a couple innings each.
The champion New Lowell team marked up two shutout wins, 5-0 over Mansfield at home and 7-0 at Hornings Mills. Wayne Rowe and Dan Robinson divided the pitching in the first game, Ron Hubbert and Rowe in the second.
Here are not too many veterans returning with the New Lowell team, or on limited duty at best. Two of them, Ron Hubbert and Jim Halliday had a pair of hits in the opener and another, Paul Walker, poked out a double. Wayne Lightheart will be returning as will Bill Patton as manager and Marty Beelen will likely see only limited duty, Elwin Lighheart, Roger Mumberson and Roy Walker none at all. Also sidelined is John Rainbird as a result of an auto accident suffered some months and from which he is only now recuperating.
A returnee to New Lowell’s line-up after a brief absence is Mike Dumond while rookies Rob Hubbert, Andy VanderHeyden and Glen Scott will be seeing more action. First-timers with the Knights are Jim Coe, Pete Lennox, Dave Scott, Brian VanderVenne, Jerry Lamers, Peter Lamers and Neil Green. That will be quite a youthful crew for Bill Patton to mould.
Other North Dufferin results through an opening week had Alliston win twice, Everett and Ivy each lose as many. Mansfield won once in three tries, Hornings Mills lost a pair, Clarksburg and Orangeville one each.
The league is playing a 26-game schedule in two divisions but eight teams will qualify for playoffs with regards to points rather than standing in the division.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 27, 1981
19th Dufferin all-star game at Ivy
The annual Dufferin Baseball League all-star game is ticketed for Ivy Sunday afternoon at 2. It will be a North-South game and the latter have won the last three engagements after North had run up five in a row.
Prior to 1973 the league format was for an all-star team to play the league champions and in 10 outings the stars were able to come out on top seven times.
Each squad will have five pitchers, the North having Perry Anderson, Glenn Carruthers, Rick Zeggil, Rick Gowan and Mike Dinsmore. On the South mound will be Steve Cunningham, Chris Darling, Dave Speers, Dave Knicely and Ralph Grasmeyer.
Other North nominees are John Glen, Barry Corby, Paul Walker, Tom Scott, Bill Lougheed, Jerry Beelen, Dale Looby, Tom Anderson, Ron Hubbert, Rick Coker, Willy Crews, Brian Kennedy. Tim Dickey, Ed Downey, Mark Johnson, Terry Gowan, Paul Carruthers and Bill Patton are listed as North coaches.
The South line-up is completed by Paul Greer, Henry Sander, Jim Armour, John Walton, Don Sabourin, Kevin Bailey, Terry Horne, Willy Gauley, Orville Jenkins, Kevin Greer, Tim Whelan, Brent Pendleton, Larry Davis, Greg McKee, Brent Bailey and Scott Manlow. Mike Hillman and Greg Greer are the coaches.
- The Creemore Star, July 8, 1981
Lisle wins Mansfield tourney
There were some surprises at the annual Dominion Day baseball tournament at Mansfield, not the least being the good showing of the home team.
They progressed to the semi-final and only failed to reach the championship round because of a difference in baserunners in a tie game. That edge in a 4-4 game put Ivy into the final bracket. A dramatic four-run homer by Grant Pendelton had created the tie. Ed Patton and Dave Speers had homered for Ivy.
The final was a 5-2 Lisle win over Ivy but it, too, wasn’t far removed from a tie. The game’s last out came on a going-away catch at the fence by Bryan Lawson with two Ivy runners on base.
Ivy runs had come on a Speers homer, Sander triple and Walton single. Davie and Sander were successive hitters to open the last stand. A Dundas single notched Lisle’s first run and his fly ball scored the last. In between there was a two-run homer from Perry Anderson and successive doubles from Terry Shaw and Bryan Lawson. Tom Anderson and Perry Anderson also singled in that stretch but couldn’t effect a run.
The day’s baseball was pretty well top-grade throughout, only conclusive outings being a Stayner 4-0 win against Hornings Mills, behind Glen Carruthers, and 6-0 Lisle win over Stayner on a six-run start and shutout pitching by John Johnson Jr.
Other scores? Lisle 5 Clarksburg 4, Ivy 4 Orangeville 2, Mansfield 6, Everett 4.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 8, 1981
North takes all-star honours
Upset losers in the last three Dufferin League allstar games, the North team made a shambles of the 19th annual showdown Sunday at Ivy. The score was 18-3.
In recent times North started the present system with a win in 1973 and repeated four times. Over the past three seasons the South team has taken the honours. For 10 times prior to 1973 it was the custom for the stars to play the previous champion and that latter won only three of them.
The North blasted out 21 hits in Sunday’s engagement that was called after seven innings. Among those hits were homers by Paul Walker of New Lowell and Perry Anderson of Lisle. Bill Lougheed of Clarksburg and Mark Johnson of Lisle had three hits each and Tom Scott of Stayner a pair.
Perry Anderson was selected as North’s most valuable player and Steve Cunningham of Everett took honours for the South who were limited to six hits by a pitching foursome of John Johnson Jr., Perry Anderson, Glen Carruthers and Gerry Beelen.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 15, 1981
Stayner takes over top spot in Dufferin loop
That three-team dogfight in the North section of the North Dufferin Baseball League became even more pronounced last week and some changes were effected. A surprised one was a double loss suffered by Lisle and fall into second place behind Stayner and both even in games played.
Stayner was a two-game winner, one of them over Lisle, while Creemore stayed well in the picture with three wins. They are four points back of the leader in two fewer games.
Another gainer last week for Clarksburg who posted three wins and widened their edge on New Lowell for a fourth spot in the section. This week their edge is seven points, a week earlier only one.
The other North team, Hornings Mills, was loser of one game, 1 2-1 decision to Creemore.
Ivy marked up two wins in the South group which also has a three-way contest. Alliston split in a pair and continue on top with 19 points, two more than both Ivy and Everett. The latter gained three points on a win and tie.
The tie was a 3-3 effort in Orangeville, the latter’s only points in four outings. Mansfield was a three-time loser.
Barons Win Three
Creemore’s 2-1 win Monday over Hornings Mills was the tightest of three, the deciding marker coming in their last at bat.
A Barry Corby single opened the last Creemore turn and he got to second when Bert Wilson at first base made a good grab of a R. Gowan grass-cutter. Terry Gowan promptly plated him with a double.
That flurry spoiled a good chore by Steve Wood who had homered for the lone Hornings Mills run. He fanned 10 while giving up eight hits.
Corby pitched for Creemore until the seventh when he strained his arm. A lead-off single was only the fourth given up. Rick Gowan finished the inning on three strikeouts and then got the win on a go-ahead tun in Creemore’s next turn. He had two of eight Creemore hits, Mark Hannon driving in the other run and others going to Alex Wilson and Bob Sinclair.
The Barons were in Orangeville on Saturday where they posted a 7-0 win, five runs coming in a sixth-inning barrage. Terry Gowan twirled the five-hit shutout and collected eight strikeouts.
On Wednesday it was more of the same with a 9-0 Creemore decision over Orangeville. Rick Coker was the hitting star with a double, triple and homer, the latter a three-run shot. Terry Gowan had two hits as did Bud Grieveson, one a triple. Dan Gowan pitched and had seven strikeouts on the way to a five-hit shutout.
Lisle Upset Twice
Lisle lost a pair of games on successive nights last week, 7-3 at Everett and 5-0 at home to Stayner.
The Stayner win was a three-hit shutout for Rick Zeggil and a first for pitching loss for fireballer Perry Anderson. The winners got only five hits, two of them to Tim Newlove.
Everett counted five times in the sixth to break up a 2-2 game. Steve Cunnigham was the winning pitcher and he also shipped in with three hits. Terry Shaw had two of eight Lisle hits and they left 11 runners stranded.
Clarksburg Wins
New Lowell lost to Clarksburg for the second time in a week on a 6-4 decision Thursday and followed with a 15-5 clobbering on Friday.
The Thursday loss at home had New Lowell’s best threat in the sixth when they counted three times to get close. A Bill Patton hit, Halliday walk and Roger Mumberson homer produced the runs.
Ross Whiteside’s three-run homer had staked Clarksburg to a first-inning lead. Bob Ley was the winning pitcher and Dan Robinson the loser.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 22, 1981
Dufferin League makes awards
The North Dufferin Baseball League held its annual awards night and dance and buffet at Creemore Rec Centre Saturday evening. Representation from the 11 member teams was less than overwhelming.
The league had just concluded a 143-game schedule and is currently engaged in playoffs with five teams still in contention. One of them, New Lowell, had been engaged in OBA playoffs at Kincardine on Saturday but still sent a large representation to the league affair.
President Paul Carruthers was chairman for the several presentations made and assisting were past and present officers including statistician Gord Dunn whose records had been an up-to-date feature through the season.
Team voting named Dave Speers of Ivy as the league’s most valuable player and Bill Lougheed of Clarksburg as most sportsmanlike. His trophy was the Bruce Jenkins Memorial one in memory of a former Everett player.
Close runner-up in the MVP contest was Perry Anderson of Lisle. Also close in the sportsmanship category were Ron Hubbert of New Lowell and Tom Anderson of Lisle.
The season’s pitching award was shared between Perry Anderson of Lisle and Glen Carruthers of Stayner. Others rating highly were Rick Zeggil of Stayner and Rick Gowan of Creemore.
The batting championship went to Dave Speers of Ivy on a seasonal mark of .443. Chasing him for the honours were Barry Corby and Terry Gowan of Creemore and Perry Anderson of Lisle.
Two other awards were made for previously announced all-star game MVP. They were Perry Anderson for the North, Steve Cunnigham of Everett for the South.
Divisional leadership trophies went to Stayner and Alliston teams although the latter was unrepresented.
Dancing and a buffet luncheon for some 150 was the program prior to and after the presentations. That number was a meagre one for the spacious main floor of the Rec Centre.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Aug. 26, 1981
Clarksburg wins Dufferin final on 4-1 count
The Dufferin Baseball League’s fourth-place team, Clarksburg, took 1981 with a three-game-to-one decisions over Lisle, third-place finishers. The latter, at 39 points, were right on the heels of the two teams that led them, Stayner at 41 and Creemore, 40.
Clarksburg, a North section team as are the others, collected 30 points in the 26-game season. The new champs wrapped up the final series with a 2-1 win in nine innings at home on Saturday and follow-up 9-0 trouncing at Lisle on Sunday.
The new champions succeed New Lowell also were winners over Everett in four gams last year. They had also won in four games in 1979 and 1977 with a 4-2 loss in 1978 to Creemore.
Light Lisle Attack
The Lisle team missing Perry Anderson’s big bat and strong pitching arm, didn’t present much punch in this series. Beaten 3-0 in the series opener, they followed with a last-inning 5-4 win at Clarksburg but then took another loss at home, 12-1.
Lisle held a 1-0 lead into the fifth inning on Saturday at Clarksburg and it wasn’t until that fram that the homesters collected their first hit off Doug Dundas. One by Brian Kennedy was followed by another by Bob Ley and suddenly it was a 1-1 game. It stayed that way through the seventh and two extra frames before a Ron Lennox hit led to the winning run on a Bob Ley looper behind first base.
Lisle’s run came on a homer by Brian Nimigeon in the second inning, Their spaced seven-hit attack had singles from Ken Wood, John Johnson Sr., Willy Crews, Tom Anderson, Bryan Lawson and Gord Dunn. Clarksburg had only five hits and both of Ley’s were run-producers. Scott Mackey had the other one.
Doug Dundas had a standout pitching job for the losers – five hits, 11 strikeouts and only three free passes. He fanned the fist five Clarksburg batters. Ley was an effective pitcher for the winners juts as he was in the series opener. He spaced out seven hits, fanned 10 and passed one.
All Clarksburg
It was all Clarksburg in Sunday’s finale where the visitors counted twice in the first inning and enlarged that lead into 9-0 decision. They added another pair in the third, singles in the fourth and sixth and a big, unnecessary three in the fifth.
Lisle bats were especially inept, Doug Dundas lacing out a first-inning single and there was no more. Gord Dunn took a pitch on the arm and John Johnson punched one past the pitcher on which the second baseman erred.
Fashioning the one-hitter was Al Smith and he posted five strikeouts while allowing only one free ticket, the Dunn plunker. Al is the son of a pretty-fair hurler of nearly 35 years ago, Alonzo Smith. He threw righthanded curved for Meaford and Thornbury teams.
Clarksburg got their first batter on base in every inning except the seventh. They had 10 hits in all, three going to Bruce Whiteside and pairs to Bill Lennox, Bill Lougheed and Scott Mackey.
John Johnson Jr., winner of Lisle’s lone victory, gave up four runs in less than three innings, Bryan Lawson went the rest of the way and gave up five runs. Each allowed five hits.
There was a contrast in manpower in this championship wind-up. Lisle, with their biggest gun away at hockey camp, had one benchwarmer. That was Willy Crews who was nursing a sore leg. On the other hand, the eager and exhuberant Clarksburg Blues had nine hustlers in the field and at bat and another half-dozen able bodies at the ready.
The playoff contingent of coach Ron Lennox were worthy Dufferin champs; the season-long fourth-placers were something less.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Sept. 23, 1981
1982
Dufferin League ready for baseball season
A new baseball season will get underway locally on Sunday when six of 11 Dufferin League teams see action. Three others are scheduled for first games one night later.
Sunday’s games have Alliston at Creemore, Stayner at Clarksburg and Everett at Ivy. All three have a 2 p.m. starting time. Monday games at 6:45 have Mansfield at Lisle and New Lowell at Stayner which means Creemore because this team will share the local park for a third season.
Tuesday games next week have Creemore at Everett, Lisle at Hornings Mills and Ivy at Alliston. A Wednesday game has Orangeville at Mansfield, a first outing for the county town team. New Lowell’s home opener comes a week from Thursday with the champion Clarksburg team as visitors.
The 1982 season will play as a single 11-team group with eight teams qualifying for playoffs. Last year two sections operated but final standing and playoff pairings were determined by point totals involving all 11 teams.
The race had Stayner finish on top with 41 points but only one up on Creemore. Lisle was third at 39 but they had been leaders most of the way and unbeaten in their first dozen games.
Well back was Clarksburg with 30 points, edging Alliston’s 29 and Ivy’s 27. A young team at New Lowell had a creditable 25 for seventh spot and the last playoff qualifier was Everett with 23 points. Well off the pace were Hornings Mills, Mansfield and Orangeville whose point totals rested at 17, 12 and 3.
There was some exciting action in last year’s playoffs, notably a Creemore ouster of a stubborn New Lowell team after eight games. Three were ties – one 0-0 – and among Creemore’s three wins was a 1-0 decision.
The other brackets were more routine, Stayner over Everett in three – all shutouts – and Lisle doing the same to Ivy. Clarksburg needed five games to dispose of Alliston.
The semi-finals had Clarksburg edge Stayner 3-2 in games and Lisle take Creemore 3-1. The final was a surprising but worthy 4-1 verdict for Clarksburg over Lisle. The latter lost ace pitcher and batter Perry Anderson to pro hockey after one game but there was a portent in a 3-0 Clarksburg win in that opener right in Lisle.
It was Clarksburg’s first championship since 1971, a 10-year span.
So, another season is about to begin. It is to be hoped it may duplicate the baseball oddities, upsets and occurrence of that last one.
The season also has its usual share of tournaments opening with the Victoria holiday weekend one at Lisle, May 23-34. There is a three-day event at Clarksburg June 18-20, a traditional Canada Day holiday event at Mansfield on July 1, and New Lowell’s Civic holiday affair Aug. 1-2.
Another break in the Dufferin schedule has a deference to an Ivy Leafs tournament July 3-4. The Dufferin all-star game will be played at Lisle on July 11 and on July 17 the Dufferin-Simcoe challenge game will be resurrected at Ivy.
The current season opening on Sunday calls for 24 games for all 11 teams. Scheduled games continue to Aug. 6.
President for the 1982 season is Bill Patton of New Lowell, succeeding Paul Carruthers of Stayner. Bud Anderson of Lisle is vice-president and secretary is Bud Grieveson of Creemore. Treasurer is Kevin Greer of Mansfield and continuing as statistician is Gord Dunn of Lisle.
The league has two umpire chiefs in Bob MacMullan of Creemore and Willy LeBlanc of New Lowell.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 12, 1982
Stayner, Lisle, Creemore get Dufferin wins
Fine baseball weather prevailed on the weekend and all five Dufferin League scheduled games for Sunday and Monday were completed. Three were close affairs while two could be termed early-season walk-aways.
Pacesetters through the early going of last season, Lisle and Stayner have started out that way again. Stayner knocked off two wins, 4-2 in Clarksburg and 14-0 at home against New Lowell. Lisle was a 5-3 winner over Mansfield on Monday. Another one-game winner was Creemore, 3-1 over Alliston. They were slow-starters last season but second-placers to Stayner at the finish.
The other Sunday game was an 11-1 win by Ivy over visiting Everett.
There were three games carded for Tuesday and another one, Orangeville at Mansfield, on Wednesday. New Lowell has a home opener on Thursday against last season’s playoff champions, Clarksburg. Everett has a Saturday game in Mansfield and then Sunday and holiday Monday a 10-team tournament holds forth at Lisle.
First Shutout Win
Stayner played their second game of the new season on Monday and came up with a convincing 14-0 win on home grounds at Creemore. It was the season’s first shutout and was fashioned by five innings from Rick Zeggil and one from Glenn Carruther.
Tim Newlove was the hitting star with two homers and seven runs batted in. They came in the first two innings when Stayner mounted a 9-0 lead.
Scott Johnson had three doubles for Stayner and Scott MacMurchy had two safeties. Single hits to Steve Hare, Tim Dickey, Brian Coker and Rick Walker.
The losers had hits from Paul Walker, Marty Beelen, Dave Scott and Mike Dumond. Rob Hubbert was the pitching victim of 11 Stayner runs in three innings, Wayne Rowe three in two.
Lisle Edge Mansfield
Lisle recorded a 5-3 Monday win over Mansfield posting all their five runs in a single frame, the fifth. Highlight blow was a three-run homer by Paul Greer.
It was his second turn at the plate and he had narrowly missed a homer the first time. Denying it was a leaping catch at the fence by Richard Cauthers.
Willy Crews had two hits for the winners and singles went to Tom Anderson, Terry Shaw and Dave Sampson. Ken Ward pitched into the fourth for two runs and John Jonhson Jr. finished.
Dave Knisley pitched for Mansfield and he also had one of the loser’s seven hits. Others went to Greg McKee, Greg Greer, Les Pendleton, Roger Maes, Grant Pendleton, Doug Murphy.
Barons Edge Alliston
Some key defensive moves were telling ones for Creemore Barons on Sunday while a couple of Alliston miscues were equally important and, as a result, the locals claimed a 3-1 win.
Alliston claimed the game’s opening run in the second on a walk, steal and infield error. Catch of a grasscutter in left field was the first key defensive play of Mike Westbrooke and his throw from the same spot cut off a potential tally in the next Alliston turn.
The visitors claimed only three safeties off Dan Gowan and he cut off another pair on grabs of hot rebounders. A Don Sabourin single in the seventh, his second, was the lone Alliston baserunner from among the last 14 batters. Gowan allowed four walks in the early innings and claimed one strikeout.
Creemore didn’t do much hitting, either. Barry Corby and Terry Gowan singled in succession at the start of their fourth batting and two following Alliston errors produced the tying and go-ahead runs.
Those two hits [comprised] the Creemore total, both off Larry Halbert who worked five innings. Barry Orser went one. A third run came in the fifth on a pair of walks, advance on a fly and delayed steal engineered by Mike Kinghan, on the front end, and Brent Millsap.
Kinghan is a returnee to the local line-up after service with Stayner and Owen Sound. Also returning after an absence is Brian Gurnhill and a district newcomer is Brian Dickey. Others in this category are Bob MacLeod, Steve Mattice and a couple of other ex-Midgets.
Champions Beaten
Stayner helped the champion Clarksburg Blue open the new season at home on Sunday and the visitors spoiled it with a 4-2 win.
Glenn Carrutthers pitched six innings for the visitors and allowed the homesters only three hits. He struck out five, passed three. Rick Zeggil twirled the last frame.
The winners collected six hits off Hank McAteer and Bob Lee. Tim Newlove was the leader with two hits and drove in a pair of runs.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 19, 1982
Tourney set for Lisle park
The annual Victoria holiday baseball tournament at Lisle will have its second outing at the Ross Houston Memorial Park that was opened last season. It was and is a distinct credit to the community that did a great deal to put it all together, and to the financial support of Tosorontio Township.
The need for a new playing field and playground became urgent with reclaiming of borrowed property by the Dept. of National Defence. Choice of the name of Ross Houston was a fitting one, in memory of a long-time village resident and sports [supporter].
This season’s tournament will be a two-day affair and involve 10 Dufferin League teams. Play opens at 10 a.m. on Sunday and will continue to 7. Monday play starts at 9 and will again go to 7 or beyond. A consolation final will start at 4:30, the championship final at 6.
The park’s refreshment booth will be in operation both days and as a small-tot divertisement there are swings and teeters. A single admission of $2 for the day is required for adults while children under 12 are admitted free.
A line-up of the Sunday schedule appears elsewhere in today’s Star. Teams involved are Creemore, New Lowell, Lisle, Mansfield, Stayner, Everett, Ivy, Alliston, Clarksburg and Orangeville.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. May 19, 1982
Stayner keeps winning in Dufferin play
The Dufferin Baseball League was on a reduced play schedule last week but only one game had interference by weather. That was a Tuesday rain-out at Alliston but only one so-affected despite widespread showers.
Clarksburg tournament took three days out of the league play but had to contend with a Saturday wash-out. Most of the schedule was completed Sunday but they’ll need a Sunday date this week to conclude the series with two games.
Five games were played in the Dufferin loop from Wednesday to Monday and the standing change had Orangeville and New Lowell move up a notch and Creemore fall by two.
At the top of the heap Stayner boosted their edge with a 4-0 win over Creemore while Lisle fell off the pace somewhat with a 5-2 loss at home to New Lowell. Alliston was a single-game winner by 12-0 at Everett and kept third place.
Orangeville grabbed a 4-1 win in Creemore on Wednesday to end a three-game losing string after five successes to open the season. The Orangeville team had 12 points as has New Lowell but has played one game less.
Creemore, with two losses, one a 4-0 decision to Stayner Monday, fell from fourth to sixth. There they are only one point up on Ivy who had a 5-4 win over Mansfield.
The lower echelon didn’t make any changes, Everett and Mansfield both losing, Hornings Mills and Clarksburg not playing. Three of them have four points each and Clarksburg, last year’s playoff champs, trail with three.
Barons Lose Pair
Creemore Barons suffered two losses last week, both at home. On Wednesday it was 4-1 to Orangeville and Monday was a near repeat, 4-0 to Stayner.
The locals gleaned only four hits off Stayner’s Rick Zeggil on Monday and two of those came in the seventh and last inning. He marked up six strikeouts.
A homer by Mike Calvert opened the scoring and the Stayner team added another run that same second frame. They plated two more in the seventh, set up by some heads-up baserunning.
Steve Pilkey had three Stayner hits and Tim Dickey a pair. The winners collected 10 off Creemore’s Terry Gowan. The latter and Lloyd Micks had hits in the seventh to go with a walk to no avail. Rick Gowan and Barry Corby had hit eariler.
The Orangeville win was a pitching victory for Helmut Routenburg over Creemore’s Dan Gowan. The former doled out five hits and the visitors collected seven.
Lisle Upset At Home
Bill Patton’s young New Lowell team moved into Lisle last Wednesday and upset the co-leaders at that time, 5-2. They got top-grade pitching from veteran Wayne Lightheart who claimed nine strikeouts on a four-hitter.
Lightheart drove home two runs with a fifth-inning double. Dave Duff had two New Lowell hits and others went to Rob Hubbert, Andy VanderHeyden and Pete Lamers. The Lisle hits went to Tom Anderson, Dave Sampson, Mark Johnson and Andre Corriveau.
Ross McCauge did the pitching for Lisle who trailed after two-run New Lowell fourth.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. June 23, 1982
Mansfield tourney for July 1st
The Clarksburg baseball tournament was concluded on Saturday, six days later than the date originally planned. A Saturday rain-out had disrupted the three-day event of June 18-20 and forced a finish on Saturday.
That produced two Stayner wins and the tournament champions. A semi-final score was Stayner 5, Mansfield 4 and in the final game it was Stayner 8, Lisle 2.
Completed during the scheduled date was the consolation championship which went to Creemore on a 4-0 score over Sudbury Waldens.
Next tournament baseball play comes up tomorrow, Canada Day, at Mansfield. There’ll be 12 Dufferin League teams taking part in a two-section event. The leaders of each division will meet at 7 p.m. for top honours of the day.
Play opens Thursday at 9 with Alliston meeting Everett followed by Mansfield and Lisle at 10:30, Clarksburg and Alliston, 12, Hornings Mills and Lisle, 1:30, Everett and Clarksburg, 3, Mansfield and Hornings Mills, 4:30.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. June 30, 1982
Tourney win to Clarksburg
Clarksburg Blues, 1981 Dufferin baseball champs but far off the pace through this season, were winners of the annual Dominion Day tournament at Mansfield on Thursday. They were 4-3 winners over Lisle in the showdown game.
In losing on a pair of late-inning doubles, Lisle saw their string of four successive titles there stopped. Clarksburg’s final batting was opened with a pinch double by Ron Lennox off John Johsnon Jr. and the winning blow was claimed off Perry Anderson. McAteer and Ley pitched for the winners.
Ley, who beat Alliston 2-1, was selected the tourney’s most valuable player, John Johnson Jr. and Sr. also receiving consideration. The elder Johnson was the day’s top hitter with four in five turns. Paul Greer was four in seven tries.
Scores during the day had Alliston 5 Everett 3, Lisle 7 Mansfield 4, Clarksburg 2 Alliston 1, Lisle 1 Hornings Mills 0, Clarksburg 5 Everett 4, Hornings Mills 7 Mansfield 0. The two division leaders, Clarksburg and Lisle, qualified for the final.
Home runs during the day-long event played in ideal weather were hit by Brent Bailey of Alliston, Rockey Nimigeon and Paul Greer of Lisle and Wayne Flear of Hornings Mills.
Preceding the final game a softball exhibition was played between ladies’ teams of Rosemont and Honeywood. It ended in a 9-9 tie.
During the closing hour several lucky draws were held, including a $100 prize for Ruth Shacklady of Mansfield. $10 awards went to Joyce Henry of Arthur; Grant Drury, Lisle; Janet Pendleton and Wayne Murphy, Mansfield; Norma Varcoe, Alliston. Wintario ticket books went to Marlene Denny, Angus; Robt. Barber, Beb Anderson and Doug Murphy, Mansfield; Orville Marshall, Orangeville.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 7, 1982
Tourney play takes over
There was plenty of baseball tournament action in this areas last week and some quite a bit farther away. And there was at least one upset.
That would have to be at Mansfield on Thursday in the annual Dominion Day affair. Clarksburg, near the bottom of the Dufferin ladder despite champion status, took a couple of key low-score games to take the honours. They were 2-1 over Alliston and 4-3 in the final with Lisle. For the latter it was a first failure to cap the Mansfield event in five seasons.
Bill Patton and his band of New Lowell Knights went to Ottawa on a weekend sojourn but lose one day to weather and two baseball games. Their first was a 1-0 heartbreaker to Nepean which has Willy Beelen as playing coach. Dan Robinson was the tough-luck pitcher. New Lowell went packing with an 8-2 loss to Brockville.
Ivy Leafs staged a six-team invitational tourney and were able to win it but only after a terrific 6-5 tussle with Stayner. Wayne Rowe homered for Ivy and Bill Calvert did likewise for Stayner, his second of the day.
Barrie also had an eight-team event that saw Leaside Leafs come out on top and collect a $1000 prize.
Good weather favoured all three tourneys in this area, the only disruptive one coming at Ottawa where so many things seem to be in a disruptive state.
********
Lisle Astros problems in the Dufferin Baseball League were enlarged a great deal on Wednesday when they lost ace performer Tom Anderson to an appendectomy. His good bat, glove and running ability may be on the shelf for a month or more.
********
Special baseball action this Sunday takes place at Lisle where that community will host the annual Dufferin League all-star game. It will be a North-South affair starting at 2.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 7, 1982
Dufferin all-stars at Lisle
The North Dufferin Baseball League is staging its annual all-star game this Sunday with Lisle, and its new park, as host. Game time is 2 p.m. at the Ross Houston Memorial Park.
It will be a North-South affair with players from Stayner, Creemore, Lisle, New Lowell, Clarksburg and Hornings Mills comprising the North. Allsiton, Orangeville, Mansfield, Ivy and Everett players will make up the South.
The North-South system started in 1973 and North run up five wins and again last year with three South victories in between. For 10 times prior to 1973 the stars played the previous champion and were winners seven times.
Here are the team selections, some notable [exceptions] being noted because of unavailability.
NORTH: Stayner – Carruthers, Zeggil, B. Calvert, Switzer, Pilkey, Walker, Newlove, Dickey, Johson; Lisle – Dundas, Greer, Sampson, M. Johnson; Creemore – Dickey, Grieveson; New Lowell – Ron Hubbert, Lightheart; Clarksburg – Dinsmore, B. Lennox; Hornings Mills – Wood, Ritchie, B. Looby; Coaches – P. Carruthes, C. Gowan, G. Dunn.
SOUTH: Alliston – Halbert, Darling, Dennis, P. Doner, Sabourin, Bailey; Mansfield – Knicely, T. Shacklady, Maes, L. Pendleton; Everett – Cunningham, Forester, O. Jenkins; Ivy – Patton, Speers, Applegate, Shewell; Orangeville – Vincer, Salomom, Bailey, Grant; Coaches – D. Doner, M. Hillman, M. Dana.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 7, 1982
South wins Dufferin all-star game
The Dufferin Baseball League staged its 20th annual all-star game at Lisle on Sunday before about 150 fans. The South was a 5-4 winner with North making it close on a three-run final stand.
For the South it was a fourth win in 10 such engagements since the N-S confrontation started in 1973. North had fun of five wins before South responded with three in a row. North won last year. Previously the league all-stars played the preceding champs and in 10 tries the all-stars were winners seven times.
The winning South side had players from Mansfield, Orangeville, Ivy, Alliston and Everett, only two of them in the league’s top half. The North had no less than nine Stayner players and lesser numbers from Creemore, Clarksburg, Hornings Mills, Lisle and New Lowell.
Each team scored once in the first times at the plate and it wasn’t until the fifth that South could count again to hold a 2-1 edge. North defences helped them to three runs and a 5-1 lead in the seventh.
Then in the ninth North erupted for three line-drive hits which, with a wild pitch and error, added up to three runs. Pitching victim was Marc Vincer of Orangeville who had pitched a tough six innings the night before.
Other South pitchers were Chris Darling, Dan Nicely and Larry Halbert. Working two frames each for the North were Len Carruthers, Steve Woods, Rick Zeggil and Dan Gowan, Wayne Lightheart finished.
Zeggil was the only batter to collect two hits. Other North safeties went to Bill Lennox, Doug Dundas, Tim Dickey, Dan Gowan and Barry Looby. The six South hits went to Steve Soloman, Roger Maes, Greg Applegate, Marc Vincer, Chris Darling and Don Sabourin.
Selected as the most valuable players to their team were Roger Maes of South and Rick Zeggil of North.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS in the 20th annual Dufferin Baseball League all-star game at Lisle on Sunday were designated as this pair, Roger Maes, left, Mansfield, and Rick Zeggil, Stayner. The South team of Maes was a 5-4 winner for a fourth time in 10 years under a divisional set-up. For 10 years earlier it was an all-star team playing the previous champions and under that plane it was the stars who had a 7-3 edge.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 14, 1982
North Dufferin Stars drub Simcoe team 10-1
Dufferin Stars used that home run and strong pitching to hand the Simcoe Stars a 10-1 pasting at New Lowell on Sunday. It was the second Dufferin-Simcoe challenge game and evened the set at one each.
The Dufferin loop brook in front on a two-run homer by Rick Gowan and Paul Greer plated four on a centre-field smash that was almost caught. Gowan’s base-loaded walk had counted the game’s third run just prior to Greer’s hit.
A walk to Bill Switzer, steal of second and hit by Ralph Scandlen got a Simcoe run in the seventh.
The Dufferin loop added another run on a Tom Anderson double with a Dave Speers homer following.
Jim Halliday and Perry Anderson divided the Dufferin pitching with three working for Doug Howard’s shorthanded Simcoe crew.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. July 30, 1982
Dufferin League and OBA vie for play dates
There’ll be playoff baseball on four fronts this weekend but nobody knows exactly who, where and when. Some Dufferin League games were played last week and a tentative final standing was to be confirmed at a league meeting Wednesday.
That’s when they’ll look at the Tuesday results and set up the playing pairs, each in a best of five set.
One sure match-up has Stayner taking on Clarksburg, the 1-8 combination. And strangely enough these two teams are OBA opponents so will have a dual series going or, more likely, a delay of Dufferin action. New Lowell will also be involved in OBA action, certainly Saturday and Sunday this week.
Alliston is very likely to finish second and if that is the case they’ll match up with Lisle. Creemore had a Tuesday game in Alliston and a win could set up an argument for second spot.
If Creemore stays at third they’ll get New Lowell in a neighbour series that produced a second-round cliffhanger last year. The other playoff pairing would have Orangeville tangle with Ivy.
Barons Win Two
Creemore Barons were 7-3 winners at Mansfield on Wednesday, a result that knocked the home team into the playoff ashcan. The visitors jumped into a four-run lead in their first turn and it was close at 5-3 after four innings.
The Barons added a pair in the seventh, both scoring on a Brain Dickey hit, his second of the night. His double in the first plated two after Terry Gowan had opened the scoring with a two-run homer.
Other Creemore hits went to Mike Kinghan, Rick Gowan, Barry Corby, Bud Grieveson and Bob MacLeod. Wayne Middleton had two for the losers, others going to Terry Shacklady, Roger Maes and Phil McKee. Greg McKee picked up four walks as an offensive contribution.
Rick Gowan put together a five-hit pitching effort for the winners, Dave Knicley and Wayne Middleton working for the losers.
A Saturday game had New Lowell visiting Creemore in a make-up game and suffering a 3-2 loss. It was a late-inning turn-around, a second such set-back in successive nights.
Rob Hubbert had a 2-1 lead going into Creemore’s sixth turn when a hit batsman and pair of safeties added up to two Creemore runs and a first-time 3-2 lead. Rick Coker and Bud Grieveson clicked for the late-hits and Terry Gowan contributed a homer earlier.
Terry Gowan also had a single and Brian Gurnhill chipped in with a pair and Rick Gowan a single. Paul Walker had two hits for the visitors and singles went to Dave Duff and Pete Lennox.
Mike Knighan was a five-hit winning pitcher and Rob Hubbert the loser.
On Friday at New Lowell the homesters saw a 1-0 lead disappear in a seventh-inning Mansfield splurge of three runs. Roger Maes chipped in with a two-run shot and Kevin Greer followed with another.
The two homers spoiled a six-inning runless skein for pitcher Dan Robinson. Andy VanderHeyden was the finisher. Murray Chandler pitched for the winners in a seasonal wind-up game that left them short of playoff status.
Hornings Mills was a 2-1 loser to Orangeville on Friday and came to Creemore Monday with a short-handed line-up. The resulting default and exhibition game was a nothing thing all the way.
Other games last week had Alliston trounce Clarksburg 12-0, Ivy win 5-0 at Orangeville and 4-0 over Clarksburg. Stayner handed Orangeville a 15-0 pasting.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Aug. 11, 1982
Stayner cops first Dufferin League title
The Dufferin Baseball League season came to a conclusion on Sunday, finishing on a three-game weekend and 4-2 edge for Stayner in the best-of-seven set. It was their first championship after several seasons at or near the top of the heap only to hit playoff oblivion.
This season was a complete one for Paul Carruthers’ crew – first place by a comfortable margin, and Ontario Senior D title and the finisher of a Dufferin League championship.
Creemore Barons had evened the series at 2-2 with a 5-4 win in 10 innings on Saturday. Again Terry Gowan to the fore in a pitching way and also contributing with his bat.
His two-run homer got the Barons even in the fourth after Stayner had plated two in the very first inning. In doing so they clouted out four hits and a cut-down out at the plate kept them in the game.
A Ron MacDonald double added another Creemore run in their fourth and a 3-2 lead which they increased with another tally in the fifth on a Barry Corby hit, sacrifice and error.
A two-run homer by Tim Newlove got Stayner even in the seventh, his clout following Bill Calvert'’ single. A Rick Zeggil double and intentional walk kept that threat going but an infield-out finished it.
Through three extra innings there were few threats until Rick Gowan collected an infrequent hit to open the 10th. A walk to Terry Gowan moved him to second from where he scored on a Mike Westbrooke single.
Stayner collected nine hits off Gowan who was gaining his third playoff win to go with a 0-0 tie and single 3-2 loss. He claimed six strikeouts and passed four. Tim Newlove was stingy in a Stayner pitching chore on six hits, eight strikeouts and seven walks.
Double Win
Sunday’s two-game finisher was a Rick Zeggil show as he twirled 6-0 and 7-0 shutouts, getting staked to early leads in both instances. His first effort was a four-hitter on nine strikeouts and only two passes. His second was just as neat – two hits, eight strikeouts and three passes. To top off the day Zeggil clouted a two-run homer.
Rick Coker did Creemore’s pitching in Sunday’s first game and did an effective five-hit job. Three of Stayner’s runs came in their first turn when they collected three hits. Two runs came home after a pair of walks and dropped fly ball in the fourth.
Jim Halliday had two hits for the winners, the others going to Calvert, Newlove and Switzer. Creemore’s four were divided among Rick Gowan, Terry Gowan, Coker and Kinghan.
The clinching game was a decisive one at 7-0 with youthful Dan Gowan absorbing a 12-hit onslaught by the champs-to-be. Bill Calvert led the way with four safeties and Bill Switzer chipped in with three as did Tim New love. Pitcher Zeggil contributed two safeties, one a two-run homer.
A Bobby Sinclair infield hit in the fifth was the first off Zeggil and Lloyd Micks looped another in the seventh. Although Creemore left five runners, none got beyond second base.
[STROTHERS] TROPHY as Dufferin Baseball League playoff winners goes for a first time to Stayner and is held here by catcher Bill Calvert after presentation by Bill Patton, league president. At right is Rick Zeggil who turned in a glittering iron-man pitching chore, of two shutouts in Sunday’s finale. A Creemore comeback had tied the series at 2-2 prior to that point.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Sept 29, 1982
Stayner Photo
DOUBLE CHAMPS for 1982 is this team of Stayner Legionaires whose home base for the past five seasons has been Creemore Park. They won the Ontario Senior D championship over Wallaceburg and the North Dufferin Baseball League over Creemore, finishing the seasonal race on a 21-1-1 note. Next season the team is likely to be playing at a new field in Stayner and their exploits will be missed locally. Team members here, are, front, from left: Jeff Fathers, Rick Walker, Jim Halliday, Scott Johnson, Glenn Carruthers, Steve Hare, Gerry Beelen, rear: Coach Paul Carruthers, Mike Calvert, Steve Pilkey, Rick Zeggil, Brain Coker, Bill Switzer, Bill Calvert, Tom Scott, Tim Newlove, Coach Gord Forester. Absent: Tim Dickey, Don Zeggil and John Glenn.
- The Creemore Star, Wed. Oct 6, 1982
| |
|
