Jaguars Win Gold at Canadian Nationals in Cloverdale, British Columbia,
August 10 - 14, 2005 - Repeat as Canadian National Champions 2005
The team arrived in Cloverdale with
family and friends and supporters for a brief work out on Tuesday
afternoon prior to the opening of the tournament.
The Jaguars travelled to the Canadian
Nationals in Cloverdale Brtiish Columbia and returned with Gold
and repeated
as Canadian National Champions 2005,
something that as the Host Announcer said is unheard of at Bantam A
Softball.
'Markham Jaguars Girls Bantam A Fastball
Team Repeat as National Champion in British Columbia
The Markham Jaguars Girls Bantam A (Tier 1) Fastball Team defended
their Canadian National Bantam Girls Fastball Champions, won in 2004.
They earned their first title in Winnipeg in 2004 and repeated Sunday
August 14, 2005 in Cloverdale BC. The team is comprised of girls 15
and 16 years of age. The thirteen players on the team come from all
parts of the GTA including Brampton, Clarington, Etobicoke, Scarborough,
Pickering, NorthYork, Markham-Stouffville and Mississauga. They are
coached by Mr. Bob Acton for the last four years.
The Jaguars qualified for the Ontario Provincial Womens Softball Championship
by defeating teams from Whitby, Chingacousy and Brampton in Aurora,
Ontario at the Eastern Qualifier.
At the Provincial Championships held the weekend of July 22nd in Windsor,
Ontario they defeated teams from Kitchener, Whitby and Brampton winning
the Provincial Gold Medal and earned the right to defend their National
title in Cloverdale, British Columbia August 10 to 14, 2005 as the
No.1 Ontario team in the tournament. Brampton attended as the No. 2
Ontario team while Windsor attends at the No. 3 Ontario team by virtue
of the silver and bronze medal finishes.
In the first three days of Nationals round robin event the Jaguars
played teams from Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario.
They finished the round robin with a record of 5 and 1 which placed
them first in their Red Pool.
The Jaguars then took on the Richmond
Islanders from BC in the first game of the the elimination round.
In a thrilling
game the Jaguars
defeated them in a tie breaker by a score of 3 – 2. That set
up the game with the Surrey Storm, the host team from BC for a semi-final
game.
The semi-final game saw the Jaguars
and the Storm the battle for the entire contest. The Jaguars took
the game
in the bottom of the 7th
scoring to break the 0 – 0 tie and with home advantage took the
game.
The Jaguars then waited for the result
of the Surrey Storm – Brampton
Blazers game to take on the winner in the double knock out format.
Surrey was successful over Brampton 3 – 0.
The Championship game saw the Jaguars
pitted against the Storm in what proved to be a thriller. The Storm
took
the lead in the third
up 1 – 0. The Jaguars came back to tie in the 5th, making it
a 1 – 1 game. Right up to the 7th the game remain tied. The Jaguars
loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th and with one out the Storm
turned a double play to retire the side.
The game went into extra innings with
the Storm getting a runner to second. Superb pitching by the Jaguars
starting
pitcher saw her strike
out the side. The Jaguars came to the plate and got lead off batter
to first. Two ground-outs allowed her to get to third base. With two
out, the Jaguar’s pitcher came to the plate and delivered a single
into right field- scoring the runner from third and sealing the Jaguars
championship win 2 – 1.
The Markham Jaguars defended their National
Title. The Jaguars
would like to congratulate all the participating teams for the
excellent week of competition.
The Jaguars were
seeded in the Red Pool which also had teams from White Rock BC, Brampton
ON, Montreal QC, Calgary AB and Winnipeg MB.
Their scores were as follows:
The Jaguars defeated Manitoba 1- Winnipeg
Lightning 4 - 0
The Jaguars defeated Alberta 1 - Canadian
Extreme 6 - 1
The Jaguars lost to British Columbia
2 - White Rock Renegades 4 - 0
The Jaguars defeated Alberta 2 -
Calgary Renegades 4 - 0
The Jaguars defeated Ontario 2 - Brampton
Blazers 3 - 2
The Jaguars defeated Quebec Rebelles
1 - 0 in 11 innings.
In Championship play the Jaguars defeated
British Columbia 1 - Richmond Islanders 3 - 2 in 8 innings
In Championship play the Jaguars defeated
the Host Surrey Storm 2 - 0
In the Gold Medal game the Jaguars defeated
the Host Surrey Storm 2 - 1 in 8 innings
Red Pool
Markham Jaguars (ON1)
Brampton Blazers (ON2)
Winnipeg Lightning (MB1)
Canadian Xtreme (AB1)
Montreal Les Rebelles 16U (QUE)
White Rock Renegades (BC2)
Richmond Islanders (BC1)
Windsor Wildcats (ON3)
Regina Royals (SK)
Manitoba Angels (MB2)
Calgary Renegades (AB2)
Surrey Storm 90 (HOST)
Player Awards - All Star Team After
Round Robins
Top Pitcher! - Jenna Ciara, Markham Jaguars
36 innings pitched, 132 batters, 69 strikeouts, .000 earned run average
All Star Catcher! - Lisa Brooks, Markham Jaguars
34 Innings played, 62 put outs, 8 assists, 1.000 fielding percentage,
.474 batting average
MVP in Championship Game
Jenna Caira - Markham Jaguars
Provincial Womens Softball Association Provincials Tournament Bantam
Tier 1 (posted August 1, 2005)
The Jaguars journeyed to Windsor to
compete in the Provincial Bantam Tier 1 Tournament. The Jags arrived
in good
spirits and had a short workout before their first game against Kitchener.
The Jaguars defeated Kitchener in the opener on Friday night. This
set up their next game for Saturday morning. The Jags played a talented
Whitby R team, but with good pitching and defense won the game. With
this win our Jags remained undefeated and qualified as one of the
three teams to represent Ontario at the Nationals tournament in British
Columbia. Their next game was Saturday evening against Brampton.
The Jags played
strong
defense
and good
offense
to take
the game. This win moved the Jaguars into the Gold Medal game to
be played on Sunday. The Jags waited for the winner of Brampton and
Windsor. Brampton was successful and advanced to the Gold Medal game
against our Jaguars. The Gold Medal game was a tough defensive dual
with great pitching and defense on both sides. The Jaguars took an
early lead which they never gave up.
Congratulations to our Makham Jaguars
for winning the Ontario Provincial Womens Softball Association
Gold
Medal
for Bantam Tier 1 Girls Fastball for
2005.
Congratulations also go to Brampton
Blazers the Silver Medalists and Windsor Wildcats the Bronze Medalists.
Also congratulations go to all partiicipants
in the Provincials from Whity R Eagles, Ching Cougars , Kitchener
Klassics, Guelph Gators and Jordan JuneBugs. It was an exciting
weekend of fastball.
The Jaguars now move onto the Canadian
Championships to be held in Cloverdale, British Columbia August
9 to 14, 2005. Best of Luck to our Jaguars.
Toledo Fastpitch Classic (posted July 26, 2005)
The Jaguars travelled to Toledo, Ohio for the
mid summer Fastpitch Classic. We were the only Canadian team in
our age division
of 16U. The team played extremely well winning their 5 pool games
and then winning their first elimination game against a strong team
from Indiana. Following our first elimination
game on Sunday, the tournament was called because of inclement weather.
Aurora Tier 1 Bantam Qualifier (posted July 18, 2005)
Our Markham Jaguars journeyed to Aurora, Ontario
to compete in the Bantam Tier 1 Provincial Qualifier. The team entered
the
Qualifier in good
spirits. Our first game saw us pitted against a strong team
Whitby D. We were successful in winning the opener and moved on
to
play Brampton. A good game ensued and our Jags came out on top.
Moving forward
we then played a strong Ching team and again we were successful.
This win ensured us a spot in the Provincials. Our next game saw
us play
Whitby
R. Again our Jags were successful and
moved
on to
the
Gold Medal game against Brampton who had only lost to us.
After a hard fought contest we came out on top winning first place
in the
Eastern Qualifier. The team will play in the Provincials in Windsor
at the end of the month. Congratulations to Brampton, Whitby
R and Ching for qualifying in the Eastern Qualifier.
Buffalo N.S.A Qualifier (posted July 11, 2005)
After a successful weekend of ball in Kitchener we headed south to Hamburg NY for the Greater Buffalo NSA qualifier. Once we arrived it seemed like we were at home again as many bantam teams from Ontario were also there. It was a weekend of "ups and downs" with some really excellent plays and some less than good execution on some other plays. Errors continued to haunt us in Hamburg all weekend as they have in many other games this year. In particular our base running errors left many opportunities unrealized. Oh well, it's now time to put it together as we head into the qualifiers in Aurora this weekend. This is where "the rubber meets the road" because come next Sunday evening we will know how good we really are! Congratulations to Clarkson who finished first overall in Pool play. Special thanks to Ed Warhol for organizing and hosting the tournament.
Kitchener Tournament (posted July 5, 2005)
This past week-end our Markham Jaguars headed West to participate in the Kitchener Civitan Fast Pitch Classic. This tournament, now in its 8th year, was a four day event incorporating many of the same events normally found in a Provincial and National Tournament. A total of twenty teams participated, again in very warm weather. The Markham Jaguars won 6 out of 7 games finishing second in the tournament behind the Oshawa Stingers. Our club continues to make progress every game towards our ultimate near term goal of qualifying for the Provincials. Congratulations to Oshawa and the organizing committee for their excellent effort ! It's now back to Hamburg this weekend for the Greater Buffalo N.S.A. Qualifier.
Buffalo Aunt Rosie Tournament (posted June 27, 2005)
We made our way to Amherst NY this past weekend for the Aunt Rosie Classic. Not only did we find great competition with 30 teams participating but we also found a heat wave as the temperature teetered around 35 degrees C most of the weekend.Our team finished in the top 8 and although expectations were much higher it wasn't to be this weekend. We will have to wait to this coming weekend to have another shot ...this time at the Kitchener Civitan Classic. Congratulations Sasha on the big home run and great catch! Special thanks to Bob Nowak and his team for organizing a first rate tournament.
Markham Bantam Tournament (posted June 20, 2005)
The Markham Jaguars returned to the friendly grounds of Richmond Green this past weekend to participate in their own 16 team tournament.The weather was somewhat overcast but the rain held off setting the stage for some of this season's most exciting games.Most of the top Ontario tier one teams participated in addition to two very competitive U.S. teams ,the Pittsburgh Power and the North Country Connexion from New York. At the end of the 40 game schedule the Markham Jaguars won Gold, the Oshawa Stingers (V) took Silver, Brampton Blazers Bronze and Pittsburgh Power finished fourth. Congratulations to these teams and to all participating teams for a great weekend of softball. Special thanks to Jon Lieberman and his crew of umpires for an excellent job and a sincere appreciation to all the Markham Jaguar parent volunteers including our very own "One legged Chef" who cooked up a storm all weekend despite the watchful eye of Jimmy Crack Corn when he was able to find his way to the Green !! It's now off to the "House of Smoke" for the Aunt Rosie Classic.
Brampton Tournament: (posted June 14, 2005)
It turned out to be the hottest weekend of the past 2 years and we were off to the Fairgrounds in Brampton for a weekend of Tier 1 action. Our opponents included Guelph, Ajax, St. Catherines, Kitchener and the Mighty Brampton Blazers. Following 2 exciting International Tie-Breakers with Brampton, we ended up in 3rd place and took home the bronze medal. Congratulations to Brampton and Ajax, the gold and silver medallist. Also thank you to the Brampton organization for a well organized and fun weekend. Many thanks also to our personal trainer Mr. Mike Austin for taking care of our many injuries and for giving up his weekend for us. Thanks Mike! Now it's off to our own 16 team tournament at Richmond Green! See you there!
Toledo ASA Tournament: (posted June 6, 2005)
The Markham Jaguars traveled to Toledo, Ohio this past weekend to participate in the Toledo Classic Fast Pitch Tournament. A total of 18 teams participated, including 3 from Ontario (Markham, Newmarket, Oshawa). We knew this was going to be a good challenge for us as we were competing against some strong teams with girls that could be one year older than us. However, Markham was on a roll this hot weekend, winning their pool and out scoring the competition 26-3. In the playoffs, we defeated very strong teams called the Ohio Pepper and Sylvania Sharks to advance to the finals. In the championship game, we faced a very strong Pepsi Edge team and battled to a 0-0 draw at the end of 7 innings. The battle continued until the 9th inning in the International Tie Breaker, and Pepsi Edge, won the game 1-0 . Great effort by everyone on the team and congratulations to Pepsi Edge, you're a very talented team! Congratulations also to the other Ontario teams that represented our province very well. Also, many thanks to Mark Tooman for a well organized tournament and that HUMID WEATHER. Now it is on the Bad Lands of Brampton next weekend.
Markham Midget Tournament Results: (posted May 29, 2005)
The Markham Jaguars were thrilled to be playing in their first Midget tournament of the season. Most of the best teams from Ontario and Quebec were present with some excellent ball playing. Even the weather co-operated as the rain, which was predicted, stayed away. The Jaguars ended the weekend with 3 wins and 3 losses, losing a couple of 1-0 games against Ching 88 and the Kingston Kobras. Congratulations to the top four teams, Guelph Gators, Quebec Rebelles I, Scarborough Spirit and the Markham Tigers. Many thanks to Tony Ashton and Team for a well organized tournament. Next weekend we are on the road to Toledo, Ohio, where out head coach, Bob Acton can once again enjoy some time in his beloved corn fields! Check the photo section.
Ching Tournament Results: (posted May 11, 2005)
The Markham Jaguars participated in their first tournament of the year with a record of 3 wins-1 loss-1 tie. Congratulations to the winning team, the Quebec Rebelles and the finalist, home town, Ching Cougars. A special thanks to the organizers for making this a very competitive and fun tournament.
Markham Jaguars Tournament Information:
(posted March 10, 2005)
Click
here to download team entrant list (word doc format)
MARKHAM JAGUARS
June 17 – 19
Tournaments
Teams Registered and Paid – Final List
(In the order that cheques were received)
1. Guelph
2. Clarkson
3. Oshawa - Vaughan
4. Ajax
5. Brampton 1
6. Newmarket
7. Oshawa – Beal
8. Whitby – Rauhut
9. Whitby – Daley
10. Pittsburgh Power
11. Aurora
12. Ching – JM
13. New York Connexion
14. Kingston
15. Markham Jaguars
16. Pickering
Click
here to download hotel accommodation list (pdf format)
Markham Jaguars
The Markham Jaguars, the defending tier 1 Canadian Bantam Champions,
play
out of Markham, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto.
We pride ourselves on working hard in practice and having fun in games
and
Tournaments.
All 13 players and coaches are anxiously looking forward to the start
of
the 2005 season when we can once again reacquaint ourselves with our
many
softball friends in both Canada and the U.S. Tune in occasionally to
our
Web site as we share our experiences and love for the game of softball.
Best of luck to all teams in 2005.
