CARNDUFF - Every few years, Carnduff applies to host a provincial baseball championship.
They do this for a couple of reasons. Carnduff believes it has the facilities to host tournaments of this calibre, plus it causes the town to keep the facilities in good shape and up to date.
Carnduff last hosted provincials in 2018.
This year, Blair Beck, his wife Tara and rec director Jodie Wall successfully applied again. Carnduff was chosen to host two championships, 15U AA Tier 5 and 11U AA Tier 6.
Both tournaments took place July 15-17.
Seven teams participated in the older division. Three teams came from Saskatoon (the Braves, the Cardinal Destroyers and the Royals). The River Hawks came from Outlook, the Wolfpack travelled from Regina and the Eagles made the trip from Southey. The seventh team was the host Carnduff Astros.
An equal number of teams took part in the younger division. The Carlyle Cardinals, the Gravelbourg Lightning, the Grenfell Gems, the Lanigan Pirates, the Moosomin Rangers and the Wynyard Blues competed, along with the hometown team, the Carnduff Astros.
In the older age bracket, the hometown team won it all. They defeated the Southey Eagles 11-7 and now wear the title of provincial champs for the next year.
The Lightning from Gravelbourg were the champs of the 11U tournament, edging the Grenfell Gems by a score of 2-1. The host team came close, losing to the eventual champions in the semifinals.
The tournament was well-attended and accomplished its goals. Many attending the ball park complex were impressed that a smaller town could be home to such a place. The tournament also revealed the community’s support for baseball and the strength of its volunteers. There will be no more joking in Blair Beck’s home about being good enough to coach a runner-up team but not good enough to be a championship coach. Beck is the Carnduff U15’s coach and the Carnduff Minor Ball president.
Now the thinking process starts all over. When to apply again to host another provincial championship?
