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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 17, 2014 | 24 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports W I L D C A T S "Connected to your Community" W I N A G A I N OMBA receives $180K contribution from CIBC by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor After being dealt a nasty financial curveball last summer, the Oakville Minor Baseball Association has recovered to hit a home run this month with a significant contribution from its long-time bank. The not-for-profit organization, also known as Baseball Oakville, announced last week that it has received an $180,000 contribution from CIBC. The money will be used to fund player development and training, coach development, and the establishment of a fund for future capital projects, including a permanent training facility. "There's no doubt, this is a substantial amount of money," said OMBA president Andreas Papadopoulos. "Oakville Minor Baseball is a long-term client that provides excellent programs and services to youth in the community. We are proud to continue to support this important volunteer-led organization," Clarence Layne, CIBC's director executive of client relations, client care, said in a release. The outlook for the OMBA wasn't quite so cheery when Papadopoulos became a member of its board last October. The association was reeling from "financial discrepancies"it discovered last August that, among other things, led to the OMBA Andreas Papadopoulos OMBA president owing more than $40,000 in unpaid field permit fees to the Town of Oakville for the 2013 season. Halton Regional Police Service's fraud unit opened an investigation into the situation last September, and the unit said this week that the investigation is ongoing. The OMBA not only managed to quickly pay off its debt to the Town, it also plans to open a new indoor training facility later this fall. In addition, the association is coming off a 2014 campaign that featured a pair of provincial titles at the rookie ball level and an overall increase in player registration. "(The financial situation) was a big blow to our organization. A lot of parents were wondering what was going on, and quite rightly," Papadopoulos said. "This was not a positive thing... Moving forward, we had to regain the trust of the parents and the community, and I think we've done that. "Financial transparency, and this tremendous contribution from CIBC, puts us on good footing going forward." Papadopoulos said the new 10,700-square-foot indoor training facility at 2270 Speers Rd., scheduled to be opened later this month or in early November, was not dependent on the CIBC contribution. Instead, the cost of the facility will be paid for by registration funds and local sponsorships. Corbetts Source for Sports in Oakville, the OMBA's long-time supplier, has provided all the required training equipment for the facility, which will include three full-length hitting tunnels, 5,000 square feet of open space for fielding and skills training, and pitching areas featuring both portable and clay mounds. Last week, the OMBA invited its membership to assist with the naming of the indoor training centre. "I don't think we've ever had a facility like this for baseball in Oakville," Papadopoulos said. There's no doubt, this is a substantial amount of money. White Oaks WIldcats player Cem Torun (in blue) prepares to deliver a spike over a Bishop Reding opponent during Wednesday's Halton high school senior boys' volleyball AAAA contest in Milton. White Oaks defeated the Royals 2-0, the Wildcats' sixth 2-0 victory in as many league outings this season. White Oaks hoped to continue its perfect campaign yesterday (Thursday) when it hosted the Christ the King Jaguars, and the Wildcats will be home again next Tuesday against the Georgetown Rebels. | photo by Justin Greaves -- Special to the Beaver U16 Hawks field lacrosse team wins Fall Ball title The Oakville Hawks under-16 fall field lacrosse team was dominant during the regular season, and not much changed at last weekend's Fall Ball Lacrosse League championships. Oakville posted four consecutive wins at the provincial tournament last weekend in Brampton, clinching the A division title with an 8-5 victory over the Whitby Warriors. The Hawks, who also defeated the Brampton Excelsiors 7-3, Toronto Stars 10-9 and Orangeville Northmen 5-3 at provincials, concluded the six-week fall season with a record of 16-1. Members of the team, which included three 2001-born players, were Dawson Garcia, Luke Pilcher, Marley Angus, Conner Pickford, Henry Follows, Kevin Dong, Alex Kew, Philip Mazzuca, Nick Hulbert, Jacob Martino, Grayden Power, Jake Saunders, Matthew Gorman, Hayden Coulman, Jeremy Clark, Jeffrey Skidmore, Matt Wright, Jonathan Gagliardi, Vinny Tucci, Jack Follows, Josh Martino, Ethan Cummings and Ryan Curran. Mark Follows and FX Shea coached the team, Darin Kew was the trainer and Heidi Follows was the manager. -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports