OTTAWA – The province of Québec plays host to two tournaments this weekend when both the Junior National Championships and Midget National Championships get underway. The Junior tournament is being held in Trois-Rivières, while the Midget tournament will be hosted in Québec City.
Junior National Championship
The Junior National Championships are set to begin on Thursday in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The event sees teams from all over Canada competing for a National Championship.
Three Rivers, as the city can also be called, is a city rich in baseball tradition, having previously hosted the Junior World Championships as well as the Cincinnati Reds’ AA affiliate. The host team from Trois-Rivières, les Aigles Plante Sports, is celebrating their 40th anniversary and will be looking to conquer the competition in their special season.
“Trois-Rivières is a baseball town and its residents always come out and support in large numbers,” said Carole Béliveau, Chairperson of the Tournament Organizing Committee. “At the last championships held in August 2010, a total of 13,789 spectators passed through the gates.”
Ten teams will battle for supremacy beginning in round robin play. The tournament is divided into two pools, A and B, with five teams in each pool. BC, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario #1 and the host les Aigles from Trois-Rivères will form Pool A, while Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario #2, Saskatchewan and Québec round out Pool B.
Games will be played at Martin Bergeron Field as well as the historic Three Rivers Stadium. “Three Rivers Stadium is one of the finest stadiums in all of Canada; it’s a historical monument,” added Béliveau. “Built in 1938, it can accommodate 4,300 spectators, and recently underwent renovations in 2009,” said Béliveau, explaining the stadium’s background.
Tournament play gets underway Thursday morning at 8:30am when Manitoba faces off against New Brunswick at Three Rivers Stadium.
Midget National Championship
Also beginning Thursday is the start of the Midget National Championships being held in Québec, Québec. This tournament features 11 teams, including one team from each province as well as the host team.
While many hosts look at these types of tournaments as a way to generate a buzz within the region, these tournament organizers see other opportunities as well. André Simard, who is heavily involved in the Tournament Organizing Committee, said, “for us, this championship provides an opportunity to promote youth baseball within the city. Québec City has a history of over 400 years and new volunteers are always attracted to our organization.”
Due to the odd number of teams, six teams will play out of Pool A and five teams out of Pool B. The six teams in Pool A are made up of Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Québec City and Saskatchewan, while the five teams in Pool B consists of Alberta, BC, Nova Scotia, PEI and Québec.
First pitched is scheduled for 8:30am when defending champion Ontario battles host Québec City.
Note: Every game from the Junior and Midget National Championships can be followed LIVE at Pointstreak. For further information on the competing teams, schedules and standings for the Junior tournament, please click HERE; for the Midget championship click HERE.
