1975 Brantford CKPC Braves Junior Inter County Champions

2007 Honouree Team, Baseball

The Brantford Braves (the Braves) won three Ontario Baseball Association championships in 1970, 1975 and 1976. The starting pitcher was Mike King. Craig Kennedy was described by local news teams as a, “Short stop with a wicked swing”. Much to the chagrin of opposing batters who underestimated him, he was also a good pitcher with a deceptive curve ball.

Manager Roger McGowan was very vocal about how unhappy he was with how the team was winning throughout the season as the games were always too close for comfort. McGowan believed the team needed practice as they hadn’t had a single practice since the beginning of the season. Despite all their problems, the Braves continued to win through the semi-finals. McGowan was quoted as saying, “We’re making errors and winning. What would ever happen if we were sharp?” Practices were never scheduled as many players were on multiple teams at the time. This left the Red Sox short-handed in their playoffs and caused a few losses. The Ellins brothers, Larry and Len, led at bat for many of their games with Len leading the team during the regular season in home runs.

The Inter County Championship

The Braves beat the Kitchener Dodgers in a best of three Inter County Tournament Quarter Finals to secure their spot in the second round against the victor of the Stratford-St.Thomas series. The Braves then advanced to the finals after beating the Stratford Optimists. This began a five-part series for championship against the London Athletics. The Braves won all four of their games leading up to this point. London and Brantford traded victories, forcing a fifth game where London won the Inter County Junior Baseball league title on Wednesday, September 17.

Provincial Championship

While competing in the Inter County Championships, the Braves were also facing off against East-York for the Ontario Championship in a three-game series on Monday, September 22. The Braves took the Ontario Baseball Association Championship by finishing their sweep of the best-of-three series. This helped them complete their record breaking season with 31 wins and nine losses. The Braves looked ahead to the next year with optimism which turned out as they won in 1976 as well! Larry Ellins was considered the hero of the team for pitching them to victory. The game was described by the team manager as a good example of clean, simple baseball, played right. Their coach McGowan noted that they have the makings of a really good team.

1975 Brantford CKPC Braves Junior Inter-County Champions Team Roster

Roger McGowen (Field Manager), Dave Carson Sr. (Executive Member), Bill Gibbs, Lance Miller, Mike McCormick, Rick Emmot, Rick McCormick, Len Ellins Jr., Chris Plant, Jim Yardy, Vince Martino, Larry Ellins, Rob Ourdy, Craig Kennedy, Jim Amy, Mitch King, Bill George, Bill Moffat (President), Jamie Corke, Ray Jackson (Coach).