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Canadian Blood Services BLOOD DONOR CLINIC
CHRIS BABKIRK
WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY,AUGUST MAY 125
1-7 1-7 pm by PM appt only Grovedale ArtsLebanese & Culture Centre, Leamington Club 103447 Park Hwy St., Kingsville 77 BY APPOINTMENT ONLY Call 188-2-DONATE Visitorblood.ca to register visit blood.ca
390 Talbot St. N. Essex
519-776-6447
chrisbabkirk@kenknappford.com
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Southpoint Sun - 19
Looking back at sports in May 1963 This week’s flashbacks come from May, 1963. Minor hockey wind-up The Leamington District Minor Hockey Association held their annual wind-up banquet on Thursday at the arena. About 35 trophies were presented and hundreds of young hockey players feasted on a meal of ham, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, chocolate milk and ice cream. Minor hockey president Larry McDonald, presided over the banquet, with four local players honoured with Robin Hood Flour Awards for skill, sportsmanship and citizenship. They were Rick Lee, Larry Dick, Morris Elsley and Frank Salive. Barons facing player shortage The Leamington Barons will begin their 1963 baseball season this weekend, with the line-up still not being fully set. Veteran outfielder Don Simpson has been named manager and he has inherted a lack of manpower. Jerry Brooks and Eric McKenzie handled last year’s squad, but MacKenzie has taken a job in Petrolia and Brooks is running the local minor baseball association. In addition, first baseman Ed Gillanders has retired from the game and shortstop Danny Wigle has moved to Kingston. Catcher Larry Liebrock has joined the Navy. Southpaw pitcher Bob Derbyshire is back, but John Kinik may not be available. John McIntyre, Bob Penner and Larry Haggitt should all graduate from the Junior squad. In the outfield, Joe Kapinya and Art Verhaeghe are back, along with Simpson, but Butch Harris is doubtful. Iggy Arner will be back to anchor third base. Max Riediger, Albert Jenkins and Ray Brackebury should also return. Lots of anglers but few smelt About 20,000 smelt fishermen lined the beaches of Point Pelee over the weekend in quest of Lake Erie’s elusive smelt. Although the peak of the smelt run is upon us, the fishermen netted relatively few fish. For a time, the traffic was bumper-to-bumper from the gates to the tip and filled all available parking spots at the tip. Juveniles set to play ball The Leamington I.O.O.F. Juveniles are set to take the field under the guidance of manager Don Nicholson. Doug Lambier is helping Don with the club this year. Eighteen players have shown up for the three practices so far. There are currently only three teams in the league as Woodslee has pulled out, leaving only Leamington, Tilbury and Merlin. In other baseball news, Bill Manery will coach the Bantam team, while Roger Beaupre will handle the Peewees. The Squirt team will be guided once again by Neil Quick.
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By C. Scott Holland The formation of a baseball team in Leamington goes back to the late 1800s when some of its male citizen’s played an occasional exhibition game against another town’s team. But there were no leagues or development system. Some of the earliest recorded games date from 1891. However, any type of organized league play did not happen until circa 1908. The high school had a team that often played but, until 1908, there was no formal summer league. Teams from Ruthven, Kingsville, Essex, Tilbury and one from South Windsor, helped initiate inter-county play. Rivalries were developed, despite only a few contests being played. Nevertheless, the league thrived until WWI arrived and
Get up to
many of those young men joined a branch of armed services and went overseas. The uniforms and equipment were different from what is used today, but the fundamentals of the game were there. Of course all contests were played in the afternoon or early evening hours before dusk, until the advent of lighted fields came in the 1930s. For those early pioneers, spirited crowds were a large part of every game. Yet despite that first league’s demise, post WWI saw its resurgence and the newly formed Essex County Baseball League would rise. The players’ names have been lost over time but junior and senior baseball has thrived in Leamington during the past century and to those original organizers
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BACK
519-325-0189
Diamonds were Leamington’s first baseball team
12o
$ 189 Talbot St. W. Leamington
The 1912 Leamington Diamonds were a forerunner of later Leamington Junior and Senior baseball teams like the Cardinals and Barons. Photo courtesy of the Scott Holland Collection
and the young men who played, we owe a tip of
the cap.
Tatomir invited to play in Ontario championship LEAMINGTON — Young Ethan Tatomir of Leamington, recently received the good news that he’s been chosen to compete in the 2021 Ontario Bantam (U15) Championship at Lakeridge Links Golf Course near Whitby. The invite was issued by Golf Ontario and the tournament is scheduled to be held August 10-11, 2021. Last year, he was the only 13-year-old to make the cut with the Jamieson Junior Golf Tour. He golfs out of Erie Shores Golf and Country Club. Ethan is the son of Rob-
+ 250
ert and Kattie Tatomir, of Leamington.
Ethan Tatomir at last year’s Jamieson Golf Tour stop at Erie Shores. Photo from Jamieson Golf Tour
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