CFN – The road to the national junior baseball championship will travel through Cornwall.
Cornwall District Minor Baseball is hosting the 2012 Junior Ontario Provincials from July 23rd to July 28th at Lutt Bergeron Sr. Memorial Field in Legion Park.
The Cornwall Black Sox will carry the hometown colours as they compete against champion teams from various districts across Ontario, including Oakville, Thunder Bay, Windsor, Brockville, Orleans and East Nepean. The winning team will earn a trip to the Canadian championships in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Cornwall District Minor Baseball President Susan Poirier said the tournament will help to showcase Legion Park, the Cornwall Little League and the entire City. Over 100 out-of-town players and coaches will be taking part in the week-long event, not to mention parents and other supporters that are sure to be in attendance as well.
It will also be a great experience for the 13- and 14-year-olds on the Black Sox roster, who will get to compete in front of a hometown crowd.
“It’s exciting for all of the boys. They’ve never been in a tournament like this,” said Mrs. Poirier. “The teams will be phenomenal.”
The tournament kicks off with a banquet on July 23rd at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 297. The action gets underway the following day with the first game at 8:30 am, followed by the opening ceremonies at 11 am. The Black Sox will take to the field immediately afterwards for their first game of the tournament.
All of the games will be played at Lutt Bergeron Sr. Memorial Field in Legion Park, at the corner of Race and Marlborough Streets.
There will be four games a day on July 24th, 25th and 26th – at 8:30 am, 11:30 am, 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm daily – for the round robin portion of the tournament. For local fans looking to take in some of the action, Cornwall will play on July 24th at 11:30 am, July 25th at 11:30 am and July 26th at 5:30 pm.
Weather permitting, the semi-finals will be played on July 27th at 10 am and 2 pm, with the championship game slated for July 28th at 1 pm.
Residents are welcome to stop by and take in the opening ceremonies as well as the action on the field. A canteen will be open at Legion Park for the entire week of the tournament, and raffle prizes will also be up for grabs.
Officials have been busy planning for the event for several months now, and Mrs. Poirier said she’s been impressed with the support and sponsorships received within the community.
“It amazes me how people have come to the table to help out,” she added.
Cornwall last hosted the Junior Ontario Provincials in 2006, and there have been some great Little League success stories since then. In 2009, the Senior Black Sox won the provincial championships and went on to win the Canadian Little League Senior Baseball Championship in Saint John. The team generated a tremendous amount of community pride as they went on to represent Canada in the Senior League Baseball World Series in Bangor, Maine.
A TIP OF THE HAT to everyone involved in this great event & a special thanks to Susan Poirier for all the work she has done to make this event happen. A heads up to the Blacks Sox Players & their coaches & any other person involved with the Team including those support persons so necessary to this event. GOOD LUCK BLACK BLACK SOX
Congradulations to the executive of Cornwall Minor Baseball for sponsoring the “PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS”. These Championships allows Cornwall Minor Baseball to showcase “Legion Park” which they are so proud of and 150 out of town families will be spending a week here, in our beautiful City. Most of these teams have been here before, and Legion Park is a gem for them, as the diamonds are of a superior caliber, unmatched in the Province.
Thanks CFN (Jamie) for promoting this very exciting event ! Hope to see ya there !
GOOD LUCK BLACK SOX ………
Proud to see such pride still exists in our community! As a former Black Sox and River Rat I have one thing to say…….Have fun, enjoy the experience and although Winning is the Goal…this is your chance to show Ontario that Cornwall is classy!!!!
Good Luck Black Sox!
(UPDATE) Monday evening, July 23rd, 2012
Legion Branch 297, stood up to the plate again (pun) , and invited all the teams & families for a lovely dinner at the Branch. The players had a real treat, as a scout for the San Francisco Giants, was present and gave an incredible message about his love of base-ball. The real treat, was that he allowed his 2010 WORLD SERIES Chamionship ring, to be passed around the crowd, and most players, (adult’s also) had a picture taken with it on their hand ! For a base-ball fan, it was a real treat. Ray, drove in from Montreal, at no charge to Cornwall Minor Base-ball, a really class act.
Talking about class acts, the Manager of the Windsor team, won the 50/50 draw ($285.) and gave it back to Cornwall Minor ball executive President Susan. Poirier….
A great opening day, of the Provincials Championship at Legion Ball Park. Organizers kept to their schedule, like a well tuned Swiss watch ! Four games were played, all on time ! The local Black Sox team however, were not successful, they lost to the Orleans squad, in a well played match. The Sox suit up again tomorrow (wednesday at 11:00 A.M.
The opening ceremony, was really a nice touch, it was lead onto the field by a piper, color guard from the Legion, along with members of the Legion executive. The crowd gave the Legion a rousing show of appreciation, as we all know, that without them & other local service clubs, this facility would of never been built ! Thanks again Comrades. Then, one by one each team marched onto the field, a great showing.
Stay tuned for further updates…….