BACK ROW – Left to Right: Peter McLlwraith, Tracy Ross, Jeff Flesher, Ellen Kelly, Debbie Hornsby, Kim Beaupre, Liz McLachlan, Joanne Garness, Dawn Mason, Paula (Fraresso) Psenicka, Kim Blakely, Dave Vallance, Chuck Vallance; FRONT ROW – Left to Right: Cathy Durose, Jody O’Connell, Suzanne Lazenby (Gordon), Peggy Vallance, Renee Sheldon, Liza Jonescu
This team of girls aged 17 through 19 had a dream season.
After going 44-17 during their regular season in the Peel Halton Ladies league in 1987, they qualified for the Provincial playdowns. Facing the best teams Ontario had to offer, the Guelph girls went undefeated and headed off to the National Finals in Newmarket.
The pre-tournament favourite was British Columbia and the westerners actually beat Guelph 2-1 the first time they met, meaning one more loss and the Guelph side would be eliminated. As luck would have it, Guelph’s first playoff opponent was the tough squad from B.C. The girls were pumped up for the rematch and after lead off hitter Cathy Durose belted the first pitch of the game for a triple, they never looked back. Pitcher Renee Sheldon shut down B.C.’s offense and they went on to win the game 4-0.
The Guelph team, managed by Chuck Valiance, later beat Saskatchewan in the semi-final, then Nova Scotia 8-4 in the final to finish the tournament as Canadian champions.
Durose was named as the tournament’s all-star first baseman and Liz McLachlan was named as th allstar catcher. But this championship was truly a team effort that featured talent, heart and courage.
Inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame April 21, 1997
