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History of the A's |
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1921 Junior Champion Alerts |
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In 1921 the “Alerts” of the
St. Catharines junior lacrosse league had a very strong team with a number
of standouts including Percy Oille, Bill Pennie and Vince O’Brien. This
team won the O.A.L.A. junior championship the year before and they seemed
poised to make another good run at the provincial title once again. In August of that year they
played an exhibition game against the senior Athletics and came away with
a decisive 10 to 3 victory. The St. Catharines Standard would report that
they “romped home with a lead of seven goals, thus upsetting all the
dope of the dopesters who had the seniors all picked to win in a walk.” After winning the city
championship, the Alerts met Shelburne in a home and home, total goals to
count, playoff series. The Alerts had built up an 18 to 7 margin with a
big win in the first game in St. Catharines, but only managed to squeak
out a hard fought 7 to 6 win in Shelburne. Shelburne then lodged a protest
with the O.A.L.A. claiming that the Alerts had in fact used an overage
player. And they were quite correct. But the quick and firm decision of
the league executive was, to say the least, a bit lenient to the St. Kitts
youngsters. They ordered the two games already completed be thrown out,
and a sudden death playoff game be played at a neutral site (the Scarboro
Beach grounds) to determine the victor (minus of course, the guilty
over-aged players). The Standard would report in a
rather stern announcement that the team would be “without the services
of Phipps” and “LaFrance, who was obliged to leave the city since the
last game.” The big showdown in Scarboro
was played on Wednesday, Sept. 22nd 1921, and the Standard
would report that later that evening, “loud applause greeted the
announcement by Ald. J. D. Wright at the band concert in the Opera House
when he announced that the Alerts of St. Catharines had won the
sudden-death game at Scarboro Beach against the Shelburne team on a score
of 9 to 4.” What a great time it must have been to be a young lacrosse
player. The Alerts would beat out the
Toronto Beaches in the next round before squaring off against far-off
Hanover in the finals. Hanover at 120 miles distant from St. Catharines,
would be an over-night excursion by motor car to reach in 1921. To some
locals, it seemed like the end of the earth. A headline in the Standard on
October 12th read, “Alerts Start For Hanover; Are They
There?” The paper would state that “the Standard was unable to find
out where they spent the night, but it is probable that with any luck,
they should reach Guelph to spend the night. It is possible, however, that
the rain held them up in Hamilton; if so they will have to shake a leg in
order to get to Hanover in time to take the field for the game.” The team, along with thirty
supporters, made it on time and the Alerts beat the Hanover team by a
lowly 2 to 1 count on an extremely cold, mid-October weekday. That set up
the championship game in St. Catharines the following Saturday with the
teams nearly deadlocked in the total goals to count series. And the re ALERTS
BRING O.A.L.A. JUNIOR
CHAMPIONSHIP TO ST. KITTS SECOND CONSECUTIVE
YEAR HANOVER
DEFEATED
IN
RETURN
GAME
OF
FINAL 9 TO 2
ON
SATURDAY SCORE
WAS 11
TO 3
ON
WHOLE
ROUND The
St. Catharines Standard Monday,
October 17, 1921 For the second consecutive year
St. Catharines has landed the junior championship of the O.A.L.A. The Alerts, winners of the city
league, on Saturday concluded a season of unbroken victories when they put
the ambitious Hanover team for the second time in second place in the
provincial roll of honor on a score of nine to two. The Alerts, after capturing the
St. Catharines city league, which now appears to be paramount with the
O.A.L.A. championship, walked over the greatest obstacle in the way by
trimming the Toronto Beaches with less trouble than they had in defeating
Hanover. But in the latter achievement there entered elements that were
foreign to all other contests. Firstly a team must travel 120
miles in Canadian October weather in motor cars, cannot be expected to be
at its best. Each team had that experience. After the strenuous season
without sufficient revenue the Alerts on Saturday were favored with a
bumper attendance and while they won, it cannot be stated that in the
first half of the game they produced championship lacrosse. Just what the
cause may have been is hard to determine. The travel-worn visitors were
but one goal behind shortly after half-time, and had they been able to
pull off two-man combination plays on their home end in the first half
with the same alacrity that they did it once in the third and once in the
fourth quarters they could have had a lead of at least ten goals at half
time. This does not mean that the
spectators were not given a full bill of lacrosse by any means. The game
was fairly won and the losers, runners-up in the association fought
gamely, but they chose mainly the defensive attitude. For a team to
exhibit such gameness after adopting such tactics is indeed unique on the
local field. Right to the last second they were fighting tooth and nail in
a losing struggle. It may have been that their peculiar style disrupted to
some extent the St. Kitts plan of attack, in the first half. The last half
with brief exceptions developed into the old game of “put in and keep
out” with Messner, the Hanover goal tender in the limelight. His work
was nothing short of marvelous. There were times when he was ably assisted
by Lang, Beamish and Muter and other times when nearly the whole team was
playing defence, but less than half the shots that Messner stopped in the
last two quarters of the game would have doubly increased the Alerts
score. Individually the disparity
between the teams indicated by the score did not exist, but they lacked a
combined system of attack and an accompanying desire to get in on the
nets. They evidenced good sportsmanship and the champions showed their
appreciation of this spirit by entertaining the runners-up for the
championship to a dinner at the New Murray hotel after the game. That
dinner was participated by several supporters of the club and certain
representatives of the civic corporation. Ald. J. D. Wright, who in the
absence of the Mayor had faced the ball for the game, was the toastmaster
at the banquet. Fraternity and harmony reigned supreme at this gathering. Charles Driffell, B. Dankert
and J. O. Reid were among the Hanover spokesmen who expressed the visitors
appreciation of the honor bestowed upon them. Aldermen Graves and Dakers
tendered civic congratulations to the champions and paid tribute to the
gameness of the runners-up. Others called upon include, W.
J. Westwood, past president of the O.A.L.A., Referee Harcourt, F. J.
Dixon, James McIntosh, Fred Cunningham, Trainers Brown and Tufford, and
Geo. Kalls, Jno. Phelan, W. A. Moore in response to “The Press” and
Major H. B. Burgoyne for the management of the Standard, donors of the
city league championship cup, who stated that this year, The Standard
would supply individual medals for the players on the Alerts city league
championship team. Thos. Phelan, Manager James Lee
and Frank Colton, accompanist contributed to the musical offerings of the
evening. The Game The game was featured by the
close checking on the part of both teams, the Alerts defence in particular
showing up to good advantage in that kind of game. Haynes looked like the
best on the defence, many times intercepting passes and carrying the ball
up to the Hanover net, and if he could have shot straight, there would
have been a larger score, for he had many chances, nearly all of which
went wild. Loosemore went on the field in
the second period and heralded his coming with two goals inside of the
first two minutes of play. Pennie and Milligan showed up very well all
during the game on the home, along with Percy Oille who played both
defence and home and was always dangerous. Mr. R. J. Harrison of the Allen
Theatre, presented the Alert players with passes to the Allen, good for
two months. First Quarter The game started with the play
at the St. Kitts end of the lot, but close checking kept the ball out of
the net. After about five minutes of even play Milligan received a pass
and scored, and Barber and Hopkins both got the bench for slugging. The
Alerts made a couple of fast rushes but loose work around the net kept
them from registering again. Haynes showed up particularly well in this
period with his rushes down the field. Near the end of the quarter,
Brookland tossed the ball into an empty net. There was no more scoring in
this quarter, which ended two to nothing for the Alerts. Second Quarter Hanover started strong in the
second, and after playing around the net, Zimmer shot a hard one that
fooled Harris, for the first Hanover goal of the game. Muter took the
count and Pennie got the bench for five minutes. Oille took a clever pass
from Milligan and made it three for St. Catharines. Hanover got wild after
that and threw the ball to the four winds, not seeming to care where it
went. But the good work of Messner kept it out of the net and the quarter
ended 3 to 1 for the Alerts. Third Quarter In the third quarter, Loosemore
went on for Bye and Beamish and Brunt went on in place of Bushlin and
Hopkins. Loosemore got started right away and scored with two hot ones in
succession by some pretty individual work. The Alert home showed some
flashy work in this session and Pennie and Haynes both accounted for one
each. Birmingham was off for five minutes when Hillgartner went down,
minus most of his wind. The score at three quarter time was 7 to 1. Last Quarter St. Kitts got possession of the
ball at the face off and inside of one minute Barber found the net, making
it eight for the Alerts. Brookland threw the ball over the net and Pennie
knocked it into the net, but the goal was not allowed because Pennie got
on the goal tender’s property. George scored the second for the Hanover
bunch, beating Haynes and Harris. Pennie was laid out and Hopkins got the
bench for the usual five. Near the end of the game, Loosemore received a
pass in front of the net and sent in a hot one that got past Messner for
the last point of the game. The final score was 9 to 2. A bit of excitement was caused
near the dressing room when some over zealous fan from Hanover tried to
hit Brookland over the head with a megaphone. Sergt. Brett galloped to the
scene and restored peace before the melee got beyond bounds. The Teams St. Catharines – Harris,
goal; Haynes, point; Birmingham, cover point; Barber, Pennie, defence
field; Oille, centre; Brookland, Milligan, home field; Bye, outside;
McIntosh, inside; and Loosemore, spare. |