The Nanaimo Pirates were the winners of the annual Chris Fenton Memorial U13 Tournament hosted by the Chemainus & District Baseball Association the weekend of May 17-19.
The Pirates joined the host Chemainus Cardinals, Ladysmith Phillies and Ladysmith Orioles, the Lake Cowichan Lakers, the Duncan Royals, Salt Spring Titans and Whalley Major Dodgers in the event.
“Whalley was a strong contender back in the 1990’s for the Fenton Tournament,” explained Victoria Mahon, vice president of the CDBA. “Since Chemainus changed to B.C. Minor Baseball in the early 2000’s, they hadn’t attended.
“We all know Whalley Little League from the Little League World Series, so there was much hype surrounding this particular team attending.”
Whalley ended up placing second, falling 10-9 to Nanaimo in a close affair.
The Pirates went up early in the final causing Whalley to dig deep, which they did. In fact, Whalley led for most of the game.
In the final innings, however, the Pirates made a push, and overtook the Major Dodgers to win 10-9. It was their first time winning the Fenton tournament.
The Duncan Royals were third.
“The boys played hard all weekend,” said Royals head coach Anthony Windsor. “The tourney was a huge success and I would like to thank all the volunteers and parents who made the weekend possible.”
The Royals lost a hard-fought opening game Friday night against the Ladysmith Phillies. The following afternoon they lost to the Nanaimo Prospects. Two wins gave them a 2-2 after round robin play.
“We were able to beat the Salt Spring Tritons Sunday morning sending us to the bronze medal game for a rematch against the Ladysmith Phillies,” Windsor said. “The boys came out hitting in the final game, made some great defensive plays and had great pitching for four innings from Gary McConchie. Blake Windsor then came in and shut the door for the final two innings allowing us a 15-9 victory Ladysmith.”
The Salt Spring Island Titans took home the Most Sportsmanlike Team award, as decided by the umpires.
The Fenton tournament goes back many years, as a tribute to former umpire Chris Fenton.
Up next for the CDBA, the Hop Wo Invitational U11 and the CDBA U18 tournaments next weekend May 31 to June 2.
Both events feature teams from throughout the Cowichan Valley.
During the events, the CDBA hosts a $5 pancake breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday starting at 7:30 a.m.
“Everything we earn from the three tournaments goes straight back into our program, so we encourage everyone in the community to come and support a great weekend of baseball,” Mahon said.
Games kick off at 4 p.m. Friday, May 31 with Chemainus Rockies, Duncan, and the Salt Spring Spitfires hosting teams from the South Island at the Chemainus ballpark.
