One thing was guaranteed when the finalists were determined in the Chris Fenton Memorial Tournament at the Chemainus Ball Park. The Dodgers were going to win.
But it was the Ladner Dodgers who prevailed over the Ladysmith Dodgers in the championship game of the Victoria Day long weekend tournament.
“It has not run since COVID,” said Benoit Marien, a Chemainus & District Baseball Association board member who served in the triple capacity of acting tournament director, organizer and umpire in chief. “It’s a tough age group to get teams, especially with COVID and everything.”
But after the call went out, there was enough interest to ensure the tournament could go ahead with a total of eight teams. There were three teams from Duncan – the White Sox, Twins and Jays – taking part along with Ladysmith’s Cardinals and Dodgers, Salt Spring Island, Lake Cowichan Lakers and Ladner in the Under 13 (peewee) age group.
“It was a fantastic tournament,” summed up Marien. “I really enjoyed it. Everybody who came had fun and the umpires did a great job.”
Ladner turned out to be a strong team, he added, and dominated to take first place.
The third place game “was a nail biter to the end,” said Marien.
It went to nine innings before the Duncan Twins prevailed over the Ladysmith Cardinals.
The teams started with a single game each Friday, May 19, two games each Saturday, May 20 and one more each Sunday, May 21. A point system was used to determine the finalists for the Sunday afternoon games, with the first and second place teams meeting for the title and the third and fourth place teams in the preliminary round battling for third overall.
Salt Spring Island was named the most sportsmanlike team.
Marien noted Lisa Taylor-Billwiller (assistant tournament director/organizer) and Ashley Ralph (concession manager) were also instrumental in making the event possible.
The Fenton tournament goes back many years, as a tribute to former umpire Chris Fenton, but has been put on hiatus a few times due to a lack of teams and during COVID.
Park patrons who chose to do so were treated to pancake breakfasts both mornings during the tournament for just $5 per plate.
The annual Larry Hopwo mosquito tournament is on deck at the Chemainus Ball Park for June 3-4.
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don.bodger@chemainusvalleycourier.ca
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