1931 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley
1931 BC Interior
1931 Vancouver Island
VICTORIA SENIOR AMATEUR LEAGUE
Victoria Senior Amateur Baseball Finals (best-of-five)
(August 17) Clouting the offerings of youthful Bill Holness to all corners of the lot, the Elks captured the Senior Amateur League championship of Victoria by downing the Eagles 12 to 2 in the fourth game of a five-game series. The Elks now move on to face the Vancouver Terminal League title holders, Begbie, Carter & White, in the first round of the provincial playoffs.
COMOX VALLEY TWILIGHT LEAGUE
1931 Final Standings P W L Pct.
Courtenay Busy Bees 12 9 3 .750
Royston Lumbermen 12 8 4 .667
Cumberland Athletics* 12 6 5 .545
Union Bay** 12 4 6 .400
Cumberland Eagles* 12 4 7 .363
Happy Valley 12 3 9 .250
* Cumberland Athletics & Cumberland Eagles both had a tie game with Union Bay
** Union Bay had two tie games
(May 03) In season-opening baseball action, the Courtenay Busy Bees trounced Cumberland Eagles 13-2 in an exhibition contest. A ten-run second inning put the game away early. Spit Quinn went six innings for the win.
Quinn (W), Laver (7) and Ducca
Stant, Howey, Coombs and Conrad
(May 17) The Comox & District Twilight League kicked off the regular schedule Sunday at the Recreation Ground with Royston getting the win, 10-6 over the Cumberland Eagles.
Cumberland Athletics took advantage of a porous Happy Valley defense to notch an easy 16-6 victory.
(May 24) Spit Quinn fired a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts as Courtenay dumped Union Bay 10-1 in a game called after six innings because of darkness. The visitors actually held the early lead, 1-0 after three frames before the Busy Bees brought out the heavy lumber scoring two in the fourth, and four in each of the fifth and sixth.
Marshall (L), Auchinvole (5) and xxx
Quinn (W) and xxx
(June 07) Cumberland blew a 10-0 lead Sunday in dropping a 13-12 decision to Royston Lumbermen who rallied with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning to score three for the win. During the game the fans and playersat Lewis Park stood for a period of silence in memory of Kishio Kaga, the brilliant Fanny Bay shortstop who died last Tuesday.
Westfield, T.Tobacco and xx
K.Doi, Doi and xxx
(June 11) Bill Stant smacked a two-run single in the final frame Thursday to give Cumberland Eagles a 6-4 victory over Happy Valley in action at the Recreation Ground.
(June 12) The Cumberland Islander published the latest stats for the Cumberland Athletics which showed Hill in the lead with a .434 average and Bill Dobson second with a .413 mark.
(June 14) Union Bay scored a pair in the first inning and held the lead all the way in downing Cumberland Athletics 6-3 Sunday at the Recreation Ground. Bill Marshall went the distance with 11 strikeouts for the win. Dud Gibson, who left in the sixth with an ankle injury, took the loss for the locals.
Marshall (W) and xxx
Gibson (L), T.Tobacco and xxx
(June 16) Cumberland Athletics broke open a tight contest with a four-run fifth inning en route to a 10-3 triumph over the Eagles in the rain Tuesday.
D.Stant, Coombs (5) and Conrod
T.Tobacco. Dobson (5) and Hill
(June 18) In a game suspended because of rain after just four innings, Royston outscored Happy Valley 9-4. Royston's eight-run second inning was the highlight. Newcomer Jack Hiyama hurled for the Lumbermen and "Jumbo" Rags took the hill for Happy Valley.
J. Hiyama and Doi
Jumbo Rags and Morgan
(June 26) At Lewis Park Friday, the Courtenay Busy Bees whipped a short-handed Royston nine 11-6 battering a pair of Royston hurlers for 13 hits, three by first sacker Dixon. A highlight of the contest was Reg Laver's bingle to the long grasses beyond first base. Usually a blow good for a single, Laver stretched it into a home run when the ball was lost in the grass. Spit Quinn scattered nine hits in going the route for the pitching win.
Tahara (L), C.Doi and D.Doi, Tadeo
Quinn (W) and McLeod
(July 01) Fred Stephens died after being struck over the heart by a fly ball during a Dominion Day game between the Courtenay Busy Bees and Union Bay. In spite of the attention of three attending physicians, Stephens died within ten minutes of being hit by the ball. The Bees outfielder made a running catch of the fly, catching it against his chest, and then running from his centre field post to a spot between second and third base. He dropped to the ground and efforts to revive him failed. His catch retired the last man in the eighth inning. Stephens was an all-around athlete and was well-known in the area.
(July 05) Attended by hundreds, the funeral of Fred Stephens took place at the family residence Sunday. Stephens died suddenly last Wednesday while playing ball for Courtenay. All baseball and basketball teams in the city acted as honorary pallbearers.
Royston Lumber 4 - 1
Courtenay Busy Bees 4 - 1
Cumberland Eagles 3 - 2
Cumberland Athletics 3 - 4
Union Bay 2 - 4
Happy Valley 1 - 5
(July 09) It took extra innings but Royston edged last-place Happy Valley 4-3 with T.Doi scoring the winner in the ninth. The game was supposed to be a seven-inning affair. Royston had just three hits off B. Carter while the losers collected five from winner hurler P.M. Tahara.
Tahara (W) and Kawagairte
B.Carter (L) and E.Lenine
(July 10) Bill McKee of Courtenay is the leading hitter in the Twilight League cracking the ball at a .532 clip in 24 at bats. Teammate Haley Dixon is tied with Bill Stant of the Cumberland Eagles for the runner-up slot with a.467 average. Henry Watson of the Athletics has compiled a .455 mark and Shig Kiyono of Royston sits at .429.
(July 12) Pitcher B.Carter won his own game with an extra inning, two-run double to give Happy Valley a 5-3 victory over the Busy Bees of Courtenay. Carter fanned the side in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the win. Harris and S.Hutton each had a pair of hits for the winners while losing hurler Spit Quinn led Courtenay with three safeties.
Quinn (L) and J.Ducca
Carter (W) and Pearse
(July 19) Cumberland Eagles used two big innings, a five-run third and a six-run fourth, to demolish Happy Valley 15-8. Bobby Conn belted a homer, his second of the season, for the Eagles.
(July 19) Royston came from behind with three late markers to edge Union Bay 6-5 after W. Peters had given the Bay boys the lead with a fifth inning homer. Ken Doi gave up nine hits but managed to go the route for the win.
K.Doi (W) and Kato
W.Marshall (L) and J.McKay
(July 23) Cumberland Athletics blew a 6-0 first inning lead then rallied for three in the seventh and final frame to edge the Eagles 9-8. Dan Bannerman's homer highlighted the A's big first frame.
(July 26) Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Courtenay's McLeod punched one to right field to plate two runs and give the Busy Bees a tight 2-1 triumph over Royston in a hard fought battle at Lewis Park.
Courtenay Busy Bees 6 - 2
Royston Lumber 7 - 3
Cumberland Eagles 4 - 5
Cumberland Athletics 4 - 5
Union Bay 4 - 5
Happy Valley 2 - 7
Final Playoff Series (best-of-five)
(August 16) The Courtenay Busy Bees whitewashed the all-Japanese Royston Lumbermen 11 to 0 to easily capture the opening tussle for the Comox Valley League crown. Reg Laver, with a home run and double, led the Bees’ bevy of extra-base blows. Bill McKee poled out a homer, Haley Dixon and McLeod triples and McNeil a two-bagger.
C. Doi (L), F. Doi and xxx
Quinn (W) and xxx
(August 19) Ably supported by his teammates, hurler Sutton of the Courtenay Busy Bees tossed a no-run, no-hit game, blanking the Royston Lumbermen 7 to 0 in the second playoff encounter between the two top finishers in the Comox Valley circuit.
Sutton (W) and xxx
xxx (L), xxx, xxx and xxx
(August 23) The Busy Bees of Courtenay completed a sweep of the Royston Lumbermen in the Comox Valley finals by overwhelming the visitors 24 to 4. Royston used five pitchers in an attempt to stop the avalanche. Courtenay plated runs in every inning of the one-sided contest except for the fourth frame. Five circuit-clouts were smashed by the winners with Bill McKee being responsible for two of them.
xxx (L), xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx and xxx
Quinn (W), Sutton (6) and xxx