Here's how a 'ragtag' Placentia team captured N.L.'s first Canadian junior softball title

For the archetypal clip successful nearly a quarter-century, Dick Davis walks down location sheet astatine the William Hogan Memorial Ball Field successful the Placentia, N.L. community of Dunville.

He was a standout catcher successful his younger years, and this utilized to beryllium his office. He relished being astatine the centre of each the enactment arsenic helium discreetly utilized his fingers and assemblage movements to pass with his pitchers, who routinely unleashed blistering throws of implicit 100 km/h from conscionable 46 feet away.

"I played hundreds and hundreds of games here," helium says arsenic helium passes his ft backmost and distant implicit the plate, clearing distant the sand.

Davis is present successful his precocious 60s, and though his knees are amazingly pain-free for a feline who spent years squatting behind the plate, his throwing limb is rusty due to the fact that it's been a fewer decades since helium played the crippled helium erstwhile loved.

But his representation of a peculiar time successful August 1975, and a thrilling game-winning play that made softball past for Newfoundland and Labrador, is arsenic caller arsenic ever.

"I retrieve it weekly," says the softball hallway of famer.

Davis was a cardinal subordinate of the Placentia Intertown All-Stars. They were a legendary squad of outport softballers from tiny Placentia Bay communities similar Fox Harbour, who defied each the likelihood by capturing the 1975 Canadian inferior men's championship. It was the first-ever nationalist softball title for the province.

This summertime marks the 50th day of that historical sporting achievement, and immoderate members of that squad precocious gathered astatine their aged shot tract to reminisce astir a triumph that enactment Newfoundland and Labrador connected the nationalist softball map, and paved the mode for aboriginal generations of nationalist champions similar Steve Mullaley, Jason Hill, Sean Cleary, Brad Ezekiel and Shane Boland.

"We weren't adjacent connected the radar erstwhile we got there. We were conscionable a participant," Davis said of his team's aboriginal beingness astatine the Gordie Howe Sports Complex successful Saskatoon.

Indeed, they were a clump of unknowns, and were expected to marque casual pickings for softball hotbeds similar Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Manager Len Hickey uses the connection "ragtag" to picture the squad of young men, galore of whom had ne'er travelled acold from their hometowns, fto unsocial measurement ft onto a jet airplane.

They besides had to rapidly accommodate to playing, for the archetypal time, astatine nighttime nether blinding tract lights.

WATCH | Players reunite connected the softball tract 50 years aft a nationalist championship:

"We didn't person uniforms that fit," helium recalls.

The squad borrowed jerseys from the Fox Harbour league team, with the words "Fox HR" connected the chest.

People connected the prairies had no thought that "HR" was an abbreviation for "harbour," truthful the gritty and lively Newfoundlanders, who stayed focused by playing and singing "Newfie" euphony successful the dugout, quickly became known arsenic the "Fox H.R." team.

"We didn't get a batch of respect astatine the start," Hickey said.

But arsenic the tourney progressed, the wins started piling up and radical were talking astir the pitching prowess of Eugene Emberley and Frank Kelly, a tandem that mowed down batters similar dominos, and the cat-like reflexes and earthy talent of infielders similar Dan Hann, Jim Pittman, Rick Foley and Clarence Canning.

"We became the darlings of the fans," said Hickey.

On Aug. 10, 1975, the Placentia squad faced Alberta successful the final.

Through the archetypal six innings, determination was nary score, and Emberley, arsenic usual, was throwing laser beams.

In the apical of the seventh, with 2 out, Frank Kelly broke the scoreless deadlock by launching a solo location run.

It would beryllium each the Newfoundlanders needed to seal victory, but not earlier Alberta attempted a comeback successful the bottommost of the inning, opening with a one-out triple that brought the ample assemblage to life.

With the tying tally conscionable 60 feet distant from location plate, an Alberta subordinate blooped a pop-up implicit 2nd base, wherever Mike Pittman was patrolling successful heavy centre field. He charged astatine apical velocity and made an acrobatic shoe-string drawback for the 2nd out.

"I wouldn't accidental there's a chap successful the majors who could person made that catch," says Jim Pittman, Mike's member and teammate.

The Alberta subordinate connected 3rd tagged up and started for home, but Mike Pittman came up throwing and fired a dart to location plate.

Davis already had his spikes dug successful connected the right side of the plate, and a one-hopper from Pittman landed perfectly successful Davis's glove.

"He had obscurity to go. We had him by half-a-step. He was dead. He didn't person a chance," Davis recalls.

After what seemed similar an eternity, the umpire screamed "OUT!," and pandemonium ensued due to the fact that astir Saskatoon fans astatine the crowded tract were cheering for the Fox HR team.

Emberley, who was backing Davis connected the throw, lifted his catcher into the air.

"I can't retrieve a batch aft that, but it was a fabulous play," said Davis.

"We each could person been paid half-a-million and not felt immoderate better. It meant that much. It was conscionable unreal," said Hann, who, on with Canning and Placentia manager Bill Hogan, were named to the tournament all-star team.

"We were diggers and worked hard, and it paid off," added Jim Pittman.

Emberley, meanwhile, was the tournament's most-valuable player.

It was a aureate finish, but the Placentia squad had to flooded immoderate superior obstacles to get to Saskatchewan.

After qualifying arsenic the provincial champions, they scrambled to rise much than $10,000 to screen question expenses. And the time earlier their departure date, Air Canada employees went connected strike.

But manager Hogan, the well-connected Dunville nonmigratory and aboriginal municipal and provincial politician, worked immoderate magic with the then-federal curate of transport, Jean Marchand.

"He was capable to get a committedness from [the minister] that if a level went retired of Newfoundland, we'd beryllium connected it," Hickey explained.

Jim Pittman says Bill Hogan's power connected the tract was besides instrumental, due to the fact that helium instilled a never-quit cognition and was a stern and demanding coach.

"He wanted to triumph and everybody listened to him," said Pittman.

The squad returned location to a hero's welcome, and a raucous solemnisation astatine the aged P4 Club successful Placentia.

The acquisition changed the lives of immoderate of the players, with immoderate going connected to prima connected the nationalist country for years.

A half-century later, they're all successful their precocious 60s and aboriginal 70s, but 5 members — Bill Hogan, Eugene Emberley, Mike Pittman, Clarence Canning and Alf Hatfield — have passed away.

But their legacies unrecorded connected due to the fact that each these guys made softball history, in the most dramatic mode possible.

Download our free CBC News app to motion up for propulsion alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to sojourn our landing page