1920 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley
1920 BC Interior
1920 Vancouver Island
VICTORIA AMATEUR LEAGUE
Collieries-Vets
Elks
Knights of Columbus
Yarrows
(May 15) Victoria's Amateur League kicked off the season with a double-header at Royal Athletic Park Saturday before an audience of five hundred paid admissions and as many youngsters. In the first game, Dave Macfarlane's Collieries-Vets trimmed "Babe" Fortin's Knights of Columbus 9-5 and Yarrow topped the Elks 6-4.
The Vets scored four times in the first inning to pave their way to the triumph. They had just eight hits, two apiece by winning pitcher Alex Straith and left fielder Jim Cummins. The Knights collected ten hits, but were hurt by six errors.
Fortin (L) and Davis
Straith (W) and Liddell
In the second game, Yarrows blew an early 4-0 lead but plated singletons in the seventh and ninth innings for the 6-4 victory. Young Ebert Brown impressed for the winners tossing a six-hitter with 13 strikeouts for the pitching win and contributing a three-bagger to the attack. Hy Green of the Elks slammed a pair of triples. Hap Gandy and Alex Potts each had two hits for the winners.
E.Brown (W) and H.Brown
Balcom (L) and Townsley
(May 19) The Knights of Columbus pounded out 11 hits, including home runs by "Newsy" Lalonde and playing-manager "Babe" Fortin, in downing the Elks 8-2. Ray Parfitt held the Elks to just four hits in registering the pitching win.
Ross (L) and Plows, xxx
Parfitt (W) and Davis
(May 21) In a seven-inning contest Friday, Collieries-Vets broke open a tight game with four runs in the top of the final frame to dump Yarrows 7-2. "Yammy" McGregor was solid on the hill for the winners yielding just four hits. The Vets racked up ten with Smiler Petticrew, Haley Jackson and Poke Gravlin each with two.
McGregor (W) and R.Ross
E.Brown (L) and H.Brown
(May 25) In a six-inning affair Tuesday, Bill "Doc" Balcom fired a two-hitter to pitch the Elks to a 4-3 win over the Collieries. Balcom fanned eight and walked four. Two errors helped the Vets to their three runs in the fourth inning. Elks got the winning marker in the fifth when Art Minnis singled, stole second and on a wild throw, romped all the way home. Dick Rosson allowed just five hits in taking the loss.
Balcom (W) and Plows
Rosson (L) and Liddell
(May 28) In a game which produced a home run, triple and four doubles - three by Acreman of the Knights - the Knights and Yarrows fought to a 6-6 tie Friday in a six-inning contest, cut short on account of darkness. Howard Brown cracked the homer for the Yarrows and teammate Alex Potts drilled the three-bagger. Left fielder Acreman slammed doubles in each of his three at bats and Cocker of the Knights collected the other double. Each team had seven hits.
Cook, E.Brown (3) and H.Brown
Parfitt and Davis
(June 2) With a 12-hit attack Elks doubled up on the Collieries-Vets 10-5 Wednesday in Victoria Amateur League play. Doc Balcom threw a five-hitter for the pitching win, racking up 12 strikeouts. Bob Whyte cracked a double and single for the winners while Campbell scored three times.,
Cathcart (L) and Liddell, Ross
Balcom (W) and Painter
(June 3) The Yarrows spotted the Knights of Columbus a four run lead in the first inning then roared back to clobber the Knights 16-5 Thursday afternoon at the Stadium. Howard Brown slugged two home runs for the winners who collected 11 hits off a pair of Knights' hurlers. Robinson went six innings on the hill to register the win for the Yarrows.
Robinson (W), Williams (7) and
Johnston (L), Lalonde (7) and
(June 5) Percy Ross fired a six-hit shutout Saturday as the Elks whipped the Yarrows 7-0. He fanned six and walked a pair. Elks won with just four hits, one a home run by shortstop Art Minnis and doubles by Cottet and Bob Whyte They capitalized on three Yarrows' errors, five walks, two hit batsmen and a wild pitch.
Ross (W) and Plows
Williams (L), E.Brown and H.Brown
Knights of Columbus shaded Collieries 3-2 as Ray Parfitt and a pair of Vets' hurlers hooked up in a pitching duel. Parfitt allowed six hits in going the distance for the winners.
Parfitt (W) and Davis
McGregor, Rosson and Ross, Liddell
(June 9) Ebert Brown twirled a four-hitter and racked up 14 strikeouts Wednesday to lead Yarrows to an easy 10-3 romp over the Knights of Columbus. Second sacker Williams topped an eight-hit attack for the winners with a double and single. Hap Gandy added a pair of singles.
E.Brown (W) and H.Brown
Smith (L) and Davis
(June 12) "Yammy" McGregor held the Yarrows to four hits Saturday and the Collieries-Vets ran away with an 11-2 victory. First baseman Haley Jackson slammed a home run for the winners while shortstop John Cummins had a triple and single and centre fielder Jim Cummins added a double and single.
E.Brown (L), Williams and H.Brown
McGregor (W) and Liddell
(June 16) Elks exploded out of the gate with five runs in the first inning and coasted to a 13-5 victory over the Yarrows Wednesday. They managed just seven hits, including a triple by Hy Green and two-baggers by Eddie Newman and Theo Townsley but were gifted with 10 free passes by Yarrow moundsman Ernie Cook. For the Elks, "Doc" Balcom scattered nine hits in going the route for the win.
Cook (L) and Potts
Balcom (W) and Painter
Elks 4 - 2 .667
Collieries-Vets 3 - 3 .500
Knights of Columbus 2 - 2 .500
Yarrows 2 - 4 .333
(June 19) The Collieries moved into a first place tie with the Elks Saturday jumping into a three run lead in the first inning and downing the Elks 6-1. Alex Straith walked eight but held the Elks to four hits and fanned eleven. Percy Ross fanned 13, allowing seven hits in taking the loss.
Ross (L) and Plows, Townsley
Straith (W) and Liddell
(June 23) Cy Milne drove in six runs with a double and four singles Wednesday to pace a 15-hit Yarrows attack in an 11-2 shellacking of the Knights of Columbus. Ernie Cook, winning pitcher Ebert Brown and Alex Potts added two hits apiece for the winners. Brown held the Knights to five hits, fanned 10 and issued just one free pass.
Parfitt (L) and Davis
E.Brown (W) and H.Brown
(June 25) Yarrows spotted the Elks two runs in the first inning then battled back to escape with a 5-4 victory, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Theo Townsley doubled in the two first inning runs and the Yarrows got singletons in the second and fourth frames to tie. Yammy McGregor, now in the Yarrows lineup, tripled for the fourth inning counter. Townsley also drove in a run in the fifth when the Elks went ahead 4-2. But, the Yarrows got two of their own in the bottom of the fifth helped by an error by losing pitching Percy Ross. Harold Brown's single scored one run and Alex Potts' safety brought in the other. There was no more scoring until the ninth when McGregor got his second hit and Harold Brown drove one to deep centre field to bring in the winning run. The game featured a pair of circus catches by Yarrow's left fielder Robinson. Ebert Brown survived 11 hits to go the distance for the win. He whiffed ten and walked just one.
Ross (L) and Painter
E.Brown (W) and H.Brown
(June 30) Ebert Brown, with complete game wins last Wednesday and Friday pitched another fine game Wednesday, a five-hitter with nine strikeouts and just one walk, but left with a 3-2 defeat as an error in the eighth inning handed the Collieries-Vets the winning marker. With two out, Harry Copas doubled and Haley Jackson followed with a fly to short centre field which Yammy McGregor let slip from his glove as Copas romped home. Dick Rosson, the winning hurler, worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the first inning, to go the route for the winners. He fanned ten and walked four.
E.Brown (L) and H.Brown
Rosson (W) and Ross
(July 5) The Collieries-Vets increased their lead atop the standings Monday downing the Knights of Columbus 5-3. Alex Straith scattered seven hits, walked one and racked up 13 strikeouts in posting the pitching win. Ray Parfitt yielded just four hits in taking the loss as his mates booted the ball seven times resulting in four unearned runs.
Straith (W) and Ross
Parfitt (L) and Davis
Collieries-Vets 6 - 3 .667
Elks 4 - 4 .500
Yarrows 4 - 5 .444
Knights of Columbus 2 - 4 .333
(July 7) Bill "Doc" Balcom tossed a one-hit gem Wednesday as the Elks shutout the Knights 3-0, Except for a mental error by the Elks fielders, he could have had a no-hitter. In the final frame, Newsy Lalonde of the Knights lofted a Texas Leaguer to short left field. Shortstop McIlmoyle and left fielder Irvine let it drop between them. Both admitted it would have been an easy catch but they were waiting for second baseman Art Minnis, the team captain, to call the play. He didn't and the ball dropped in for a hit. Balcom struck out 11 and walked two. Ray Parfitt took the loss. The Elks got the only run they needed this day on a single in the second inning by Hy Green and a double by Theo Townsley. They added a pair in the fourth as Townsley and Eddie Newman poked singles and Irvine followed with a two-bagger.
Parfitt (L), Smith (7) and Davis
Balcom (W) and
Townsley
(July 13) In a pitching duel Tuesday night, Alex Straith had the better numbers but Ebert Brown got the win as the Yarrows blanked Collieries-GWVA 3-0. Straith allowed just four hits and three walks while fanning 11. Brown gave up seven hits, walked four and collected ten strikeouts. Yarrows notched a pair in the third on a walk, two errors and Alex Potts' single to right. They added one in the fourth on Yammy McGregor's double and a fielder's choice. Brown had to pitch out of several jams. In the third he walked two and hit a batter to load the bases with none out. With a strikeout and two pop flies he escaped unharmed. In the fifth, a runner was thrown out at home to preserve the shutout.
E.Brown (W) and H.Brown
Straith (L) and Liddell
(July 14) The Knights of Columbus rapped 11 hits, to five for the Collieries, but fell 7-1 Wednesday because of sloppy fielding which resulted in six unearned runs. Knights booted the ball seven times. "Babe" Fortin tossed a fine game for the Knights, a no-hitter through four innings, and led the offense with three hits. But, the Vets came away with the victory. Left fielder Jim Cummins led the winners with two hits and two scores.
Rosson (W) and Ross
Fortin (L) and Davis
(July 21) First baseman Hy Green powered the Elks back into first place in the Victoria Amateur League pounding a home run, double and single in a 5-1 victory over Collieries-GWVA. Elks, with a 6-4 record, lead the Vets by a few percentage points. Catcher Art Minnis also cracked a homer and added a single and Bob Whyte had a triple and single. Doc Balcom yielded six hits and a walk while fanning ten in registering the pitching win.
Balcom (W) and Minnis
Straith (L) and Ross
Elks 6 - 4 .600
Collieries-Vets 7 - 5 .583
Yarrows 5 - 5 .500
Knights of Columbus 2 - 6 .250
(July 28) The Elks overpowered the Knights 10-2 Wednesday to edge further ahead in the Victoria Amateur League standings. They pounded out 12 hits with Hy Green again leading the way with two hits and three runs scored. McIlmoyle, Eddie Newman and winning pitcher Doc Balcom each added a pair. Balcom fired a three-hitter for the win.
Parfitt (L) and Davis
Balcom (W) and Townsley, Minnis
(August 11) With a 5-1 victory over the Knights of Columbus Wednesday, the Elks captured the league championship behind the record-setting pitching performance by Bill "Doc" Balcom. The dental surgeon won his seventh straight game with a 16 strikeout effort besting the mark set earlier by Ebert Brown. Balcom lost the first game of the season and has won every start since, seven straight. In eight games, Balcom has worked 61 innings and fanned 82. He allowed just four hits, three by first baseman Ross Oatman. For the third straight game, Hy Green powered the offense. The first sacker slammed a home run and a triple, scoring twice. Art Minnis also cracked a circuit blow. Balcom had a double. The Elks now face the Vancouver representatives in a playoff for the provincial title.
Smith (L) and Davis
Balcom (W) and Townsley
A full month after the Elks claimed the Victoria Amateur Baseball League title, the B.C. finals were slated to get underway on September 11. Such did not happen, however, as rain washed out the opener leaving the rusty Victorians idle for another full week.
B.C. Finals (best-of-three series)
Victoria Elks vs Vancouver Arnold & Quigley
(September 11) Rain forced postponement of a scheduled B.C. finals doubleheader with the Elks slated to meet Vancouver's Arnold & Quigley.
(September 18) The Victoria Elks and Vancouver's Arnold & Quigley split a playoff double-header at Victoria Saturday as the Elks Bill Balcom put on an iron-man show before suffering an arm injury, a suspected broken arm, in pitching in both games, a total of 15 innings. He picked up the win in the second game after allowing just one run in seven innings in the opener. Vancouver took a 4-0 lead with two runs in the first inning and another two in the second and cruised to a 5-1 victory in the first game behind a five-hitter by Tat Larson. “Dutch” Eckart and Lorne Foley each had two hits for the winners.
A four-run second inning helped carry the Elks to an 8-6 triumph in the second game. Walks, an error, two passed balls and hits by Carroll and Cottet gave Victoria the lead. Two walks and a single by Carroll accounted for two runs in the fifth and they added two more in the sixth when McIlmoyle singled and scored on Bob Whyte's double and Whyte came home on an error. Elks had an 8-1 lead after seven frames before Balcom began showing the effects of the workload. In the eighth, three hits and two errors resulted in three runs. Vancouver pushed across two more in the ninth.
Balcom gave a wonderful performance during the afternoon, and pitched until his arm broke under the strain in the ninth inning, after he had made victory certain. Fifteen innings of baseball, during which he was forced to put every ounce of his strength and cunning into his effort, proved too much for Balcom, but he was game to the last, and even though his right wing began to go back on him towards the latter part of the fight, he refused to yield. The snap of his arm was audible to the fans in he grandstand, and he staggered off the field, disabled, but triumphant. (The Colonist, Victoria, August 19, 1920)
Townsley (L), Balcom (3) and Plows
Larson (W) and Whyte
Balcom (W), Gravlin (9) and Plows
Robertson (L), Gourlay (6) and Whyte
(September 21) A squabble between the Victoria Amateur Baseball League and the British Columbia Amateur Athletic Union delayed the third game of the series and ultimately killed the playoff.
No evidence was found in the late September 1920 editions of the Victoria Daily Colonist or the Vancouver Sun that a third and final game in this series was ever played.