Layritz has become a sort of symbolic poster park of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are no CBC cameras for a national broadcast or added bleachers around its baseball diamond, as planned, originally for 2020 and then for this summer.
The 2020 Canadian Little League championship was awarded to the Saanich facility and then cancelled due to COVID. Things were pushed back a year, and Layritz was retained as host, but the 2021 Canadian tournament was also cancelled when the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, decided to limit its famed tournament to only U.S. teams this year.
With Williamsport not in the offing, the national body decided there was no point in holding the 2021 Canadian championship, so Layritz was denied two years running. What is left for Layritz to host 鈥� with a distinct feeling of what might have been hanging in the air 鈥� is the District Little League championship this weekend.
Layritz defeated Hampton Park 10-0 while Central Saanich beat Beacon Hill 10-7 in the semifinals on Saturday. The championship game is at 1 p.m. today between Layritz and Central Saanich. The winner will advance to the sa国际传媒 championship beginning July 24 in Whalley. And that will be it.
鈥淲e were hoping there would be one more step after provincials, the national championship tournament back here with us as hosts, but that鈥檚 not to be,鈥� said veteran Layritz head coach Dave Potter.
鈥淏ut I鈥檓 just glad the kids at least get to play ball this year. There was nothing for last year鈥檚 group.鈥�
Potter noted the sa国际传媒 championship tournament will be more than just a consolation for either of this year鈥檚 Layritz or Central Saanich teams, although neither will have the chance to become the third Island team to get to Williamsport following Esquimalt-Vic West in 1974 and Gordon Head, led by future MLB player Michael Saunders, in 1999. (No Canadian team has won the Little League World Series, with the only Canadian team to reach the championship game being Stoney Creek, Ont., in 1965).
sa国际传媒 teams have won the Canadian Little League championship every year since 2005 except for 2013, when East Nepean of Ottawa was the national champion. So the 2021 sa国际传媒 champion in Whalley can almost call itself the national champion, as well. There鈥檚 not a nationals after that, nor Williamsport following this year, but at least it鈥檚 something.
Kids being kids, the bright side is never hard to find.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have a season,鈥� said Layritz shortstop Aiden Therrien.
Ashton Hummel, who hit a grand-slam homer and was the winning pitcher for Layritz in the semifinal victory over Hampton, concurred: 鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome to get to play. I鈥檓 glad to get a season.鈥�
The national organization, meanwhile, has decided to move on 鈥� much to the chagrin of Layritz organizers 鈥� and the 2022 Canadian Little League championship will go to Calgary as scheduled. The winner of that can expect to advance to represent the country in Williamsport in what should be a more normal summer next year.
That鈥檚 no help to 12-year-old Hummel, who will age out of Little League after this year. But he pointed to 11-year-old teammate Therrien and said: 鈥淗opefully, they will get the chance next year in Calgary.鈥�
