Peterborough

Roger Cole

Roger Cole was born on July 27, 1954, at the hospital in Cobourg, Ontario.  He was the youngest of five boys born to Mildred and Glen Cole. He grew up and still resides on his family farm near Plainville, with his wife Donna, in Hamilton Township.

For Ed, Ross, Paul, Allan and Roger, travelling to Cobourg to play Legion softball or CCHL hockey was not an option. Summers were spent playing ball at home or at public school pickup games. Winter months involved playing local pond hockey with his brothers and neighbours. Roger and Donna raised two wonderful daughters who went on to get married and bless them with 4 beautiful grandchildren. 

Once old enough, the Plainville Men’s Softball team was the game of choice. Roger and Harry Jeschke played on the team as 13-year-olds and were used occasionally as outfielders or pinch hitters. Roger was 4’10” at the time and was quite successful at drawing walks. Ewart Timlin was one pitcher that struck Roger out. No one could have predicted that Ewart would eventually be the one to have the greatest influence on Roger’s pitching career.

Although dabbling in pitching, Roger never really started until 1972 when, in grade 13 at the age of 18, he and his high school buddies decided to put a team in the formidable Cobourg Men’s Softball League. This was the start of his illustrious pitching career. His men’s league team, Wilburn Construction, struggled to win many games in the early years. 

Roger went off to Guelph and obtained his Honours BSc (Agriculture) degree and graduated in 1976. While at Guelph he met Donna and they were married in July of 1976. Daughters Angela and Shannon followed several years later. Donna played varsity hockey at Guelph so the girls followed in their parents’ footsteps — hockey in the winter and softball in the summer. Donna got heavily involved in coaching and managing girls’ hockey teams in the area. Roger and Donna co-coached the first Senior Ladies hockey team out of Cobourg. 

In 1973, Roger played on Bill O’Neill’s Juvenile B Ontario Championship team. In 1975, Ewart Timlin signed Roger to the Cold Springs Cats and he pitched on that team for over thirty years, winning back-to-back Intermediate C Ontario Championships in 1975 and 1976. At the age of 50, while pitching in the 2004 Ontario Masters Championship tournament in Port Perry, Roger sustained an arm injury which ended his playing career. He wasn’t prepared to hang up his cleats so he transitioned into a coaching role and went on to co-coach the Cats.

As well as playing for the Cats, Roger played in the Peterborough City League (for 2 years), the Hamilton Township Men’s Softball League (from the age of 13 until the league stopped running), and the Cobourg Men’s Softball League (from 1972 until it stopped running). He played for Fraserville, Plainville, Crossroads, Murray Thompson Auto-body, Wilburn Construction, Meadowvale Aces, Bruce & Ricks, Everett’s Astros, and eagle.ca. He coached and managed the Hamilton Township league teams and the Cobourg league teams from the late 80’s until the leagues folded.

Roger was known for his pitching longevity and stamina and would often pitch 3-4 games in a week. In 1978, Roger won tournament MVP at the Deck Transport Invitational tournament in Lakefield, Ontario. He pitched fifty-four innings on that weekend for the Cats, then the next day pitched a Cobourg Men’s league game. He was named top pitcher in 1979 in the Eastern Ontario Fastball League with a 0.5 ERA. He also received the top pitcher award in the Oshawa City League in 1980.

That same year, the Cats moved up to the Senior A level of competition and surprised everyone by winning the Ontario Championship in London. They became the first and only local team (to date) to win the Senior A title and went on to represent Ontario at the Canadian Senior A Championships in Saskatoon. While in Saskatoon the Cats defeated both the gold and silver medalists in the round robin. Roger pitched both games, allowing only one run in two games. That was the only loss the gold medal Nova Scotia team took. In 1989, Cold Springs won an Intermediate B Ontario title and Roger was named top pitcher. In 1995, he helped Baltimore to an Intermediate B Ontario crown.

The Cold Springs Cats moved to the Masters division and won Ontario titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Roger was named top pitcher in 1996 and 1997. The team also won back-to-back Canadian Masters Championships in 1997 and 1998.  At the 2000 Ontario Masters Championships (at the age of 47) he was named tournament MVP after pitching 5 1/2 games in one weekend. In all, Roger played on nine Ontario Championship teams and two Canadian Masters Championship teams, while several Hamilton Township League and Cobourg Men’s League Championships were also claimed.

Roger played and managed teams in the Hamilton Township Men’s Softball League and the Cobourg Men’s Softball League (CMSL). In 2003, he received a milestone award from the CMSL with 2059 strikeouts and counting. He also received a dedication award in 2006, and served many years on the CMSL executive. He received multiple MVP and top pitcher awards in both leagues, pitched two perfect games and 10-12 no-hitters during his 30+ years of pitching.

During his playing and managing years, Roger concentrated on giving younger players a place and a chance to play. Many turned out to be good ball players and even better people, and he was most proud of that.

In the winter, he followed his daughter’s hockey but also played himself, in a recreational league in Bewdley. He joined the Rice Lake Oilers team in 1989 and played for 28 years, retiring at the age of 63. A highlight of the year was always the annual Oilers tournament that has been going on for close to 40 years.

Softball is a team game and none of Roger’s personal achievements would have been possible without the great cast of ball players amassed by Ewart Timlin. He is quick to point out that his journey would not have been possible without his Mom, Dad and brothers who would manage the workload on their dairy farm while he was at the ballpark.

His wife, Donna, was also a huge supporter and made many sacrifices so he could pursue his dreams. Roger continues to work on his family farm, enjoys spending time with his family and grandchildren, and now satisfies his love of sports on the golf course. 

Fred Simpson - The Ojibway Thunderbolt - 1878-1945

In 1908 Fred Simpson was at the center of the Canadian Olympic program to capture gold in the London marathon, alongside fellow Onondaga Tom Longboat. Fred Simpson did not boast of his achievements, a difficult task for the local historian, and he did not leave us anything regarding his own reflections. The only words we may attribute to him are those that are in the memory of his grandchildren, now elders, but he certainly did not write anything or record anything of any type that would assist in filling out the blanks in his story.

His achievements, however, were strong enough to warrant a serious following by the major newspapers in Canada and as an Olympian he is part of a strong legacy in early Canadian amateur sport. 

That he was of the Mississauga Nation of the Anishinabek (sometimes referred to as a sub-tribe of the Ojibwe) makes him unique in all of this; as were his other fellow Indigenous competitors at the same time such as Tom Longboat, Lewis Tewenina of Arizona (1908/1912 Olympics), Hilton Green, Ben Howard, Joe Keeper (1912 Olympics), Albert Smoke (1920 Olympics) and Paul Acoose.

Simpson was born in Alderville in 1878 to James and Mary Simpson and raised there, losing both his parents by a relatively young age. His father drowned in Rice Lake when he was 5 and his mother passed probably by 1891, after which he was raised by his grandmother. During this period, that is after his birth in 1878, the Dominion Government was now administering the Indian Act on reserve and by all accounts it becomes a very oppressive situation, aimed at undermining First Nations self-governing authority. Much has been written and studied about the impacts of the Indian Act on First Nations people and Alderville was certainly affected.

Alderville was a relocation of what are known as the Bay of Quinte and Kingston Mississauga, who having been indigenous to that region, were later moved to Alnwick Township in Northumberland County in the mid-1830s. It was under the pressures of the government and the influence of the Canadian and Wesleyan Methodist conferences that the Mississaugas of the Bay area and Kingston eventually removed themselves to the Rice Lake area.

At Grape Island in the Bay of Quinte, this was the Methodist Mission created for their Christianization and education in 1826-27, and those that later made the trek to their new home at Alderville had come directly from there in 1837. Therefore, Fred Simpson was a product of that Methodist movement that had such a profound impact on the Mississauga Nation across the Lake Ontario frontier. In fact, his own paternal grandfather John Simpson the first, had converted to Methodism in 1828 at the Bay of Quinte and had travelled to New York City with the early Methodists on fundraising tours.

Young Fred was poor as so many were on the Reserves. Not having a father figure, he was never a "crackerjack of a trapper" as his eldest son once told this writer, but he was a crack shot with a .22 and an avid wild rice harvester. As a labourer and at about 5' 11" at adulthood and 145 pounds he was strong with great stamina as was noted by his friends. This stature would lead to him becoming one of the best distance runners in Canada during the first decade of the 20th century.

Around 1899 he moved to the Hiawatha reserve on the north shore of Rice Lake and married Susan Muskratt. Their first son John (the 3rd) was born in 1901 followed by Elizabeth Mae in 1903 and Lucy in 1904. It was in 1906 that Fred entered long distance running when he participated in the 10-mile Peterborough Examiner Road Race. By then he was living and working and raising his family at Hiawatha, working as a labourer for local farmers. Noticing his stamina in the fields it was friends that urged him to enter the 10-miler from Lakefield to Peterborough.

In this race he led for half of it and while at the end he placed third he did catch the eye of the local YMCA Harriers and from this point on became a member and began training for additional races. This would lead him into an amazing short period of marathon running that would eventually pit him against the best in the world.

Under the Harriers in Peterborough it was Dick Baker who had taken an interest and began to work with the young Mississauga. Simpson would go north in wintertime and work in the lumber camps and on the river drives at South River for instance keeping in shape. In the autumn of 1907 he was entered in the Hamilton Herald Road Race placing second and gaining local notoriety.  The Hamilton Herald Road Race was a premier long distance race on the continent by that time, next to the Boston Marathon. At 19 miles it was a gruelling test of one's ability as the Hamilton terrain is a tough one.

Simpson's fourth child Fred Jr, born in 1907, was named Frederick Herald in honour of his dad's second place finish. Had he won, Fred Sr. once said he would have named the young boy Frederick Hamilton Herald Simpson.

Olympics
Placing second at Hamilton put him in the limelight and over the next 8 months Baker would continue to work with his Mississauga runner so that by the time the 1908 Olympics were being arranged for London, England, Simpson was touted as one that may be a hopeful. He was scheduled for both the provincial and national trials for the Canadian Olympic team, placing fourth in both and winning a berth on the Canadian Olympic Marathon team, along with Harry Lawson, Tom Longboat, Billy Wood and Jack Caffrey to name other Canadian notables. 

On June 6th at the Canadian Olympic Finals he secured his place on the team to head for Britain. It was a gruelling race - only 14 of 32 runners were able to finish - but the Toronto Star noted that Simpson "was never in distress," and "ran a well judged race all the way."

Simpson's qualification for the Canadian team spurred Peterborough to an energetic fund-raising effort on his behalf "[N]ot only will the incidental expenses of the trip have to be paid" wrote the Examiner on June 10th, "but ... Simpson's wife and family of four small children, must be maintained while the bread-winner of the family is across the ocean." The efforts succeeded, raising more than $250 in a couple of days, and on June 11th, Simpson boarded the train for Montreal, whence the team was to set sail. That day's Examiner described the scene at the Peterborough station:

"When  the train pulled in all the team got out on the platform and as the tall form of the Peterborough Indian hove in sight, they gave him a cheer and then there was a great rush to shake hands with Simpson and his trainer. Both are evidently very popular with the Toronto athletes, who seemed sincerely glad to welcome them among the little bunch of men who are to bear the maple leaf of Canada before the eyes of the world... "

The Olympic marathon was run on July 24th, 1908 from Windsor Castle to the White City Stadium, and Longboat was among the front-runners when he was forced to withdraw late in the race. Simpson, for his part, finished the course in 3:04:28, coming home in a respectable sixth place, and second among the Canadians (William Wood finished fifth, three minutes ahead of Simpson). Harry Lawson, who had won the Olympic trial final in Canada, came seventh in 3:06:47. The marathon was won by Johnny Hayes of the United States, after Italian runner Dorando Pietri was disqualified for receiving assistance to finish the race. It is one of the most dramatic sporting events in the history of modern sport as the little Italian came into the stadium delirious and close to death. He fell four times and was aided across the line. This led to his disqualification.

1909 and afterward 
After London, Simpson would place second again in the 1908 Hamilton Herald Road Race, and then in the early winter of 1909 he turned professional to race on a circuit that would take him from Fort William to Savanna Georgia, from Chicago to New York City. Many of those who he had run against in the Olympic Marathon had also turned professional and so many of the races became barn burners at the old Polo Grounds, old Madison Square Garden, Riverdale Rink in Toronto.

The media had covered his progress quite extensively, such as the Globe, Peterborough Examiner and Toronto Star. Unlike his contemporary Tom Longboat, Simpson was portrayed more as the "good Indian" while Longboat the younger had been portrayed as the unruly Indian. The media of the day made no bones about identifying their ethnicity as either good or bad, advantageous or problematic. In other cases the media was nothing but purely racist by today's standards.

This writer grew up hearing great stories of Simpson in Georgia, in Chicago (when Gentleman Jim Corbett was an honorary starter of one of his races) and in Toronto where he would pit himself against the 10-mile indoor world record.

Simpson spent about 3 years as a pro, all the while raising his children with his wife, the family of which had grown to 5 children by 1910. By 1912 the professional marathon boom was all but over as war clouds gathered over Europe. Fred Simpson retired back to Hiawatha, where more children were born (and lost) and then in 1923 he moved the family back to his home at Alderville where he lived out the remainder of his life.

Conclusion
Fred Simpson came from a line of that part of the Mississauga Nation that once possessed the lands in and around the Bay of Quinte. His great-grandfather was one of the signatories to the Rideau Purchase (Treaty #27). After the move to Alderville in 1837 his grandfather was an early Chief here during the 1850s. They were all of the ahtik dodem (reindeer clan), so fitting for a man that could run so fast. Both his father, mentioned above, and uncle Alan Simpson drowned in Rice Lake and losing his mother also at a young age is a testament to his determination and drive that he would eventually become such a great runner. It probably set him free to run like a deer, at a time when "Indians" were the subject of the most racist and oppressive government legislation and policies that Canada has ever known.

At the same time, that did not stop him from dawning the maple leaf to go for the gold at London. His legacy survives at Alderville and we are proud to this day that he accomplished so much with so little.

Fred Simpson died on May 19th, 1945 at his house on the 'Cobourg  Road' (today's Highway 45) while tending to his chipyard splitting kindling. His wife Susan died a year later in 1946. Both are buried in Alderville on both sides of their daughter Olive who had died in 1939.

In 2011 a stone was placed at Simpson's unmarked grave in the Alderville First Nation cemetery commemorating his life and feats as a long-distance runner.

By Dave Mowat

Photos courtesy Dave Mowat

By Patsy Currelly Hand

Cobourg Angels, Junior Angels, & Surrounding Teams 

It was the dream of an avid sportsman, a man named Paul Currelly – to one day see “top notch” women’s softball in Cobourg.  The dream started small with his first team, the Coverdale Aces, in 1963.  They had great success and a bantam team was formed in 1964, the Coverdale Angels.  As the girls got older and the town league began to form, Paul saw an opportunity to put Cobourg on the softball map.  

He combined the two teams, taking the colours (green and gold) from the Aces and the name of Angels from the bantam team.  He recruited top players from the existing Cobourg District Town League, landed two co-sponsors, Harnden and King Construction and Burley Bus Lines and formed the first Cobourg Angels team.  

They were entered as Juveniles (under 16) in the Durham County Ladies Softball League.  The first coaches were Gord Burdick, Ev Walters and Currelly.   They fared well in their first year, playing Intermediate teams from Port Hope, Newcastle, Courtice, Bowmanville and Whitby and they advanced to the finals but lost to Port Hope.  In their Provincial Juvenile C playoffs they made it to the semifinals.   Members of the first team were:  Nancy Currelly, Carol Currelly, Jackie Keeler, Anne DesMarteau, Brenda Lemmon, Dianne Stacey, Maxine Smith, Maureen Smith, Connie Byrne, Peggy Kernaghan, Janice Bevan, Nancy Brooks, Janice Rowe, Candace Cane. 

In 1969, Cobourg’s Martin Sunoco Intermediate team coached by Huck Matthews joined the league.  The Angels won the league during regular play but it was the Intermediates who won the play-offs that year.  The Martin Sunoco team would go on to win several Durham County Crowns and went to the Intermediate B semifinals – key players on that team were:  Judy Bevan, Judy Bowen, Helen McAlpine, Sylvia Hall, Doris Matthews, Cheryl Batley, Carol Currelly, Brenda Cochrane, Mary Hoy, and Sue Reynolds.  In 1970, the Angels were finalists in both the league and the Juvenile A provincial finals.

1970 marked another important girl’s softball event in Cobourg. Ken Petrie and Audrey Warner’s Martin Sunoco team won the first Ontario Minor C championship held by the Provincial Women’s Softball Union of Ontario (PWSU).  Members of this team were:  Eve Fenton, Donna Dolley, Barb and Darlene Warner, Kim and Sue Gallagher, Lee Cane, Faye Oliver, Carol Jones, Mary Checkley, Joanne Drury, Debbie Cochrane, Joanne Ferguson, Theresa Callaghan, Cindy Newman, Sandy Vorvis, Lori Dowle, Nancy Wielonda. 

The Angels continued to play in the Durham County league in 1971 adding Jeff Brooks to the coaching staff. In 1972, the Harnden and King Angels entered the Lakeshore Juvenile League with teams from Oshawa, Ajax, Claremont, Whitby and Port Perry. The Angels won this league in both 1973 and 1974.

1972 also saw Cobourg Sinclair Mustangs under Clarke Sommerville, David Sommerville and Don Dunn defeat Oshawa to win the 1st PWSU Ontario Squirt Championship.  Members of this excellent club were Marg Matthews, Chris Gallagher, Tracey Bourne, Nancy Sommerville, Julie Gallagher, Julie Nairn, Elaine Warner, Janice Thompson, Wendy Stewart, Regan Lewis, Lori Dolley, Theresa Karpinski, Sharon Oakman and Roberta Fisher. 

Girls’ softball was flourishing with the YMCA/YWCA operating a town league that at one time had up to 22 teams, including PWSA teams.  Others prominent in this league were Don Dunn, Keitha Rollings, and Ken Petrie who also operated the Cobourg Saints, very successful Midget and Juvenile teams. 

1975 & 1976 saw the Angels move successfully into the Junior B category.  Coached by Bill “Buzz” Foote and Paul Currelly, they were able to capture the Provincial Junior B championship in consecutive years.  This was one of Currelly’s top teams and they were:   Judy West, Joanne Jackson, Nancy Currelly, Judy Davey, Joan VanderZyden, Donna Todd, Peggy Jamieson, Faye Oliver, Marg Matthews, Sue Foote, Pat Richardson and Joanne Drury (1975), Tracey Bourne (1976).  This team won the Lakeshore League in 1975 and were finalists in 1976.

Ending on a “high note”, Currelly decided it was time to recreate the Cobourg Harnden and King Angels. His younger daughter Patsy was bantam age and because two of his players on the Ontario championship team, Marg Matthews and Tracey Bourne were still eligible to play Midget, he decided to enter a team in that category in the Lakeshore League. The year was 1977 and Bill Foote continued as coach, along with Currelly.  Jim Morrow joined the team that year and brought with him his larger than life personality.  

The Angels successfully won the league, the Claremont tournament and were provincial semi-finalists in Midget Tier II.  Members of this first team were:  Marg Matthews, Tracey Bourne, Patsy Currelly, Leah Ann Goody, Suzanne Morrow, Nancy Sommerville, Andrea Todd, Julie Godawa, Vikki Etchells, Carol Gutteridge, Rosemary Spry, Kathy O’Neill, Buttons Hogan, Bobbie Ann Hutchings, and Nancy Jane Dalgarno.  Moving up to Juvenile in 1978 they accomplished a record of 38 wins and 10 losses including tournament championships in Claremont and North York as well as going to the Juvenile A finals against Dundas. They also won the Grafton tournament against a respected Cobourg Tony’s Bantam team.  

The Cobourg Tony’s later to be known as Cobourg Oilers established themselves in 1976.  This club under the direction of Faye and George Oliver played 3 years as Bantams and 2 seasons in the midget category.  Their accomplishments were very extensive winning Lakeshore crowns, this league was under the direction of Ken Petrie and later Art Dalgarno.  In 1977, they won the PWSA Bantam B championship and in 1978 went to the finals, losing to Stratford.  

Moving up to midget in 1979 and 1980 they each won regional honours only to lose out in the finals.  The Ontario championship team included: Jackie Dusenbury, Jane Choiniere, Jackie Oulahen, Sandra Tuttle, Cathy Williams, Judith Curtis, Dianne Beatty, Ann Clarey, Jennifer Dalgarno, Cathy Dunn, Cathy Rowden, Susan Cane, Carolyn Darling, Connie Oliver, Elaine Warner and Donna Hutchings.

1979 would bring this Angel team their first All-Ontario Juvenile A Championship under the new PWSA system, winning the 14-team regional playdowns held in Cobourg and then the 9 team Ontario finals held in Rockwood.  With a season record of 50 wins, 7 losses, they were Lakeshore League champs as well as Trenton and Grafton tournament champs.  Members of the all-Ontario team were:  Marg Matthews, Suzanne Morrow, Sue Taylor, Bobbie Ann Hutchings, Patsy Currelly, Buttons Hogan, Nancy Jane Dalgarno, Tracey Bourne, Angie Quinn, Donna Hutchings, Nancy Sommerville, Leah Anne Goody, Vikki Etchells, Paul Currelly (coach), Jim Morrow (coach), Rod Baker (business manager) and Janet Hynes (scorer 1979-1983). Some of the Tony’s players would also play on this team during the regular season namely Jackie Dusenbury, Jennifer Dalgarno and Jane Choiniere.  

1979 saw girl’s softball flourishing in Cobourg:  The YMCA league had co-ed T ball, girl’s ball in the squirt, novice and juvenile divisions; rep ball teams were represented by the Sommerville’s bantams, the Tony’s midgets and the Harnden and King juveniles.  Traditionally, Legion ball was for boys but as the years progressed many talented girls played alongside the boys.  The Legion had teams in atom, squirt, peewee and bantam.

In 1980, the Angels moved up to the Junior division winning the Lakeshore title over rival Lakefield and were Carp tournament champions. In 1981, the Angels and Tony’s personnel combined, strengthening the team. During this season the infield went 100 plays without a single error! They were finalists in the Junior Tier I Ontario championships and Lakeshore League. 1982 added pitching coach John Hayden to the roster. The Angels won the Lakeshore League and Oshawa and Belleville tournaments and repeated as Belleville tournament and Lakeshore league winners in 1983.

1984 brought the first Senior Tier II Ontario championship to Cobourg (vs Waterloo).  The team ended the season with an impressive 44 wins, 6 loss record, including a 34-game winning streak. Highlights of this year included a third consecutive Belleville tournament championship as well as two pitchers throwing no hitters during regular season play, Suzanne Morrow and Elaine Devlin.  

By winning the Tier II championship, the team qualified to enter into the Senior Tier I Ontario Championships.  Although they finished 6th overall, their presence was known including an exhaustive 17 inning win (pitched by Devlin) against Agincourt. Harnden and King continued their 17th consecutive year as team sponsor. Members of the winning Ontario title team were: Susan Taylor, Nancy Cronin, Margie Matthews, Suzanne Morrow, Leah Anne Goody, Nancy Jane Dalgarno, Elaine Devlin (37-5 pitching record), Jackie Oulahen, Lee Anne Quinn, Jennifer Dalgarno, Isobel Nichols, Vicki Wodzak and Patsy Currelly. Paul Currelly, Jim Morrow and John Hayden were the coaches.

As there was no residency rule and the closest team east was Pickering, Currelly had the opportunity to further strengthen his team.  1985 saw a repeat of the 1984 roster with a few additions. Cathy Fertile, from Oshawa, who had played on many Senior Tier I teams, joined the squad. Janice Crosgrey, from Claremont, strengthened the team’s pitching and Lynn Lucas, from Belleville, added depth to the infield.  

Currelly would refer to this team as one of his best and they were successful in securing another Ontario Senior Tier II title.  Highlights of the final game versus Norwich included 2 out of the park home runs by Isobel Nichols.  Sue Taylor won the batting crown for the tournament with a .600 average and Devlin received an honourable mention. (Devlin allowed only 2 runs in 20 innings, walking 2 and striking out 18 for an era of 0.77).  The team continued their success by winning the Metro League Championship. Jackie Oulahen and Elaine Devlin were selected for the 1985 Junior Ontario team and played in the Summer Games in New Brunswick, winning a gold medal.  Elaine also received a softball scholarship to Sam Houston University in Texas.  

1986 saw a change at the helm of the Angels.  Veteran coach Paul Currelly stepped off the field due to health reasons but continued to work in the background.  Joining Morrow and Hayden was coach Ray Bickle. The team found themselves as finalists in both the Senior Tier II championship as well as at the Mildor Classic.  The highlight of the year was a no-hitter thrown by pitcher Janice Crosgrey. 

Cobourg Angels 1968-1990
1968      PWSA Juvenile Semi-finalists to Richmond Hill – Durham league finalists to Port Hope Knights.
1969      Durham County League winners
1970      Juvenile A finalists lost to Eringate. Durham County finalists lost to Cobourg Intermediates
1971      Juvenile A semi-finalists to Eringate. Durham County semi-finalists to Bowmanville
1972      Juvenile A semi-finalists to East Guildwood and Lakeshore Juvenile semi-finalists to Oshawa
1973      Juvenile A finalists to Burlington. Lakeshore Juvenile Champs over Port Perry
1974      Lakeshore Juvenile champs over Port Perry
1975      Ontario Junior B champs over Brookville – Lakeshore League champs over Lakefield
1976      Ontario Junior B Champs over Hillsbury – Lakeshore     finalists to Lakefield
1977      PWSA semi-finalists to Burlington, Lakeshore Midget champs. Claremont tournament champs
1978      North York Super series juvenile champs, PWSA Juvenile A finalists to Dundas, Lakeshore champs over Napanee, Claremont tournament champs
1979      Ontario Juvenile A champs over North Bendal,  PWSA regional champs over Glenfield and Lakeshore Juvenile champs over Oshawa Shamrocks, Trenton                          Tournament champs
1980       London tournament finalists to St. Catharines, Lakeshore Ladies fastball champs over Lakefield, Carp tournament champs.
1981      Belleville tournament finalists to Ottawa, Metro tournament finalists to Don Victoria, Junior Regional Bronze medal winners to Milverton, Junior finalist and silver medal winners to Oakville – Lakeshore Ladies fastball league finalists to Lakefield.
1982      Belleville tournament champs over Lakefield, Oshawa tournament champs over Toronto Stardex, Pembroke tournament consolation winners over Carleton Place.  Lakeshore ladies fastball league winners over Lakefield.    
1983      Belleville tournament champs over Oshawa MCL, Bronze medal regional winners at Belleville and bronze medal winners in Tier II finals in Barrie to Norwich. Fifth place at Senior Tier I to Mildor. Lakeshore Ladies Fastball League Champs over Belleville.
1984      Ontario Senior II gold medal Champions over Waterloo, gold medal regionals over Elmvale, Belleville Tournament Champs over Oshawa M.C.L. Seventh at  Senior Tier I championships to Kitchener. Metro League finalists to Toronto Spartans
              Record 34 wins in a row to start season.
1985      Ontario Senior Tier II gold medal Champions over Norwich, Metro League Champions
1986      Silver medalists Ontario Senior Tier II championships loss to Sarnia, finalists Mildor Classic

Updated August 2020

Frank was born April 7th 1958 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Peterborough Ontario. His parents, Frank and Maria, were ecstatic about the arrival of a beautiful baby boy. He would be the third child in his loving family. His sisters Anna Maria and Pia were extremely happy to have a new addition to the family.

Frank was a very quiet, adorable baby, who needed more care and attention while at home. Everyone assisted his mother at the time. Frank was very “Special” to the family. He was included and encouraged to participate in many activities with the neighborhood children. He also played with his sisters. He would laugh with anticipation and excitement whenever company was around.

Frank’s participation in the Special Olympics has brought his family pride and joy. His facial expressions displayed his indomitable spirit throughout competitions. His many gold medals attest to his strong and determined character.

Dino, the youngest has been his “Best Buddy”. The rapport the two brothers share is indescribable. Their bond is truly exceptional. 

Frank’s 60th birthday brought a reflection of happiness to his family. His parents would express their love and appreciation to everyone involved in his care.

Frank has Cerebral Palsy (CP) which affects his body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. It also has impact on his fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning. Cerebral Palsy’s effect on functional abilities varies greatly. Many affected people can walk while others, like Frank, use wheelchairs.

Frank’s CP affects three of his limbs, both legs and right arm. His mobility is purely via a one-armed wheelchair to move around. He uses his left arm only to propel his wheelchair.

In the early 1980s, Frank started wheelchair racing as a recreational activity. He competed in the Eastern Ontario CP Games and to his surprise, he won most of the events in which he competed. He then went to the Ontario CP Games, where he continued to roll up the wins. Frank continued winning both at the Regional and Provincial games.

Frank was using his everyday chair to race in, which certainly placed him at a disadvantage, since most racers had specially made racing wheelchairs. They could also propel them with two arms.

Frank was classified as a CP3, which meant racers had three limbs affected. Where Frank could only wheel with one arm, his competitors all wheeled with two arms (one of their arms would be mildly affected by CP, but they were still capable of using both arms to wheel).

Unfortunately, records at this time were not recorded on computers. The Ontario CP Sports Association has some partial results. Frank has a scrapbook of newspaper clippings with his results at provincial and international meets. He has an extensive collection of medals trophies and plaques won while completing across North America and in Belgium. Douglas Wilton, the head coach/manager of the Canadian CP team, can confirm these results.

As a result of his success, Frank was invited to try out for the Canadian CP National Team. He attended their training camp in Windsor in 1983. Team coaches stated Frank needed enhanced training plus a racing wheelchair to compete at the next level in the Olympics and the World Games.

In consultation with his local coach, Frank decided he wanted to complete at the next level. This meant training would ramp up. As well, he needed to find someone to design and build a one-arm racing wheelchair, as there was none – zero – available anywhere.

It was at this point two significant changes happened for Frank:
One – Training: A two-year training program was designed by Team Canada coaches specifically for Frank and his local coach to carry out. The goal was for Frank to peak at the 1984 Olympics for the International Games for the Physically Disabled (later called Paralympics). His training was ramped up to three weight training sessions per week plus three track sessions per week. 

The training became progressively harder, and Frank met all the targets and challenges. This training was not easy, and during the winter they drove 45 minutes each way to an indoor track for training three days a week. It was a big commitment. After 1984 Frank took a short break from training, then back to another two-year program to peak again for the 1986 Cerebral Palsy Work Championship Games.

As all high-level athletes know, years of training six days a week can be an incredible grind. Add to that the fatigue of the travel for training and meets for an individual in a wheelchair. Three winter nights each week, Frank got picked up at 6:30 p.m. to drive 45 minutes to an indoor track for his training session. This involved a warm-up, stretching, that night’s track routine, cool down and back into a cold car for another 45-minute ride home. All these years of weight and track training made him tough to beat, and revealed Frank’s character.

Two – Get a Racing Wheelchair: Frank initially raced in his everyday Everest and Jennings wheelchair. A new Everest and Jennings chair was purchased and modified which resulted in Frank’s times improving. Frank received a lot of acknowledgment and praise from competitors and coaches from around the world for being able to compete at the World level without a racing chair. 

Frank’s competitors were all wheeling with two arms using the latest technology in racing chairs. We could not get a wheelchair maker or a university engineering department or a machine shop to make one. Much effort was put into finding someone who could design and make a one-armed racing wheelchair.

Then in 1985 we met an Ontario wheelchair racer who had made his own chair. This wonderful man worked diligently with us to make a one-armed racing chair for Frank. It was one of the first one-arm racing chair to be made on the planet. This was the final piece in Frank’s puzzle for success. As a one-armed racer, Frank was bucking the odds, but now he was finally on a more even playing field with the technology.

Ms Suzanne Atkinson, a regional newspaper reporter, was actively following Frank’s success and wrote about his incredible journey. Her coverage resulted in many groups and individuals in the community generously donating money to purchase this chair and cover some of the expenses.

As Doug Wilton, the Canadian head coach/manager, said, “Frank is the greatest one-armed wheeler in the world, always competing against 2-armed wheelers.”

Frank’s local coach often commented that, “Frank’s accomplishments and success can only be truly appreciated by those who saw him race or competed against him. With his extreme competitive nature, Frank is truly a courageous Olympian.”

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS

Represented Canada internationally from 1983-1986
June 1984- Olympic Year – International Games for the Disabled (now called the Paralympics)
4x 100 metre relay race (World Record 101 seconds) Gold Medal
60 metre sprint – 6th
200 metre sprint – 10th (disqualified for a lane violation in his heat)

1984 CP Provincial Games
60 metre sprint – gold (new record)
100 metre sprint – gold (new record)
200 metre sprint – gold (new record)
400 metre sprint – gold
Shotput - bronze

1985 Michigan State Championships for the Physically Disabled
60 metre sprint – gold
200 metre sprint – gold
400 metre sprint – gold
4x100 metre relay race – gold

1986 Cerebral Palsy World Championship Games – Gits, Belgium
4x100 metre relay race – gold
400 metre sprint – silver
100 metre sprint – bronze
Team Canada won the overall Medal count with 42 Gold Medals, 16 Silver Medals and 12 Bronze Medals

1982
Presented with a Championship Certificate from the Province of Ontario in recognition of being a Provincial Champion in the field of amateur sport

1984
Presented with a Sports Jacket emblazed with a crest of the Town of Cobourg and the Bicentennial flag from the Mayor of Cobourg and the Chamber of Commerce
Presented with an Ontario Championship Certificate from the Province of Ontario
Presented with an Achievement Award Certificate from the Province of Ontario for distinguished performance in the field of amateur sport

1985
Presented with a Certificate of International Achievement from Premier David Peterson, at the Ontario Provincial Amateur Sports Banquet

1986
Presented with a Certificate of World Achievement from Premier David Peterson, at the 20th Annual Sports Awards Banquet in recognition of distinguished performance in the field of amateur sport

1987
Presented with a Civic Award from the City of Peterborough
Presented with an International Achievement Award from the Premier of Ontario

1990
Inducted into the Ontario CP Sports Athletes “Hall of Fame”

2019
Inducted into the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame

Sources: Suzanne Atkinson, reporter
   Doug Montgomery, Frank Mazza’s local coach
   Doug Wilton, Head Coach and Team Manager for Canada’s National Cerebral Palsy team (1979-2000)

Reviewed August 2020

By the Currelly sisters, Nancy, Patsy and Carol

Women’s softball began in Cobourg on Labour Day, in 1926.  Mrs. Arthur Bulger gathered a group of girls for a last-minute game against a visiting team from Toronto.  Long skirts were the attire for the game.  Cobourg won and the history of girls’ softball began.    

In 1928, a church league was formed; this included St. Andrew's, Trinity, St. Michael's, Baptist and St. Peter’s.  This league continued to run until the mid 1930s.  In 1931, a new girl’s team was formed. It was initially called the Cobourg Lakesides but later in the season they changed the name to the Cobourg All-Stars. They played in a league which included Peterborough, Bowmanville, Baltimore and Bailieboro.

The Cobourg All-Stars were highly successful and ended the season with 26 wins and 0 losses.  The highlight of the year was an exhibition game held at Victoria Park, on Labour Day, against the Toronto Lansing Athletic Club who were Intermediate League champions.  Cobourg beat them 8-7 in the bottom of the 9th.   

Members of this team included:  Rita Oliver (P), Helen Slater(C), Grace Maher(3B), Felicia Brinning (SS), Marion Clapper (2B &CF), M. Harper (RF), Agnes Mundy (CF), Dorothy Sloper (2B), Lillian Roberts (1B), Marion Ovens (LF), D. Sloper (P), H. Mann (C), K. Turpin(CF), H. Campbell (2B), Helen Pellow (RF), Ms. Lean.  This team was celebrated for their accomplishments by the town and a banquet was held in their honour, where the Mayor stated the ball players had “put Cobourg on the map in Sports” (Cobourg Sentinel Star, Sept.17, 1931).  

The tradition of hosting Toronto teams on Labour Day continued until the mid 1940’s. As there was no established provincial play-off, the Cobourg All-Stars team reached the highest pinnacle they could achieve. (The provincial women’s softball association/union (PWSU/PWSA) began in 1931 and until 1942 only had an Intermediate A division).

In 1932, softball flourished. The inter-church league continued and the Cobourg All-Stars played in a league with Port Hope, 2 Peterborough teams, Keene, Lakefield, and Belleville.  They also played games against Kingston and the Toronto Alerts, beating both.  It appears that star pitcher Rita Oliver from Cobourg played for Port Hope this season, reason unknown, and Helen Slater became the main pitcher for Cobourg.  In 1933, there is the first mention of the Hamilton Township League including teams from Gores Landing, Harwood, Camborne, Baltimore and Plainville.  The Cobourg All-Stars played in a league against Belleville, Peterborough and Kingston.  

In 1936, there were three women’s softball leagues – the Cobourg Inter-Church League, the Lakeshore League and the Hamilton Township League.  Under the direction of “Hoot” Gibson, the Cobourg Combines (rep team) were looking strong.  Reta Slater was their star pitcher, who not only pitched but also helped with the finances and transportation.  The team played in the Lakeshore League against Bowmanville and Oshawa and lost to Oshawa in the playoffs.  They had a successful season with exhibition game wins against Peterborough, Keene and the Hamilton Township Champion, Gores Landing.   

With WWII spanning from 1939-45, there was not much documentation during most of those years. 1944 brought a strong presence of Girls Softball in the area.  There was a Girls Softball Town League flourishing in Cobourg including both minor and senior divisions.  Some of the teams were:  the Ontario Training School Gliders, Campbell’s, Cooey’s, CYO (Catholic Youth Organization), Matting, Cobourg Lumber Company, Mrs. Pender’s Schoolgirls, Fowlers Wholesale, and Shaw’s Shamrocks.  There was also a rep team called the Cobourg Combines.  These teams continued to play throughout 1945.

Girls softball was a popular past-time in 1946. There were opportunities to play in the Intermediate Lakeshore League and the local town league. In the town league was Cobourg Lumber, Cooey’s Arms, Shaws Shamrocks, The Ontario Training School and Fowler’s Wholesale.  Playing in the “rep” league were the Cobourg Towne Cleaners, Collacutt, Port Hope Bata Shoe, Colborne, CYO and Shaw Combine. The Cobourg Towne Cleaners were the successful winners out of the league with a record of 11 wins and 1 loss. As a result, they qualified to compete for the provincial title.  

They won the Eastern Ontario Intermediate Championship. They beat Belleville in 2 straight wins but lost to Toronto Crofton’s at the Provincials. Members of this team, coached by Lorne (Bus) Cane and Frank Hubbs and managed by Alf Minaker, were:  Reta Slater, Pat Harnden (Kernaghan), Ruth Brooks (Minifie), Evelyn Brisbin (Heriot), Winnie Twitchett (Smith), Shirley Harnden (Johnston), Ruth Stillwell (Medurst), Maizie Jenkinson, Alice Guy (Wilson), Jean Allen, Ivy Cockburn, Ruth Bolderstone (Cane), Jackie Kadan, Ilene Goody (Cherry) and mascot Marilyn Jenkinson.  

The number of teams playing in 1947 reflects 1946 however there was a new team named The Cobourg Pavilions.   They were an Intermediate B team playing in the Lakeshore League with Grafton, Colborne, 2 Port Hope teams, Peterborough and Trenton.  The “Pavs” played Port Hope in the final playoff of this league to earn the berth into the provincial playoffs.  They met Port Credit in the first round and beat them.

They were to play Newmarket next.  However, because of a violation of a rule which stipulated the league playoffs (vs Port Hope), had to be completed 48 hours before beginning provincial playoffs, they are disqualified (the violation occurred because of scheduling difficulties due to weather and schooling).  Most of the girls were at the park in Newmarket when they heard of the protest by Port Credit thereby ending their season.

The Lakeshore League and Church League continued to thrive in 1948. There were 3 Cobourg rep teams playing that year - CGE, the Pavs and Shaws Shamrocks. This was the first year mentioned that the girls were playing under the lights at Victoria Park.  The teams in the Lakeshore League were:  3 Cobourg teams, Peterborough, Grafton and Colborne.  The Pavilions won this league under the direction of Bus Cane. Eleanor Brown pitched a perfect game during regular season play against CGE (walks 1 – the score 41-0).  The Pavs beat Grafton to go into the Provincial Playdowns. They beat Lindsay in the first round, Newmarket in the second and Midland in the third round.  They proceeded to the semi-finals but lost the next round to Welland (1W and 2L) on September 16, 1948.  

The 1949 season was a repeat of the previous year with the Pavs winning the League.  The Baltimore Blue Birds join the Lakeshore league, the Pavs won the league against Grafton and proceeded to beat Newmarket and Belleville in Provincial playoffs but then lost to Midland in 2 straight games.  The Hamilton Township Girls Softball League was active and included teams from Precious Corners, Cold Springs, Plainville and Harwood.  

In 1950, Thomas “Shammy” Shaw became the new President of the Lakeshore League.  He actively promoted girl’s softball in Cobourg by trying to organize a Junior Division so girls of all ages could play.  He not only sat as President but he also wrote newspaper articles which appeared in the local papers where he recounted the games and highlighted players.  He expanded the league by including Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Bowmanville, Baltimore, Trenton, Belleville, Grafton, Westmount and Cobourg.  The Cobourg Pavs won this league but lost to Agincourt in the Provincials.  The Hamilton Township League also was running and included teams from Cold Springs, Harwood and Plainville.

1951 was a successful year for the Cobourg Pavilions as they brought home the Ontario AA Championship.  This year the team played in the Peterborough City League and was coached by Shammy Shaw.  It is unclear how they did in the league but they continued to the provincial playoffs and won against Woodstock.  They captured the provincial crown after defeating Sault Ste Marie in two games straight. This was Cobourg’s first Provincial Championship. Members of the team included:  Isobelle Reedy (C), Noreen Hart (1B), Helen Cane (2B), Rosemary Bulger (SS), Betty Fisher (3B), S. Huffman (RF), R. Hills (CF), Georgina Hebert (LF), Shirley Slater (P), June Davis (P), Audrey Dufton, Betty Slater, and Jackie Stothart.

In 1952, Shammy Shaw’s team changed their name from the Pavilions to the Victorias.  They again entered the Peterborough league with Peterborough (3 teams), Lindsay and Belleville. They once again won the league and were ready for the Provincial playoffs. They were awarded the PWSU AA title without playing a single game, the reason not being stated in the Cobourg Sentinel Star, August 21, 1952.  

This championship gave the team back-to-back Ontario AA titles.  Members included:  pitchers, Shirley Slater, June Davis, Barbara Bailey, Betty Slater; catcher Isobelle Reedy; 1st base, Noreen Hart and Rosemary Throop; 2nd Ivy Cockburn; 3rd Betty Fisher; SS Rosemary Bulger, Lois Shaw, Beth McGuire; OF Carol Mellis, Anne Bulger and R. Hills.

In 1953, a revision was made to the classification of women’s softball based on population and zones. Cobourg and Port Hope were considered one zone, combining their populations and putting them in the same category as the bigger centres.  On May 7, 1953, an article was written describing this move and the need to revitalize the minor divisions of girl’s ball.  There aren’t any further articles written about women’s softball until the early 60’s when once again the girls “hit the field”.

Updated August 2020

By Ewart Timlin, Manager   Edited by Donna Cole

Pre-Cats (1973)
Where the h--- is Cold Springs? That was a common question people asked about our ball team in the 80's and 90's, especially when we traveled out of province. However, in the 60's and early 70's everyone usually played for their own team in Cobourg or Port Hope, or their village such as Bewdley, Harwood, Baltimore, Plainville, or Cold Springs. Therefore, everyone knew everyone else who played softball.

And there were several local leagues in which to participate, such as the Port Hope Town League, Cobourg Town League, Haldimand League, Cobourg Industrial League, and of course the Hamilton Township League. All the leagues were well organized and highly entertaining, as witnessed by the huge crowds at playoff time, when I've seen the parks in places such as Cold Springs and Plainville packed with exuberant fans.

The executive of each league controlled the player eligibility of each locale as well. For example, in the Hamilton Township League for several years, we were only allowed two imports. An import, at that time, might come all the way from Cobourg, Port Hope, or a different township.

After participating in the Hamilton Township League for a number of years, the team decided to go one step further and try OASA Championship play. We chose a few pickups from the Hamilton Township League in order to participate in the OASA Men's C playdowns, and we were fairly successful.

Even though the township league was great locally, we realized that in order to meet good playmanship every night, we should proceed to another league, perhaps the Peterborough City League. Nevertheless, there were several key questions about the change.

Another key query that has been asked is "How did the name Cats originate?" In the mid-seventies, Keith Ferguson, who followed our team as his brother Ivan played with us, was continually cheering us on by shouting, "Let's go Cats!" This title permeated throughout the years for Cold Springs.

Cats History (1975-2004)
Is this team competitive enough to enter our league? This was the question that the executive officers of the Peterborough City League asked Ross and I when we attended their inaugural meeting in the winter of '74-'75. We certainly proved that we were competitive enough because we finished in first place in the league that summer, and also won the OASA Intermediate C title on a bitter October weekend in Capreol. Thus, the Cats came into existence in 1975, but little did we know that we would continue in the great game of fastball for approximately the next 30 years.

The nucleus of the Cats in 1975 hailed from Cold Springs and other areas of Hamilton Township. It included John Maughan, Harold Lang, Ivan Ferguson, Jeff Timlin, Lorne Jamieson, Ewart Timlin, Lynn Thackeray, John Cane, Bill Cane, Don McDonald, Paul Hasson, Jim Bradford, Roger Cole, Ray Bickle and Allan Burnham. Doug Alderson and Craig Gray acted as coaches while Ivan West served as manager.

1976
In 1976 the Cats participated in a new league called the Eastern Ontario Fastball League. Along with Cold Springs it included teams from Belleville, Trenton, Picton, Brighton, Campbellford, Cobourg, and Peterborough. The Springs played well and earned a first-place finish. However, in league play-offs the team was defeated by Belleville Devolins. Nevertheless, we successfully defended our Intermediate C crown by defeating teams from Brighton, Campbellford, Elgin, Port Elgin, and finally Capreol.

1977
The Cats had a poor year participation-wise. We finished in fourth position in the E.O.F.L. and were knocked out of provincial play-downs by Campbellford.

1978
There was new hope and several new faces in our line-up in 1978. Additions to our roster included Mike Mclvor, Ed Ristan, Phil Krauter, Neil Francis, Marty Kernaghan, Bill Ryan, Roger Mcintosh and Terry Irwin. Jim Chase was our new coach replacing Bill Rollings, who acted in this capacity in 1976 and 1977. Ewart Timlin served as manager again. In the E.O.F.L. not only were we pennant winners but also play-off champions. In Intermediate B play-offs we conquered Braeside (near Pembroke) and Bradford. Nevertheless, in a close series, the Cats were eliminated by Port Elgin.

1979
This was our final year in the E.O.F. L. as the league folded that fall. New players included the following: Bill Elliott, Don Elliott, Roger Alexander, Rick Palmateer, Jim Flesch, Terry Lewis, and Barry Dawe. Jim Chase again acted as coach and Ewart Timlin as manager. Our fortunes seemed to rise this season and we finished in first place. Unfortunately, the Cats were defeated in league play-offs and Ontario play-downs by Picton who went on to become Ontario Champions.

1980
In 1980, we participated, for the first time, in the Oshawa City and District League. In order to strengthen our team for senior play-offs we added several new players. They included Don and Jim Burkitt, Stephen Mitts and Paul Goodfellow. The Oshawa City and District League included teams from Oshawa, Whitby, Stouffville, and of course, Cold Springs. We were successful in finishing in first place during the regular season but were eliminated in play-offs by the Oshawa Merchants.

In the Senior A Ontario Eliminations in London, twenty six teams competed for the Gold Medal. The Cats defeated Toronto Fred's Sports 2-0, Sault Ste. Marie 1-0, Sarnia Gils 3-2, Oshawa Motor Carriers 3-0, and in the final game, Sarnia Gils 3-0. Mike Mclvor was declared the Most Valuable Player when he hit three home runs during the tournament.

Roger Cole and Jim Burkitt shared the pitching duties. They had only two runs scored on them during the tournament and they were both unearned. In being declared the Sr. A Champions, the Cats earned the right to represent Ontario.in the Canadian National Softball Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. To reinforce our roster, we added a powerful hitting pitcher - Steve Virag from London and brutal batter Phil Solomon from Oshawa.

In Saskatoon the Cats did themselves, their fans and Ontario proud. We finished with a 4-2 record in the national event. No team won more games in the preliminary round than Cold Springs. Six clubs had 3-1 credentials and the tie had to be broken by comparing the runs for and against differential. Winnipeg earned first place with a plus 9 and Cold Springs had a plus 5 for a fifth-place finish.

Cats were the only team in the entire tournament to beat the eventual Canadian Champions from Nova Scotia. They nipped the Elks, 2-1, in an extra inning on Friday in their final game of the preliminary round. The irony of the situation was it cost Cats to be the home team in this case. Two men were on base when Al Burnham cracked a double in the bottom of the eighth inning and both would have scored had the game not been over as soon as the first runner (Terry Lewis) crossed the plate with the winning run. If the Cats had been the visitors, both runs would have counted, elevating them into the top four in the standings. That would have qualified Cold Springs for the double knockout elimination round rather than the single knockout section.

It should also be noted that Cold Springs also beat the silver medal team in the preliminary round. The Cats faced the legendary Gene McWillie from Saskatoon All-0-Matics, representing Saskatchewan, and tagged him with the defeat.
In all the games played in the Nationals, the Springs finished No. I in defensive play. However, our hitting was suspect and we finished 8th in this category.

Cold Springs felt the loss of Paul Goodfellow early in the tournament when a base runner collided with him and cracked his ribs. Bill Elliott got a standing ovation from the crowd on his last trip to bat. What an amazing year!

1981
During 1981, we played for our last time in the Oshawa City and District League. Additions to our line-up included Dave Ruthowsky, Bryan Madge and Doug Christie. We attained the league pennant and play-off championship this year. In the Ontario Sr. B Play downs we were eliminated by the host club Sault Ste. Marie.

1982
In 1982 Cats took a major step and joined the Ontario Fastball League (OFL). In the league itself we did very well for a rookie team and finished in 3rd place. During playoff competition, the Cats eliminated Owen Sound (led by pitcher Brad Underwood) but in turn were defeated by Agincourt (pitcher Jim Cowdrey), who were the Ontario Sr. A Champions for 1982.

1983
Cats moved up to second spot in the OFL in a problem-plagued 1983 and pushed Agincourt to the very limit in playoffs to lose by a single run in the final game.

1984
In 1984, the Cold Springs Cats team folded and consequently several members - namely John Maughan, Ivan Ferguson, Gary Vowles, Harold Lang and I joined the Cobourg's Bruce and Rick's OASA Intermediate B squad (Other members such as Pete Harrison, Dave Ruthowsky, Paul Marineau, and Roger Cole joined Tex's Rangers as a Senior B squad). In the OASA Championship game Trenton defeated Bruce and Rick's with Jim Burkitt, another ex-Cat, the victorious pitcher.

1985
After a one-year hiatus in 1984, life was rekindled in 1985, when the Cold Springs Cats elected to return to the Oshawa City Softball League rather than return to the shaky Ontario Fastball League. Cats, who once upon a time belonged to the Oshawa group, participated in a league comprised of Oshawa Copperfields, Port Perry, Whitby, Durham Merchants, and Oshawa Juniors.

Playing for the Senior B Cats that year were Bill Elliott, Perry Bowles, Brian Condon, Roger Cole, Wayne Wells, Stephen Mitts, Gary Hope, Terry Bowles, Jeff Timlin, John Maughan, Mike Mclvor, Paul Marineau, Marvin Moore, Ray Bickle, John MacDonald and Peter Harrison.

In 1985 the Cats signed their second "King" when they acquired National Hockey League star Bernie Nicholls. Nicholls, who played for the Los Angeles Kings, added a great deal of flair and depth to the shortstop position. At Kemptville, during the Senior A Eliminations, I offered to pay Bernie for his hotel reservations, along with the other players. Bernie replied nonchalantly, "That's okay E.T.; I sleep in a pup tent."

1986, 1987
In 1986 and 1987 the Cats were mainly a tournament team. They were quite successful in winning the annual tournaments in Hastings and Port Perry. However, in 1986, in the Intermediate B Championship tournament in Mitchell and in the Intermediate A tournament in Norwich the following year, the club achieved limited success.

1988
The executive of our team decided to host the OASA Intermediate A Championship tournament in Baltimore in the summer of 1988. After a great deal of planning, the weekend tourney was blessed with super weather and fine fastball involving eight teams from North Bay to Caledonia. Nevertheless, the Cats finished with a 2 and 2 record, but acquired loads of great memories in off-the-field activities.

1989
The Cold Springs Cats, who started the eighties by dropping a bombshell in winning the Ontario Senior Elimination Tournament, finished the decade with another startling explosion in North Fredricksburgh in September, by claiming the 1989 OASA Men's B Championship title. Cats surprised everyone, including themselves, by scratching and clawing for all their worth to reel off four straight wins in the eight-team, double knockout tournament and become all-Ontario title holders.

En route to earning the area's first ever Men's B title, Cats blanked Wahnapotae 5-0 and nipped Petrolia Squire Tavern 4-3 in 10 innings on Saturday, shaded Kirkland Lake Federal Tavern 1-0 in two extra innings Sunday morning, and then climaxed the weekend with a 2-0 verdict over the same Kirkland Lake team in the afternoon final.

The Cats now claim to having won provincial crowns in three different categories in our history: Men's C in 1975 and '76, Senior A in 1980, and Men's B in 1989. Roger Cole, John Maughan, GM Ewart Timlin, and director Ross Timlin are the only four men to have been part of all four of these Ontario championships by Cold Springs.

Veteran pitcher Roger Cole, named the Most Valuable Player in the tournament, said that he'd never before played on a team where there were no dominant figures and where all of the players had pitched in to contribute something significant to the cause. ln his estimation, the Cats performed as well as they possibly could as a team to make the fantasy come true.

Updated August 2020

Cricket like most other sports was brought to North America. The earliest record of a cricket match being played in Canada, by civilians, appears in the form of a reference to a game played at Ile-Ste-Helene, near Montreal, in 1785. Cricket is one of the oldest sports played in Cobourg. It was popular well into the 1890s.

The Colonel’s game of cricket had much in its early favour. Youth from around Ontario, educated at Upper Canada College and themselves member of the colony’s conservative ruling class, brought the game back to their small towns where they in turn assumed leading positions as members of the judiciary, local government and the medical profession. Cricket was their informal means of maintaining the social cohesion of a local ruling class as well as providing opportunities to meet with the elite of Upper Canada.

The Cobourg Star in July 1843, as reported in the book ‘Sixty Years of Canadian Cricket’ says that " These are just our opinions, and we feel proud in witnessing the introduction into this province of those fine manly sports of Old England. We love every recollection of our early home; and we are fully convinced that the more frequently these recollections are called up, the more we will admire and the more firmly we will cling to that glorious country. The sports of the people have much to do with the formation of national character and the time occupied by a game of cricket is far better spent than in political meetings or party brawling."

And from the same book “On the 28th day of August, 1843, a match was played between Toronto and Cobourg on the grounds of the former club. The scores were: Toronto, 72 and 36; Cobourg, 30 and 23; the home team winning by 53 runs. The principal scorer for the losers, Dr. Goldstone, was the only player to make double figures, with 10, not out, and 0, to his credit. The bowling of Buck and Bourne for Cobourg, and Winckworth and Maddock for Toronto, was excellent.”

A minute book from 1846 of this earliest known cricket club in Cobourg contains printed rules of cricket with “Practical Hints To The Young Cricketer” by G.A. Barber, a member of the Toronto Cricket Club.

On May 9, 1846, the first meeting that year of the Cobourg Cricket Club was held at the Globe Hotel. R.H. Throop was the Chairman and the following Officers were elected:
President:          Dr. Goldstone
Vice President:  George Daintry
Treasurer:          H.J. Ruttan
Secretary:          W.C. Crofton
Committee:        Messrs. Tremaine, Buck and J. Bunbury

There were two categories of members; Playing and Honourary. A Playing Member was liable to be called on to play in any match. A fine of 7½ D was levied against anyone who failed to appear when the wickets were pitched, or left before a match ended.

Matches were played during the season of 1846. Among them one at Bowmanville which is fully reported in the Minute Book under June 8th. The Cobourg club was invited to play a friendly match against the Bowmanville club on the 17th. It was suggested that the Cobourg players should come up to Bowmanville by the “America” on Wednesday evening as there were no railways in Ontario at the time. Travel would have to be either by steamer or by stage coach.

Bowmanville beat Cobourg by 24 runs. A month later Cobourg hosted Bowmanville. For Cobourg, Bunbury made 12 and 7, Corrigal 20 and 8, Burnham 12 and 1. After a heavy shower fell between innings, Bailey for Bowmanville tumbled head first on his wicket in running. The umpires could not agree as to whether he was out or not, and it was agreed by both elevens to leave the decision to the Toronto Cricket Club, who decided against Bailey, and 20 runs were deducted from his score. Bowmanville still won 38 and 91, Cobourg, 64 and 40.

Trinity College and Port Hope also had cricket teams. At a match in June 1878 Port Hope had 91 and 50 for 5 wickets and Cobourg had 89 and 52. For Cobourg, Osier made 45. For Port Hope, H. Ward made 15 and 15, Weston 14 and 5 (not out), H. Read 14 (not out), G. F. Hall 5 and 14, Butcher 1 and 13 (not out).

A Cobourg cricket team in the 1880s toured the United States with success and played many matches in Cobourg with visiting clubs. Members of the touring team included J.D. Hayden, Fred Smith, J.H. Munson, Douglas Armour, Alex Hargraft, John Hargraft, Albert Woods and Lyman Kennedy.

The New York Times of August 11, 1880 reported that the Longwood Club of Boston would be playing at the Cobourg club after playing matches in Hamilton and Toronto.

Cricket continued to be popular for a number of years. A meeting to organize the sport for 1894 was described in the Sentinel Star on April 13, 1894: “One of the most successful cricket meetings ever held in Cobourg took place in the Dominion Bank last Monday evening. Over 30 members were present, and regrets were read from a number who were unable to be present. The membership fee was fixed at $2.00 and no doubt all lovers of the game will join the Cobourg club.”

One of the earliest references to a Grafton team occurs in 1867 when The Cobourg World reported a match between Grafton and the Brighton Cricket Club. The 1868 Grafton Cricket team included players Alex Godard, Jock Willoughby, Dr. William Willoughby, F.J. Bingley, John Johnston Jr., E.G. Tremain, J. Charles Rogers, Robert Z. Rogers, W. Standly, A.W.C. Bruce, James Barnum, F. Burnett, S.W. Cummings, and Alex Patterson. Local matches were played on the Roger’s field, west of Grafton’s Anglican church where the Haldimand arena stands today.

In “Sporting Notes” of the June 7, 1907 edition of the Cobourg Sentinel Star “The cricket club are arranging home games with Peterboro, Trinity College School of Port Hope, and Grace Church, Toronto. Tomorrow’s game between Port Hope and Cobourg should be a hot one. Port Hope defeated Cobourg in Port Hope last Saturday and Cobourg will have to win to keep at the head of the league. Cobourg’s home brews can be depended to win tomorrow against Port Hope Imports. Game called at 3 o’clock. Admission 25c, ladies and children 10c, ladies will be admitted free to the grandstand but gentlemen will be charged 10c extra”

The fate of cricket and baseball was inevitably tied up in the changing nature of Ontario society. Cricket began to decline as it and lacrosse were gradually supplanted by baseball’s growing popular appeal.

Sources:
“Cobourg 1798-1948” – E.C. Guillet, author
“Memories of Haldimand Township: When the Lakes Roared” – Haldimand’s History Committee, author
“Bowmanville: A Small Town at the Edge” – William Humber, author
“Sixty Years of Canadian Cricket” – Hall & McCulloch

Updated August 2020

Jeremiah Brown was born November 25, 1985 in Cobourg. He was the middle child, Julia younger and Jenny older. He and his family spent part of his youth living in Port Hope across the road from the Ganaraska River. In his late teens, in Cobourg, he tried to pull off a prank that landed him in jail for several days. He was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and 1 year of probation.

Jeremiah attended high school in Cobourg where his sport of choice was hockey. Because of the prank he had to change schools and drop hockey. He graduated and attended McMaster University in Hamilton. They didn’t have a varsity hockey team so he decided to learn how to play football. In his sophomore year he put on 40 pounds but only made the service team. In his third year he got to 255 pounds, could bench press 225 eleven times and earned a position on the Marauders Varsity Team as an offensive tackle. A shoulder injury half way through the season shut him down and though he played his final year, the shoulder injury became aggravated and he began looking for other sports opportunities.

In 2004 Jeremiah and his girlfriend Amy had an unexpected pregnancy and Ethan was born in May, 2005. It was a busy time with classes and child care for both Amy and Jeremiah and football for Jeremiah. When Jeremiah started looking for another sport, he recalled seeing an article in his youth about a Canadian world champion in single sculls working hard to win gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. By chance he entered a rowing fundraiser and then followed up with a look-see. He thought he could teach himself how to row! How wrong he was!

He borrowed a single scull for his first rowing venture and headed for Rice Lake. His first mistake was putting on the oar locks backwards causing him to fall into the lake after a mere 10 strokes. Undaunted and determined, he got himself back into the boat and tried again. He would experience many such dunkings into the water but he craved the challenge to excel. He would have to lose that weight but rowing would be easier on his shoulder. The day he saw on TV the Canadian Men's Eight Rowing Team win Gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Jeremiah set himself the “impossible” goal of winning Gold at the 2012 Olympics in London England, just 4 short years away.

Jeremiah and Amy and 3-year-old Ethan moved to British Columbia where he started working for a TD bank in Victoria. Victoria was where the national men’s eight rowing team trained. He met Doug White who agreed to be his rowing coach. He started a learn-to-row program in the Canadian national program and spent some 1700 hours in training. By the fall of 2009 he was able to row 200 metres and was able to represent British Columbia in the Nationals.

In 2010 he earned a silver medal at the national championships in the single sculls. In January 2011 he was named to the national rowing team. He began working with renowned coach Mike Spracklen. Spracklen was a polarizing figure as Jeremiah expressed in his feelings “I felt a lot of rage towards him (yes, RAGE) at various times in the two years leading  up to the Olympics...Mike was the only person around who had coached athletes to Olympic medals...he was my ticket to the podium”.

In further describing those months of grueling training Jeremiah provides insight into what drives an elite athlete despite injury and other obstacles: “There is not a clear answer to why we willingly suffer on a daily basis. Before I began training at this level, I thought it had to be the ego and even vanity that pushed athletes on in the pursuit of an Olympic gold medal. But the ego gets broken down in those first 2 months of training and vanity is overshadowed by fatigue and, at times, despair.

At some primitive level we all have a disposition towards fighting or fleeing. The elite athlete is a fighter. When tested, he or she will feel the same symptoms as their fleeing counterpart; fear, nervousness, tension, anxiety, etc, the difference being that something irrational will compel the elite athlete to fight and overcome these symptoms just because it's in their nature. That's why I suffer. I don't have a choice.  I'm a fighter and I can't turn it off. (Jeremiahspeaks.com).

Jeremiah won bronze at the World Championships as part of the men’s eight. 3 weeks before the 2012 Olympics he was named to the men’s eight team. All that hard work paid off for Jeremiah and the dream of standing on the podium at London was realized. After a potentially disastrous preparatory heat, the Canadians fought off the British and Australians in an exciting final, almost catching the Germans, but thrilled to be second and silver!

Following the Olympics Jeremiah had three herniated discs and had ruptured tendons in his fingers. And mentally he had had enough of rowing. Jeremiah counts himself lucky that he was spared the post-Olympic depression that afflicts many other athletes. Part of the way forward was to throw himself into one of his other passions, music. He plays the drums He was named an Honourary Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2013 for his advocacy for the arts.

In the summer of 2014 Jeremiah and family moved to Peterborough to be closer to his parents in Cobourg and Amy’s business, West Pines Park Resort, north of Bancroft. Several months later Jeremiah was selected by the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national manager of Game Plan, the COC's program to help elite athletes make the transition to the next chapter of their lives. “A lot of athletes find it difficult, I found it difficult coming from the Olympics.

There is a transition that needs to happen and an identity shift that needs to happen, there is an ego check that needs to happen ... it’s a really tough time for Olympic athletes and athletes who identify (with the Olympics). That’s their life. Here I was, I was someone who played different sports, I had my degree, I even had marketable skills in finance that I could still presumably find a job fairly easily compared to my peers and I still found it challenging and to this day it is challenging”.

Jeremiah’s accomplishments include developing the Game Plan Education Network, which saw Canada’s leading universities sign on to provide more flexibility and support for Canada’s national team athletes; the Game Plan Employer Network, a brand new recruiting resource connecting Canada’s top companies with Canada’s top athletes; developing a partnership with Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, which will provide over $11 million in direct scholarship to retired Olympians and Paralympians.

The work of Jeremiah and his team has been featured by major news outlets including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CTV, CBC, Radio Canada, and Al Jazeera. Jeremiah has been consulted by the International Olympic Committee for his expertise while continuing to support the development of athlete welfare programs around the world.

After the Olympics Jeremiah also began writing. His plan was to self-publish an e-book for college rowers – part memoir, part how-to. Feedback from rowers he sent a draft to was they wanted to hear more about his story and the motivations that drove him. In total it took Jeremiah 5 years to write the book. In early 2018 The 4 Year Olympian, was published by Dundurn Press. It spent five weeks as the #1 bestselling sport memoir in Canada, and has achieved a cult-like following in Canada and the USA. The book has transcended the sport memoir genre with its raw honesty and appeal to anyone chasing a big dream.

Following the release of his bestselling book Jeremiah recreated his amazing journey into an emotionally captivating experience. Consistently ranked as one of the top speakers on transformation, resilience, teamwork, and leadership, Jeremiah brings an engaging warmth and humour while delivering powerful, inspiring keynotes. Through his talks, Jeremiah has inspired thousands of people around the world.

Jeremiah Brown spent his life harnessing the power of resilience to adapt to new environments and overcome setbacks.

Updated August 2020