History of the A's

A's Pushed to Game Five in B. C.

BOXLA RIVALS CONFIDENT OF WIN TONIGHT 

MANN CUP RESTS ON VERDICT OF ATHLETICS AND FARMERS 

The St. Catharines Standard 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1941 

            Balanced on the border of Eastern and Western Canada, the Mann Cup trophy stands idly by while the Dominion’s two top-notch lacrosse teams are engaged in a see-saw series for the national title and possession of the trophy. 

            After twice inclining towards the east through the efforts of the Athletics from St. Catharines, Ontario champions, who on two occasions forged into a one-game advantage in the best-of-five series, the trophy today stands erect, due to the powers of the British Columbia champion Richmond Farmers, who battled back from the brink of elimination Friday night to knot the playoffs at two victories each. 

            After a week-end of rest the two teams will be unleashed for action in the fifth and deciding game here tonight. 

            St. Catharines, who were favored to sweep through the series, won the opening game 10-9 but dropped the second 21-10. The Easterners again went out in front by virtue of a 17-9 victory, but were over-hauled by Richmond to the tune of 14-11 necessitating the fifth, or “rubber” match. 

            Both teams appear confident of capturing the championship, but St. Catharines claimed to be playing under an annoying handicap, meaning the western referees’ interpretation of playing rules. 

            Beaten but undaunted, the St. Catharines squad filed into the dressing room after losing Friday’s encounter shouting the unanimous oath of  “Now we’ll have to do it the hard way.” 

            Billy Fitzgerald, spark-plug of the easterners during the series, slumped on the dressing room bench and, with a puzzled look, mumbled, “Gol darn it, I read the rule book through and through yesterday and they don’t call it the way I read it.” 

            Only comment of quiet-spoken Art Brown, St. Catharines coach, was “Well men, win or lose we go home Tuesday evening and I think it would be much nicer to take the Mann Cup with us.” 

            Jubilant with Friday’s victory, Coach Ed Gilmore of Richmond, shouted, “that’s the way to beat those guys, get the jump on them and run them ragged. We’ll polish them off Monday if we play the same game.”

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