The Chilliwack Progress from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada • Page 27

THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS WEEKENDER, Friday, June 12, 1992 27 Russ Ullyot Sports Reporter Colts continue to show a winning baseball form The Evergreen Colt AAA Baseball League Chilliwack Sox were winners in Abbotsford, page 28. THE WEEKENDER PORTS rDetermined runner' New staff to lead Chiefs Menard and Kincaid appointed Chiefs' officers for 1992-93 season By Russ Ullyot 1 IT i I w' 1 v'. 1 1 he commented. The other move by Brew is to turn the every-day running of the club over to Shelly Kincaid. A tireless volunteer worker the past two seasons, she has been hired to look after all related off-ice duties.

"You could call her the manager," said Brew. "She will be looking after everything but the coaching and recruiting." This year's season will get underway in August, with a combined Junior 'A' and 'B' evaluation camp in Richmond, with Chiefs' training camp opening in late August. In other related BCJHL news, The Merritt Centennials will be around to play another season. Centennials owner Brian Barrett confirmed Wednesday that the Interior Division team will operate during the upcoming season. At the governor's meetings conducted last week, Barrett had requested a leave-of-abscence for the 1992-93 season.

Acceptance of Barrett's request was delayed by league officials while they conducted a media blitz of the Merritt area to see what public interest there still was in the team. At a public rally on Wednesday more than 120 hockey fans attended. The enthusiastic crowd formed committees, a booster club and pledged financial support to keep the Cent's alive. Barrett, glowing from the support announced to BCJHL president Ron Boileau, made his own announcement that he was withdrawing his request for a leave-of-absence. "If each of these wonderful people can volunteer an hour or two a week to the hockey team we will have our most successful season ever," Barrett said.

Merritt keeps the number of BCJHL teams at 10. The Centennials play in the Interior Division along with the Vernon Lakers, Penticton Panthers, Kelowna Spartans and Chilliwack Chiefs. Staff Reporter Donneau Menard is the new head coach of the Chilliwack Chiefs. The former-assistant coach of the B.C. Junior Hockey League club will look after the coaching and recruiting duties this season, confirmed team owner Al Brew on Wednesday.

Although the team had made no official announcement, Brew said Menard had been appointed the new head mentor shortly after the completion of the past season. Brew replaces Eddy Beers, who had come to the Chiefs at the start of 1991-92 season. The Chiefs' owner said Beers had indicated in January he wanted to move on. Brew said the announcement of new head coach was withheld because he was originally looking to sell the team. "We were looking to sell the team," Brew said.

"It was purely a financial situation, we can't continue to lose money like we are." Always a risky business, Brew indicated no exact figures on how much money the club lost this past season except to say "it was more than I would care to lose." But the only owner the Chiefs have known is back for another season, with some changes he hopes will save the club some money. One of those cost-cutting measures to be implemented this season is going with a short roster. "We talked about it last year, but I have insisted upon it this season," Brew said. "It means less billeting, which is one of our major costs. It will also give the players more ice time, which will hopefully make them happier players." Brew said the insistence of going with just the minimum number of players is the availability of talent from the Richmond Sockeyes.

We have an affiliated club, but haven't made much use of them," Pony Sox catch fire Pitching gives Sox winning spirit These Sox are not slouching anymore. Thanks to some impressive pitching, the Pony Tier One Chilliwack Sox are keeping the opposition off the base paths and "winning ball games. With two games to play the Sox have placed themselves solidly into third place in the Fraser Valley Baseball League. It wasn't that long ago that these Chilliwack Sox, one of two local teams that participate in the Tier One loop, were full of holes rather than the natty version displayed last weekend. As recent as June 5, the Sox were bombed 14-3 at home by second-place Abbotsford Ritchie Smith.

The team's record dropped to five wins, eight losses and. one tie. The following day, June 6, a rejuvenation of sorts took place for the 13-14-year-old players. The Sox travelled to Abbotsford where they edged Alpha Fireplace, who were tied with the Sox in the standings, 3-2. The Chilliwack team got the first of four complete games in a row from its pitching staff, Jason Emery tossed a six-hitter, striking out 12 and not allowing any base on balls.

Then on Sunday, the Chilliwack Sox downed city-rival Fraser Valley Vending Sox, who had also been tied with Chilliwack heading into the weekend, 9-3 and 6-2 in a double header played at Fairfield Island Park. The Sox received outstanding pitching performances from Scott Simpson and Galen Johnston. Simpson tossed a four-hit, five-inning complete game in the opener, while contributing at bat with a triple and single, and scoring one run. In game two, Johnston went seven innings, surrendering five hits, striking out six and walking two. A three-run first inning, which took advantage of two Vending errors sparked the offence.

Vending made seven errors in the game, which led to four unearned runs. The Chilliwack Sox completed a five-game, four-day slate Monday, by getting a three-hit shutout performance from Emery in downing Mission 3-0 in Mission. Again the left hander showed excellent control on the mound, striking out six and issuing one walk. With the four wins, Chilliwack upped its record to 9-8-1 on the season. As for Fraser Valley Vending, Sunday's two losses combined with a 5-1' defeat to first-place Clearbrook Sports on Saturday See Pony 30 'J Photo by Rick Collins Jeff Jimmle of Bernard Elementary, here winning a 400-metre run, was one of the many outstanding athletes at the Chilliwack Elementary Track and Field Championships held Wednesday at Chilliwack Senior Secondary.

Story and results from the meet will be featured In The Progress this coming Wednesday. New West cabaret swings to softball title Gravel Sales top local team at Agassiz tourney They were in a party mood in Agassiz on Sunday and it was South City Cabaret leading the celebration. The New Westminster fast pitch softball club scored a 5-1 victory over Abbotsford Sumas Turf and danced into the night with the championship trophy of the annual Agassiz Fastball Tournament. Jim Haaheim got South City off to a winning start by belting a lead-off home run in the first inning. Haaheim had a hot bat all weekend, with the final game round-tripper being his fourth of the tournament.

The winning pitcher was Trevor Ward, selected the tournament's outstanding pitcher, distributing six hits over seven innings. Sumas got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning, but at the time were trailing 3-0. Ward's tournament numbers included 27 innings pitched, eight runs allowed and 20 strikeouts. The top batter award also went to a South City player. Rob Nehaj hit at a .533 clip for the weekend, including two home runs, two triples and two doubles.

The most valuable player in the tournament was Sumas Turf hurler Rick Unrau. He combined the best both on offence and defence. At the plate he hit for a .437 batting average, which included three home runs. In the pitching circle, the Cabaret pitcher tossed 29 innings and struck out 42 batters. Local interests in the 13-team tournament were held by three Chilliwack Men's Softball League.

Chilliwack Gravel Sales finished third, losing to South City in the 'B' final. Host-Agassiz Merchants placed fourth, losing to Gravel. Yarrow Wood finished in fifth place, also eliminated by the Sales team..