CARNDUFF — Carnduff was supposed to be the site of the Jack Harbourne Memorial Tournament on July 26-27.
The tournament decides the champions of the Saskota Baseball League. The league is made up of 10 teams in Saskatchewan’s southeast corner. The top eight teams of the regular season battle it out in the tournament to determine league supremacy…to wear the title of champions.
The tournament actually began on July 25, when each of the top four teams following league play (SE Diamondbacks, Carlyle Cardinals, Carnduff Astros and Kenosee Cubs) hosted teams that finished in the fifth to eighth spots (Weyburn Sun Devils, Estevan Wolves, Redvers A’ and Oxbow Chiefs).
On the 26th and 27th, each team was to play the remaining teams in their pool, finishing the round robin portion of the tournament. The top two teams in each pool were then to advance to the playoff round, scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
But the plans got a bit mixed up. Although weather threatened Saturday’s games with thunder and lightning, the games went on. Come Saturday evening, everything was on schedule.
But Sunday morning, Mother Nature finally had her way. Rain caused a delay in the remaining round robin games. When those games were completed, a tie-breaker game was required, pushing the playoff round back even further.
Finally, the four teams advancing to the playoff round were decided, but the rain and the tie-breaker caused the tournament to run out of daylight. The championship game between the Carlyle Cardinals and the SE Diamondbacks had to be pushed back to July 28, resulting in the tournament being completed in Estevan.
The final score? The Cardinals snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the sixth inning, beating the Diamondbacks 4-2, crowning them as league champs for the sixth consecutive year.
That brought this year’s Harbourne Memorial Tournament to an end…not in Carnduff as advertised, but in Estevan.
