They are four-time defending champions and playing at home, but that doesn鈥檛 mean Beacon Hill is the favourite to bring home yet another District 7 11-12 year-old Little League championship, says manager Thor Wishart.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to call us defending champs when you鈥檙e turning over kids every year,鈥� said the Beacon Hill skipper, who led his team to a 6-5 win over the Layritz all-stars in last year鈥檚 thrilling championship game right at Layritz Park.
This year鈥檚 tournament 鈥� featuring the two 2015 finalists along with Hampton, National, Central Saanich and Lakehill 鈥� will be held at Beacon Hill鈥檚 Hollywood Park.
鈥淲e only have four back and a bunch of them will be new to this,鈥� Wishart said of his team, which will include five 11-year-olds. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l be challenging for spots out there. Returning players have had to battle. It鈥檚 a good mix of kids.鈥�
The four returnees include Graeme Glynn, Luca Bolzonello, Jasper Calder and Ryder Knox.
The victor will move on to provincials in North Vancouver and Hastings Little League will play host to the national championship tournament.
Beacon Hill鈥檚 event starts today at 10 a.m. with Lakehill and Layritz taking to the diamond, followed by opening ceremonies at 12:30 p.m. National plays Central Saanich at 2 p.m. and Hampton faces the hosts at 5 p.m.
Play continues through to semifinals a week from today at noon and 3 p.m. with the final set for July 17 at 3 p.m.
鈥淚t should be another great tournament,鈥� said Wishart. 鈥淲e really enjoyed that final last year. That was a real baseball game, with not a lot of errors and an exciting finish. We were lucky to come out on top.鈥�
EXTRA BASES: In the Little League Minor (9-10-year-olds) district final played Friday night at Hampton Park, Layritz beat Beacon Hill 13-4 to claim the title and earn a trip to provincials.
