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THE OSHAWA DAILY TIMES, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1929 PAGE NINE; Reminiscences of t he Old Days of Lacrosse in This District "Ollie" Sebert, Veteran ~ Oshawa Lacrosse Star Recalls Team of 1878 Resident of Whitby Is Only Member Now Living in This District of Famous Team "The Maple Leafs" Which Won the Lacrosse Championship of Canada Fifty-one Years Ago "Ollie" Sebert of Whitby, vet- eran lacrosse player of Oshawa and captain of the Maple Leafs who won the lacrosse championship of Canada in 1878 when they defeat- ed Brampton, expressed great de- light at the recent victories of tne General Motors Lacrosse team and their winning of the Dominion Championship and the Mann Cup, when interviewed by the Times re- cently. Mr. Sebert is now in his 76th year and has lived in Whitby for the last 49 years since moving from Oshawa. "Ollie" is the only player of that once famous team, ""The Maple Leafs," still living in this vicinity, a number of players "OLLIE" SEBERT Now a resident of Whitby, memben of Oshawa's championship team of 1878, and writer of a dpecial article on that team appearing in this edition. having died while others moved to distant parts. In describing the early days of lacrosse in Oshawa, Mr. Sebert in- formed the Times that he, with a number of other young men, were the first interested in the games played at: Whitby and were later taught the game by two black- smiths who gave them an excellent training. In those days the practice fleld was the site of the Queen's hotel or better known as the Bas- sett block on Simcoe Street, N: There were no such conveniences as dressing rooms and the players had to don their uniforms at home. Hectic Days Those were the hectic days of la- crosse .in Oshawa and the team which called themselves the "Maple Leafs' gradually improved unti after four or five years of contin- ued activity it won the right to meet Brampton in 1878, who for several years had held the Domin- fon Championship of Canada. Pe- terboro, Brantford, Six Nations, Millbrook, Toronto, Tecumsehs and other teams were defeated before Oshawa won the right to vie with the champions. The Old System The first game of the series was played in Brampton. In those duys the teams did not play four twen- ty minute periods with the game being awarded to the team win the greatest number of goals at the end of the eighty minutes out the team which scored the first three goals out of five gained the honors no matter how long it took to do it. This is the reason why some teams battled for the greater part of the day, sometimes, hefore a winner was declared. The con- have test in Brampton was a close one and was fiercely fought from start to finish, however gfter two hours of play Brampton won by a 3-2 score to give them a one goal leaa to carry to Osnaws. In commenting on the game at Brampton, Mr. Sebert recalled that many of the teams played bare- foot. The Oshawa team in trying to get a "line" on Brampton haa seen them play in Toronto against an Indian team. As both teams played in their bare feet and put up a flashy display of lacrosse the Oshawa team decided they would do likewise. On their arrival on the playing field in Brampton, much to their sorrow it was to find that it was a stubble field and that the other team were wearing rubbers. The Oshawa players Were at a great disadvantage as they had left their rubbers at home and none were available so the game had to be played as best they could. After a strenuous battle the local team lost out, and although there were no sore heads in Oshawa there were many sore feet. A Quick Victory The return game in Oshawa only lasted fifteen minutes, the home team swept Brampton completely before them and scored three goals to win the game before the visitors knew what had happened. It was recounted that many spectators were still on their way to the play- ing field expecting to see a great battle when they met the defeated players homeward bound. The game was played within the race track which used to exist on Park Road, South, but which has long since been built upon and is now remembered by only a few as the scene of the championship lacrosse match, The fleld was then nothing more or less than pasture but served the purpose well and was used by the Maple Leafs for many years. The Team "Billie" Munroe, now dead, play ed goal for the team, while *'Alf" King, also deceased, played point, "Ollie" Sebert of Whitby was eap- tain and played cover point, while Jack Hodder, Jack Carswell, ana Jack Rogan were on the defence. Of these last three Jack Hodder lives in Port Arthur, Jack Carswell in Red Deer, Alberta, while Jack Rogan is among those who have passed. away. Jack McNaughton, who now resides in the United States, played centre while first, second and third home players were Geo. Fersden, deceased, Alex Henderson, Vancouver, B.C., and Geo. Hodder, Fort William. The inside and outside home position was filled by Billie Gullock, deceaw- ed, and Connie Walsh who has algo gone to live in the United States. Johnston 'Graham, who is thought to be living in British Columbia, was another player of the team. Were Real Amateurs To such an extent was the team amateur can be shown in the facts that the players bought their own sticks and played the travelling ex- penses out of their own pockets. Each player paid for his own uni- form, which accounts for the fact that pictures of these old teams show a great variety of uniforms. Mr. Sebert stated that no padding of any nature was worn by the players, not even on their hands, which presents a contrast to the well padded teams of today. Coached Whitby Team Mr. Sebert on moving to Whitby about 1880 continued his lacrosse activities and coached a team that won for Whitby great honors. A book could be written on Mr. Se- ALE KING OHAMPIONS OF FIFTY.-ONE YEARS AGO So long ago that very few citizens in Oshawa recall the event, of the members of that team. In addition to the ten players pictured it is nevertheless a fact that exactly fifty-one years ago a team fromabove, the team included George Ferden and Jack McNaughton, whose Oshawa went out and defeated Brampton by 3 goals to 0 in the finalpictures the Times was unable to secure, game for the championship of the Dominion of Canada, Above are ten bert's lacrosse activities and experi- ences in other lines of sport and also on the champion Oshawa team and their exploits and many suc- cesses during the period of 1875 to 1880. In spite of his advanced age this veteran lacrosse player still retains much of the vigor which made him a formidable member of the team in the pioneer days of Oshawa lacrpsse. He still maintains keen interest in the sport and joins with citizens of Oshawa and district in offering hearty congratulations to the Gen- eral Motors Senior Lacrosse team on their recent achievement, OSHAWA'S FIRST LACROSSE TEAM PLAYED IN 1872 J. W. Borsberry, One of Its Members Gives It's History (Reprinted from The Oshawa Daily Times, Oct. 31, 1928.) Shades of old lacrosse days bring to mind still older recollections of yester year and the unusual and in- teresting facts of the first lacrosse team ever formed in Oshawa, 56 years ago, now come to light through the still excellent memory of J. Ww. Borsberry, one of Oshawa's promin- ent citizens and a member of this first Oshawa team ever to carry lacrosse sticks into manly combat against other municipalities. Teams in Bowmanville, Port Hope and Millbrook, then all just as large in size as Oshawa, were played by this Oshawa team in the first year of its being and like the Oshawa In- termediate rugby team of this year, this team of 56 years age met with excellent and gratifying success in the first year of its inception, This team of 1872 made up in brawn and natural ability what it lacked in experience* at the first cf OSHAWA SHAM ROCKS--1007 This team won three districts without losing a game, . then was disqualified becase two men were over age (20 years). It was the Front row--W. D, Harling, "Newsy" Back row--Dr, Frank Henry, President; DO, A. junior team ine, Selby Guenett, Archic Lalond the Province. J. Walter Carter, Donald Hawkes. Swanson, Manager; Frank Kemp, Reginald Thomas, Ralph Rebinson John Macguire (killed overseas 1917), James Rousseil, George McCulloch (killed --Photo loaned by D. A. J. Swanson. overseas 1917). Recalling Old Days of October 24, 1928, fitting ending. . twelve players are still living to tell comes to lacrosse. the large group picture. of what happened to him. "Thus will end Oshawa's glorious lacrosse scason. "Many an anecdote could be told of these days of long ago. stance there is the story of the crack home player who could miss the goal posts by a matter of inches every time the play was beginning to get close-- providing there was consideration attached to it, and there is also the story But we can't print it." THe following paragraphs are reprinted from The Oshawa Daily Times "The invitations went out last night for the official lacrosse banquet to be held at Welsh's Parlors Thursday night at 6.30 o'clock. full account of the affair in Friday's edition, There'll be a But it will be a "Isn't it a queer coincidence that Oshawa should win a lacrosse cham- pionship exactly 50 years after another Oshawa team had won probably the first championship that ever came to Oshawa? "The lacrosse victory of 50 years ago and the victory of this year are both sensational affairs, and coming as the one does on the golden jubilee of the other, it makes it a doubly interesting event, "Imagine a person even thinking of going out on a lacrosse ficld today with absolutely not a stitch of padding on, "That's how the boys fought it out 50 ycars ago, and seven of the the tale. "All the clothes the lacrosse boys had on in those days you sec in the ten pictures on' this page, and that is just about equal to nothing when it "To such an extent were the boys amateur in those days that they bought their own uniforms from head to foot and also their own sticks, and this fact accounts for the different uniforms which arc to be seen in For in- the season, but as time advanced, they became able to equally match their brawn with the value of. ex- perience and the result was scen six years afterwards when Oshawa's championship team of 1878 was dec- veloped. The only members of this team of 1872 who were also members of the 1878 team, were Oliver "Ollie" Se- bert, who now resides in Whitby, an. William Gullock, who has passed away. Indeed Oliver Scbert along with J. W, Borsheriy, of Oshawa, are the only two men still living of those who originated the game in this district. All the remainder have pass- ed away, the latest to go being Rich- ard Troy, the team's celebrated goal keeper who died last week at the age of 78. Mr, Borsberry, referring to Osh- awa's first lacrosse team which was formed here in 1872, tells The Times: "The first I.became interested in the club being formed here jn Osh- awa was when the secretary, Wheeler Dickie, called on me and asked me tg join the club. I asked him what it would cost and he said $1, I told him I would like very much to be- come a member, but had not the cash until I received my pay at the end of the month for working as a clerk in G, F. Blainey's grocery store. "Wheeler Dickie said, "That will be all right, you can give me your IO.U' I didn't know at the time what that meant but I marked a piece of paper 1.O.U. $1, and signed J. W. Borsberry, and the following week we started to practice in the field next to Trick's factory, We got up at § o'clock in the morning to practice and met three times a week, 'some of the boys having to walk from as far away as the Five Points to attend these workouts, "Many of the boys who originated the game in Oshawa have now pass- ed away, but some whose names 1 remember are C. Steele, Wm. Woon, Wm. Carswell, Samual Dearborn, W. Gullock, Wheeler Dickie, Oliver Se- bert and his brother, and myself." Besides being Oshawa's first la- crosse team, this in all probability would be Oshawa's first team of any nature, to enter competitive sport, the father as it were of the many sports which are now fostered in this city and which all flourish just as did' this first lacrosse team of 1872. May 24 June 1 June 8 June July July July Aug' § FINALS Aug. 9 Aug. 17 Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. an BYR The Season's Record ~ Of the Champions' OSHAWA at St. Catharines Torontos at OSHAWA OSHAWA at Brampton Torontos at OSHAWA Brampton 'at OSHAWA OSHAWA at Brampton OSHAWA at Toronto Brampton at OSHAWA ' FOR LEAGUE AND ONTARIO CHAMPIONSHIP Brampton at OSHAWA 4:35 0 OSHAWA at Brampton fai 5 MANN CUP PLAY-OFFS Ottawa Madisons vs. OSHAWA at Toronto 15 OSHAWA at Winnipeg (Argos) 6 OSHAWA at Edmonton OSHAWA at N. West'ster (Salmon Bellies) 9 OSHAWA at N. West'ster (Salmon Bellies) 2 Scored by Scored'by Oshawa Oppon, 10 EEE i I Ey S (Native Sons) 14 UL gy OSHAWA BOWLING CLUB The Bowlers, members and officers of the Oshawa Bowling Club join || with the Oshawa sporting world in conoratulating the Senior Lacrosse team on the manner in which they represented this city in their tour to the west and back, the congratula- tions are all the more enthusiastic owing to the fact that this Oshaava team succeeded in bringing to our city a Dominion championship and the historic Mann Cup, Signed, JAMES FOWLDS, Pres. Oshawa Bowling Club NO CHARGE FOR THE IDEA The only country storekeeper we ever heard of who was not troubl- ed with loafers was one who had an insurance agency on the side, LOVE ON THE HEIGHTS Teacher-- 'What did Juliet say when she met Romeo in the bal- cony?"" Flip Pupil--*"Couldn't seats in the orchestra?" you get Aeams, D. A. J. Swanson Tells of His Lacrosse Associations Of Last Twenty-Nine Years (Specially written for this edition of The Times by D. A. J. Swanson) Since 1900, lacrosse in Oshawa has seen many vicissitudes of for- tunes, There have been some great and some very ordinary teams, but many of the old-timers will argue that the teams of the past were better than the teams of the present. But who can say? It is impossible to bring these teams together, Still, Oshawa has every reason to he proud of the men who rejuvenated the game in the early part of this century, and of the men and players who car. ried it on through the succeeeding vears, The writer goes back to a team which brought back lacrosse into Oshawa in the early part of this century, and he recollects such famous players as Lem Ham- lin, Hallatt (now the 2ssistant of "lay Fair Brown, the boxing mag- nate in Toronto), and Dave Brown, 'the silver-voiced tenor' who kept goal for Oshawa in the memorable game at Port Hope, when the score was a thousand to nothing, (more or less), Following this came the intermediate team, which was considered the best in the Province of Ontario (although they did not win the champion- ship). This team played Fergus at t} » Island in the final game, and the whole town went to Toronto. On this team, the writer recollects, there were some real lacrosse play- ers;~--just think in those days of "Barney" Quinn, who held the world's record for throwing a la- crosse ball, "Cy' Pitcher, who af- terwards played with the Tecum- seh and the Chippewas, the fam- ous '"'Cooney" Shields, one of the greatest lacrosse and hockey play- ers who ever lived, "Bob" Stewart, he of the long hair who played in- | gide home, "Jimmy" Kervin from Cornwall, Donald Hall, - Arthur Way, and the famous Indian play- er "Tom" Sands together with "Bav" Glover, "Roy Raymer, Jack Staples, and others, managed by "Eddie" Baker, now the suppori- ing Editor of an Ottawa paper. Then think of the following year when the greatest collecton of stars in the lacrosse world was gathered together; then of the gray hairs that were put in the head of Doctor F. L., Henry and F. E. Ellis. What names to conjure with! L'Heroux (Eddie Happy) for many years afterwards the goal keeper of the Montreal Nationals, Donald Cameron of Cornwall, the greatest of all point players, Nel- son, Kimpton and Blythe of Ot- tawa, and the famous and never to be forgotten trio "Hagan, Fagan and Degan'" together with the other stars of that day. Just think of that time, and wonder what it would do with the teams of today (if anything). Then the history of lacrosse in LACROSSE TEAM--1006 This mixed team of Intermediates, Juniors and City League won the prize at an open tournament in Prospect Park, 1906. Back Row--Norman McLean, D, A, J. Swanson, W. D. Harding, Art, Miners, George "(Dumpsy) Dormer Eddie Curtin, : Front Row (Sitting) --*Red"" Mincrs, Percy Canning, Dr. R. Armstrong (Manager), Irwin, (killed overseas, 1917). Front Row (on ground)---Selby Thomas, Guenett, --Photo loaned by D, A, J. Swanson. . Jim Doyle, George McCullough Ralph Robinson, "Dick" Oshawa would be poor indeed if one were to forget the Town La- crosse League of the following year, when four teams played, comprising the McLaughlin, Wil- liams, Ontario Malleable Iron Com- pany and the Town teams, Think of that rough defence of "Hal" and "Trevor" Murton, the two Mixers, together witli Joe Swan- son, Can you recollect "Bill" Coad, now the dignified Factory Man- ager of the General Motors trotting around the field for the old Mc- Laughlin team? Do you recollect "Diddie" Rowden and Fryor, who were imported from Port Hope by the Pedlar Company, or "Red" Miners, "Yank" Morris, Theo Fish- leigh and Jimmy Doyle of the Wii liams Company or the famons importations from Montreal by the Malleable Company of "Red" Callaghan, "Mickey" McGuire, Harry Frohme and the late "Ed- die" Curtin? Then think of Doce D, A. J. SWANSON Who writes this interesting story of the old days of lacrosse. tor R, M. Armstrong's time spent in raising up the younger crow. Do you remember "Selby" Guen- ett, the late George McCullough, "Dumpsy" Dormer, Percy Canning, "Newsy" Lalonde, Ralph Robin- son, Jimmy Roussell and the lata "Dick'™ Thomas? Many others have played on the various teams Osh- awa had up fo this time, and one must never forget that ancient warrior "Farmer" Kemp. Then lacrosse died for a number of years, finally to come back only a few years ago when Oshawa play- ed against Wallaceburg for the in- termediate championship. Every- body remembers this team, and in the meantime the spasmodic at- tempts to bring the game back. \Old-timers like Ed Donald, Eddie Zurtin, Joe Swanson turned out to 1elp the younger men around 192 and 1922 to bring the game back, ut it was not until 1928 that a lehamplonship came to Oshgwa, the history of which is well-known to' everybody. "THE CONFEDERATION" OF. | FERS PLEASANT TRAVEL TO THE WEST You'll enjoy your Western trip via "The Confederation." The high standard of service the modren equipment, the famous cuisine will make your journey long remem- bered. "The Confederation" leaves To- ronto every evening at 9.00 p.m. for Vancouver, stopping en route at Winnipeg, Brandon, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Jasper. It is equipped with Compartment --Observation--Library Car (Ra- dio)---Valet Service, Standard Sleeping Cars, Tourist Sleeping Cars and Dining Car. Full| information, etc. from any Ageng reservations, of Canadian National Railways, ha LACROSSE TEAM THAT PLAYED FERGUS FOR THE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIOSHIP OF ONTARIO J AT TORONTO ISLAND --A GREAT TEAM Back row--Arthur Way, James Kervin, "Barney" Quinn, Tom Sands, "Bev" Glover, "Cooney" Shields. Front row--*"Bob" Stewart, Staples. , Roy Raymer, Eddie Baker (Manager), Donald Hall, --, John