1919 Tournaments / Exhibitions     

(May 24) Aberdeen and Craik split the top prize at the Hanley Tournament on Saturday. In the final, the teams battled to a draw until darkness fell and the teams agreed to divide first and second monies. Johnny Nalaway and Widener, both who played with the Regina Senators in their series earlier, were the battery for Aberdeen. On Friday, at Penzance, Nalaway fanned 17 allowing just two hits for a shutout.



(June 4)  Dundurn, with a formidable lineup, won top honours in the Delisle Sports Day Tournament notching three straight wins.

Stellar hurling by Naegell, formerly of the Regina Senators, and "Chief" Hanson was mainly responsible for the victories.  Catcher Billy Widener was in rare form and did not allow a stolen base in the three games.

Dundurn Defeated Macrorie 13-1, Langham 1-0 and Vanscoy 6-2.  Vanscoy had beaten Perdue 3-0.

Joe Collins of the Saskatoon Quakers suited up with Langham and hooked up in a pitchers' battle with Chief Hanson and was on the short end of the 1-0 score.  Hanson tossed 11 innings of scoreless ball in the tournament.


(July 1)   Barons captured top money at the Carmangay Dominion Day Tournament downing the host club 8 to 3 in the final behind the solid hurling of Phil Hovey.  Barons earlier defeated Claresholm 12 to 8.  George Moore led the winners with three long wallops.

Hovey (W) and xxx
Skinner (L), Naffer (1) and xxx


(July 8)   Six teams competed in the Melville Dominion Day Tournament Tuesday. Thousands attended the events until a hailstorm, one of the worst ever witnessed broke out about 8:30 and halted the final midway through the third inning with Oak Hill leading Yorkton 7-1 . Earlier, Yorkton edged Lemberg 8-7, Oak Hill trounced Melville 11-1, Yorkton downed Melville 7-5.


(July 14)  Dundurn was victorious in its home tournament defeating Viscount and a combined team of Allan and Penzance.  About 700 people attended.  For Dundurn, the team registered its sixth straight victory.

(July 15)  Ralph “Lefty” Miller pitched back-to-back  no-hit, no-run games in one afternoon as hosting Penzance, Saskatchewan, won their own tournament, a seven-team competition.

In a remarkable pitching performance, Miller blanked Imperial 4-0 in a preliminary contest then shutout a powerful Dundurn nine 5-0 in the final, allowing not a single hit.  It was Dundurn's first loss since Lefty Buckles and four others left the Moose Jaw team of the Western Canada League to play with Dundurn. 

Miller allowed just one man to reach second base in the Imperial game and no one got beyond first in the second.

Penzance remains in the lead in the Long Lake League standings. Miller had pitched earlier in the season with the Regina Senators.

[Miller would go on to get a "cup of coffee" in the major leagues in 1921 with the Washington Senators, when he pitched one perfect inning. His brother Bing Miller was a star outfielder with the team.]


(July 15)   Carmangay Tournament.  Barons won the Southern Alberta League Tournament at Carmangay Tuesday edging Champion 5-4 in ten innings in a thrilling tourney final. In the extra frame Josh Moore drew a 12-pitch walk off Lester Haynes and promptly stole second. Frank Juney, who had four hits, followed with a single to bring in the winning run.  Barons had taken a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on Juney's single, Oscar Berg's triple and an infield out.  Champion rebounded with three in the fifth on hits by Burroughs and Buckley and two Barons' errors.  Barons regained the lead in their half of the fifth on Juney's safety, Berg's second three-bagger and Dick Nelson's long fly to left field. In the sixth, Champion tied the count as Haynes smacked a triple and Charlie Starr brought him home with a single.  It was viewed as the finest game of the season.

Hovey (W) and Williams
Haynes (L) and Grady

Champion reached the final downing Carmangay 7-6. Champion tied the score with a run in the sixth and got the winner in the seventh. Lester Haynes relieved starter Si Siler in the sixth and pitched shutout ball the rest of the way for the victory. The game featured 23 hits, 12 by the losers.

Siler, Haynes (W) (6) and Grady
Webb (L) and Jensen

Barons broke up a tight game with four runs in the ninth inning to dump Claresholm 8-3 in the first game of the tournament.  They opened up an early 4-0 lead before Claresholm battled back with singletons in the fourth, seventh and eighth to make it a one-run game. Barons rapped out 16 hits including a triple by Luke Glaven and two-baggers by Dick Nelson and Nick Williams. Ted Easterly bagged a triple for Claresholm. Frank Juney scattered ten hits and fanned eleven in going the route for Barons.

Juney (W) and Williams
Young, Myers and Easterly.


(July 16-17) Vanscoy captured top money in the North Battleford Tournament, downing Kerrobert in the final.

The final was the best game of the event. Trailing 1-0, Vanscoy plated a pair of runs in the fourth inning to down Kerrobert 2-1. Hoane yielded just two hits in going the route for the mound victory. He escaped a bases-loaded, one out, situation by fanning the next two. It was his only danger point in the ball game. He also figured in a double-play, making a one-hand grab for the first out.

They reached the championship game with a runaway victory over Turtleford. Vanscoy erupted for nine runs in the first inning and added on nine more in the 20-3 triumph. Thomas struck out nine in gaining the pitching win. Deane had a big day at the dish, with a two-run homer among his blows.

Kerrobert got a run in the top of the third and made it stand up for a 1-0 decision over North Battleford to reach the championship game.. Lesher got the shutout for Kerrobert over Enright for the host team.

On opening day, Denholm overcame a four-run first inning by Langham to score a 5-4 victory. Three singles and a two-bagger in that initial frame helped Langham get off to a great start. But, Denholm responded with two in their half of the first, two more in the third and another in the fifth for the victory. Crozier, settled down after that rough first inning and pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way for the mound triumph. Deere took the loss.

In another tight game, Kerrorbert slipped by Maymont 5-4. Fisher notched the pitching win. Reid cracked a homer for Maymont.

the host team, got off to a good start as North Battleford edged Unity 2-1 with all the scoring in the first two innings. Hawley of North Battleford gave up a run in the first then pitched shutout ball the rest of the way. White was nearly as good, allowing the two runs to the hosts in the second, then throwing blanks the remainder of the game.

Playing with a heavy wind marring proceedings Vanscoy dumped Nolan 9-2. A six-run fifth inning proved to be the difference. Buggs had little difficulty in going the distance on the hill for Vanscoy.

White recorded 16 strikeouts in handling the pitching duties for the winners. Hawley, also pitched well for North Battleford, but had poor support in the field

A five-run first inning propelled Vanscoy to a 7-3 win over Denholm. Thompson did the hurling for the winners.

In an exhibition game, Unity topped the host, North Battleford nine, 6-2.

Denholm finished third in the tournament, North Battleford fourth and Nolan fifth. Reid of Maymont, won a hat for hitting the first home run of the event.


(July 19)  Champion Tournament   Barons pounded out 15 hits off two of the best amateur hurlers in the province Saturday to whip Champion 7-1 to win the Champion Tournament.  Oscar Berg, who had three hits in the first game, smacked four more and Wiggins cracked three, one of them a home run, as Barons lit up Lester Haynes and Si Siler.  Champion got an early sign this was not to be their day as leadoff hitter Powers slugged the first pitch for a homer. In the third frame, Wiggins got his circuit blow and the Barons added another in the fourth on hits by George Moore, Frank Juney and BergNick Williams cracked a three-bagger to plate a run in the fifth and hits by Berg and Hovey got a runner homer in the seventh. Wiggins drove in another marker in the ninth. The lone Champion run came on a homer by Charlie Starr who had three of the six hits allowed by winning pitcher Phil Hovey.

Hovey (W) and Williams
Haynes (L), Siler and Allen

Oscar Berg rapped three hits and scored three times and Wiggins and Baska added three hits apiece as Barons topped Claresholm 7-2 in the tournament opener.  Frank Juney fashioned a five hitter for the win.

Young (L) and Easterly
Juney (W) and Williams


(July 23)  Barons Tournament   Champion and Barons battled to a 3-3, 11-inning draw draw in an exciting finish to the Barons Tournament. Champion came to town loaded up with six of Vulcan's best players in a desperate attempt to grab top money in one of the league's tourneys, Barons having won at both Carmangay and Champion. Both teams sent their talented southpaws to the mound, Phil Hovey for Barons and "Pep" Williford for Champion. It was a pitchers' battle from start to finish until called after 11 innings because of darkness. Barons took the lead in the third inning as Nick Williams drove in Oscar Berg.  Champion was blanked until the ninth when Charlie Starr tied it with a homer. In the top of the 11th, Barons went ahead 3-1 on an error and hits by Hovey and Frank Juney. Champion roared back in the bottom of the frame when Starr slugged a triple and Buckley followed with a two-bagger. "Frisco" Edwards, who had four hits, then singled to score Buckley with the tying marker.  Barons hit machine, Oscar Berg, had three more safeties.

Hovey and Williams
Williford and Edwards

In the opening game of the tournament Champion downed Claresholm 4-1 as Si Siler twirled a six-hitter. Bert Knudson took the loss. Claresholm hurt itself making four errors.

Knudson (L) and Easterly
Siler (W) and Grady


(July 29  Claresholm Tournament    Claresholm, the host team, captured top money in the latest Southern Alberta League tournament.  Claresholm shaded Champion 7-6 in the final.

Knudson (W) and Easterly
Haynes (L) and Grady

Champion had beaten Barons 4-2 in the opener behind the sterling mound work of Si Siler.

Williams (L) and Jensen
Siler (W) and Grady


(August 1)    The hometown Unity squad won the Unity Tournament Friday defeating Kerrobert in the final. Unity had qualified for the final with a win over the amalgamated Scott-Wilkie team while Kerrobert topped Cut Knife.


Maple Creek tournament (August 15)   Maple Creek Tournament   American hurler Frank Juney put on a spectacular pitching display at Maple Creek Friday as the home squad won the Maple Creek tournament, a highlight of the Great War Veterans celebration. Juney, one of the imports from the Nick Williams All-Stars, pitched both games for Maple Creek, getting 4-0 and 8 to 0 shutouts over Swift Current and Leader tossing a no-hitter and racking up 42 strikeouts.

Juney fanned 24 in fashioning the no-hit, no-run game in the opener. Catcher Nick Williams provided enough for the victory with a home run in the fourth inning. "Tanlac" Hastings, McAllister, Earl Bell, McIlhinney and Juney distinished themselves with the stick. Roy Brown, the former Moose Jaw Robin Hood, took the loss.

Juney (W) and xxx
R.Brown (L) and xxx

In the tournament final, Juney allowed just two hits and set down 18 by stirkeouts for a day total of 42. Williams slugged another homer and Phil Hovey knocked out three hits.  Earl Bell, an import from Medicine Hat, started a five run rally in the second inning with a three-run homer. Hill got both hits for Leader. The games drew record crowds.

Juney (W) and xxx
xxx and xxx

In an afternoon game Leader defeated Gull Lake 11-1 in a contest far better than the one-sided score would indicate. 

* With much thanks to Philip Pype, Archivist at Medicine Hat's Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre for digging out the information from the Maple Creek paper.