1941 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley
1941 BC Interior
1941 Vancouver Island
OKANAGAN
(June 28) Kelowna battled back from a 6-1 deficit to score the winner in the bottom of the ninth Sunday to edge Penticton 7-6 at Athletic Park. It was the first home game of the season for Kelowna. With one out in the ninth, shortstop Bud Gourlie singled for his third hit of the game, stole second, advanced to third on an infield out and scooted home on a wild pitch. Kelowna had tied the game in the eighth when Bob Phinney scored on a wild pitch. Harold Cousins, who relieved brother Alymer Cousins in the eighth was credited with the win besting Paul Bach who went the distance for Penticton. Kelowna had 11 hits to overcome seven errors.
A.Cousins, H.Cousins (W) (8) and Campbell
Bach (L) and Watkins
WEST KOOTENAY
A proposed reorganization of the West Kootenay Baseball League, which would have included three entries -- (1) Nelson (2) a return to the loop by the Rossland Miners following a year on the sidelines and (3) an amalgamation of the two Trail entries under the banner of the Cardinals -- fell through at the last minute.
TRAIL
Without a structured league in which to compete and with Butler Park unavailable for home games due to prolonged fence construction, the 1941 Smelter City senior squad was essentially relegated to being a road team that participated in only a few exhibition and tournament encounters against East Kootenay opposition from the Crow’s Nest Pass Senior Baseball League.
Idle all spring and into the onset of summer, the Trail aggregation exhibited the rust of inactivity, going down to defeat 6 – 4 against Kellogg ID and hosting Kimberley 4 – 3 in the Kimberley Dominion Day tournament on July 1 – 2 and then dropped a July 3 exhibition tilt 6 – 4 to the Natal-Michel Buffaloes.
1941 CARIBOO BASEBALL
No wartime baseball of any sort was played in Prince George or Quesnel during 1941.
1941 CROW'S NEST PASS
(June 1) Coleman won the opening game of the 1941 Crow’s Nest Pass Senior Baseball League, beatIng Kimberley 2 to 1 behind the six-hit pitching of Art Molineau. Coleman scored twice in the sixth frame to grab the lead after Jimmy Livingston, Kimberley’s leadoff batter, had opened the game with a homer. Ray Humble, on the mound for Kimberley, allowed only four hits and struck out ten. Molineau registered nine punchouts.
Humble (L) and xxx
Molineau (W) and xxx
(June 15) Snatching both ends of a doubleheader from the visiting Blairmore Columbus Club by scores of 4 – 1 and 6 - 4, the Kimberley baseballers took over second place in the Crow’s Nest Pass Senior Baseball League. Walt Gelling homered in the first game for Kimberley and slammed a triple in the second contest.
(June 29) Natal-Michel Buffaloes maintained their unbeaten home record Sunday with a 6-4 victory over the touring Trail Cardinals, last year's West Kootenay senior champions. After Trail pulled into the lead with three runs in the fifth inning, the locals plated two in the fifth and another pair in the sixth to go ahead for good. Before a large crowd at the Natal ball park, the home squad rapped 11 hits to six for the visitors.
Decembrini, DeMore and McIntyre
Little, Halko, T.Krall and Weaver, Steinert.
(July 1) Kimberley Dominion Day Tournament
(July 13) Kimberley moved into second place in the Crow's Nest loop with a sweep of a double-header over Natal-Michel Buffaloes, 6-2 and 4--2 at Kimberley.
Final Standings P W L Pct.
Kimberley 12 8 4 .667
Michel-Natal Buffaloes 12 8 4 .667
Coleman Pucksters 12 6 6 .500
Blairmore Columbus Club 12 2 10 .167
No semi-finals were held. Instead, the two deadlocked first-place finishers met head-on in a best-of-five showdown for the 1941 tiara which began in late August. After three games had been played in the series, the Michel-Natal Buffaloes held a two games to one lead but then numerous postponements due to bad weather made further play impossible and league officials awarded the 1941 championship to the Buffaloes in late September.