PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island
Vancouver had an independent, semi-pro team, consisting of import talent, represent the city during the 1903 baseball season. Home games for the leagueless semi-pros were all exhibition matches and were held at the newly developed Fairview grounds against Pacific Northwest opposition, primarily from south of the border.
As well, a number of all-amateur clubs graced the diamonds of the city without a league but, finally came together in mid-July to form a five-team city amateur circuit. The homegrown talent teams originally hosted local and district opposition at both the Powell Street grounds and Brockton Point but, after their short-season loop was formed, concentrated solely upon the usage of the Powell Street facility.
Newspaper coverage was almost non-existent to scant for the homebrew nines and, although better for the semi-pros, lacked box scores with individual player statistics.
The two Island centres, Victoria and Nanaimo, also maintained entries in both levels of competition.
(July 12) A snippet from Victoria's Daily Colonist, looking ahead to the career of Hal Chase.
Away hence in the dim futurity, say about in 1954, when Chase shall have earned the repose which comes to septuagenarians, he will often close his eyes and lapse into a day-dream of the glory galore which came to him in the days when he was a sun among lesser orbs on the field of play. To the grand-children (for who does not wish that he will leave a numerous progeny to hand down his fame to future ages) who will cluster around his knees and hang on his shoulder, he will recite his marvelous feats on the diamond and arouse their speechless wonderment. He will have many exploits to narrate, and among them will be the story of a one-handed catch taken on the sprint, with two men out and two runners stampeding for the home plate, but whose cherished hopes of butting into the run column prove to be of the stuff of which dreams are made. (Daily Colonist, Victoria, July 12, 1903)
(August 12) In a game which produced 29 strikeouts, Elmer Emerson of Victoria fired a one-hitter with 18 strikeouts in blanking Port Angeles and former Victoria favourite Jimmy Holness who allowed eight hits and fanned 11. Rithet paced the Victoria squad with a pair of three-baggers and scored twice. Catcher Hal Chase had a pair of singles. Emerson, from Stanford University in California, had a no-hitter earlier in the season.
Holness (L) and Holbrook
Emerson (W) and Chase
BC INTERIOR
Game played Sunday, June 7, 1903
NELSON DEFEATED AT ROSSLAND
The Nelson and Rossland baseball teams met for their first game this season at Rossland on Sunday last. Judging from the reports that appeared in the Rossland Miner and the Evening World, the game was a trifle mixed from the start. The first wrangle was over the umpire. Captain Houston of the Nelson team had a heart- to-heart talk with Captain Gibson of the Rossland team, the former claiming that it was very necessary to have for umpire a man who was above suspicion. The latter, however, thought any old kind of an umpire would do and stood pat for a Rossland barber named Burken. Mr. Burken is a good barber, but the worst umpire in Kootenay. So poor an umpire is he that his own home team kick as much against his decisions as do the members of visiting teams. Captain Gibson is an old-time ball player, and he must know that a good ball game should only have the minimum of kicking against the umpire. The game was a close one, and at times marked with good plays. Nelson had a new pitcher in the box and he did good work. The score is below:
ROSSLAND
AB R BH PO A E
Holland, c ....... 5 2 2 12 5 1
Costello, p ...... 5 0 1 3 3 0
Vaughan, 2b ...... 4 2 1 2 2 1
Gibson, ss ....... 4 1 2 2 2 0
Shelton, 1b ...... 5 1 3 2 0 2
Leighton, lf ..... 4 0 1 2 0 1
Felion, 3b ....... 4 0 1 2 2 2
Harris, rf ....... 4 0 1 0 0 0
Sheer, cf ........ 4 0 1 1 1 0
__ __ __ __ __ __
Totals .......... 39 6 13 27 14 7
NELSON
AB R BH PO A E
Watson, p ........ 4 1 2 1 7 1
McIntyre, 1b ..... 5 1 2 8 0 2
Giegerich, cf .... 5 1 2 0 0 0
Mills, 2b ........ 5 0 0 0 1 0
Houston, ss ...... 5 1 5 2 0 1
Mallette, rf ..... 4 0 0 1 1 0
Whittett, c ...... 4 1 0 11 1 0
Eacrett, lf ...... 4 0 2 0 0 0
Neelands, 3b ..... 4 0 0 1 1 2
__ __ __ __ __ __
Totals .......... 40 5 13 24 11 6
SCORE BY INNINGS
Rossland ...... 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 – 6
Nelson ........ 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 – 5
SUMMARY
Two base hits, Gibson, Shelton, Felion, Eacrett.
Three base hits, Costello. Earned runs, Rossland 1.
Struck out, by Costello, 12; by Watson, 10. Wild
pitch, Costello. Balk, Watson 1. Base on balls, by
Costello 2; by Watson 1. Passed balls, Holland 2;
Whittett 3. Double plays, Felion to Gibson to
Costello to Vaughan; Watson to Houston. Time of
game, one hour and forty minutes. Umpire, Burken.
Scores, J.F. Statter.
Sunday, June 14/1903 - Nelson 9 @ Northport WA 11
Northport – Biglow OF, Bruner P/3B, Buckley 2B/SS, Lindsay OF, Neuman OF/2B, Nudell 3B/P, Phillips C, Taylor OF, Travis H. SS/2B, Travis R. 1B
Nelson – Allan SS, Bishop OF, Giegerich OF, Houston 2B, Mills D. OF, Mills W. P, Murphy 1B, Neelands 3B, Whittett C
Wednesday, July 1/1903 – Northport WA 8 @ Nelson 9
Northport – Biglow 2B, Bruner OF, Buckley SS, Lindsay OF, Neuman OF, Nudell 3B, Travis H. C, Travis R. 1B, Wilson P
Nelson – Eacritt 2B, Giegerich OF, Houston 3B, Mallett OF, McCreary C, McIntyre SS, Mills D. “Dad” OF, Mills W. “Billy” P, Whittett 1B