 |
| Penrith Panthers Junior Baseball Club Return to Home Page HISTORY OF OUR CLUB Baseball came to the Penrith District in the early 1960�s, when Mr Les Clarke (who had played for Lane Cove in the Sydney Major League), introduced Baseball to St Nicholas Cricket Club who were looking for a Winter Sport. Old mits and bats were coerced by Les from Lane Cove Baseball Club, and, after mending the second hand equipment, the rules taught and a field pegged out, practice began at Jamison Oval. Old T�shirts and jeans were dyed black for the uniforms and a team was registered with the Cumberland Baseball Association in the Winter C Grade competition which was Sponsored by Ken Faulkner�s Esso Garage on Castlereagh Street. The following year, the C grade team won the Grand Final and was promoted to B Grade where they again won the Competition. The success of the team blossomed and after competing for just two years, they were again promoted and a further team was registered which meant we had a team in the A and C grade competitions. It was decided to develop Junior Teams within the district and St Dominics College was approached who, at that time, only provided Cricket and Rugby League for their students. Prior to age divisions being introduced, there was only one grade for players to play, which was the under 16 junior competition. This proved difficult for players who were younger and were required to compete against older juniors. The sport of baseball really began to boom in the Penrith region around 1967, when Brother Joseph Alexis Lambert was appointed as a Teacher at St Dominics College. Brother Lambert took over the role of co-ordinator of Baseball. He was given great support from teachers Cliff and June Bryan. Brother Lambert was a strong disciplinarian who disliked idleness and when he found boys doing nothing at recess or lunch, he would actively encourage them to �throw a ball�. In no time at all, kids came from everywhere to play this �new sport�. Even kids from the College Rugby League sides, wanted to join and learn the sport of baseball. Soon the College was fielding 9 teams in the Cumberland Junior Competition and at one time, there were more baseball teams than rugby league and cricket. Teams wore the College colours of white with blue trimmings and a blue undershirt. Teams were named; Falcons, Cheetahs, Hawks, Kites and Hornets, to name a just few. Some Players from the Senior St Nicholas Teams (Ken Masters, Les Clarke, Ray Hatter, John Hair and Terry Mullhall), took on the role of Coaching the sides whilst, Peter Hardy ( a retired player and qualified Umpire) was always willing to give assistance. Parents were willing to lend a hand at Scoring or transport where needed. Out of the 9 teams in the inaugural competition, 6 teams made the final playoffs. In 1969, the Under 16 Coach Ken Masters asked players who would be interested in playing in the Senior Competition. The first team was placed in the C grade competition and consisted of both Junior and Senior players. The team list was; Ken Masters, Harry Wilson, David Johnson, Mal Cross, John Stringer, Simon Bryan, Rod Morphett, Phil Horneman, David Blattman, Audie Au, Richard O�Neill and Michael O�Neill who was 13 at the time. The side performed above expectations but unfortunately were defeated in the Grand Final by Wolves. The first Representative player from our club was Alan Davis, who lived at Rooty Hill. Alan was a powerfully built right hand Pitcher and left hand Batter and he was selected in the Under 14 NSW side for the Australian Championships at Adelaide in 1968/69. He continued to play Baseball and went on to play 1st grade Baseball as well as 1st grade Cricket. Unfortunately, with the sudden death of Brother Lambert in early 1969 and a new Principal, sadly saw the end of Baseball being played at St Dominics College. However, Junior Baseball continued under the banner of Penrith Baseball. Most of the Junior players from St Dominics continued to play at our club who, was now being Sponsored by Panthers Leagues Club. We continued to play Baseball at Jamison Oval even though it was quite evident, the small portion of land provided, was not sufficient in diameter. The Senior Teams continued to play with an influx of Junior players. With an increase in the number of teams, the Club approached Penrith City Council to secure use of Howell Oval for the Winter months. However, there were ongoing problems with Cricket versus Baseball at Howell Oval and with a club membership rising overall, submissions were made to Penrith City Council in 1986 for a number of alternative sites. In approximately 1990, Penrith Baseball moved to Andrews Road Baseball Complex under separate club Executives. These being; Penrith Seniors Baseball Club and Penrith Panthers Junior Baseball Club Incorporated The fields on Andrews Road have progressively improved over the last 10 years, mainly due to the generous sponsorship of our supporters and the continued stream of dedicated volunteers who ensure that the fields are maintained at the best possible standard. Submissions have been made in the past to fence the fields to eliminate the fields being vandalized by cars. We are hopeful that Penrith City Council will approve this submission expeditiously. We are also fortunate to have Coaches who are highly qualified and experienced to teach players. Coaches such as Tony Myk, Mal Gallagher and Steve Forbes who have successfully Coached Representative sides and are now providing their skills to Juniors. The current Junior Committee have continued the efforts made by past Committee Members and have recently been able to get Dugouts and Scorer Shelters erected at all three Diamonds. The Committee�s efforts were recently recognized by Penrith City Council, wherein we received a Volunteers Award for Services to the Sport of Baseball within the Penrith region. This Award is proper recognition not only for the current Committee, but also for all the past Committee Members. My sincere thanks go to Mr John Dewberry, Mr Ken Masters and Mr John Stringer for providing a club history from the 1960�s onwards. Their immense contribution not only to the History of our Club but also their time and effort in making sure the sport of Baseball continues in the area of Penrith, should NEVER be forgotten. Kevin Jacobs President Penrith Panthers Junior Baseball Club Incorporated |
|
 |
|