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Editor: Norm Nelson Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: nnelson@haltonsearch.com FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE · noon, Team USA vs. COB A junior all-stars · 3 p.m., Team Canada vs. COB A junior all-stars · 7 p.m. - Team Canada vs. Team USA Games played at Oakville Park (White Oaks S.S., north campus) Oakville A's contingent on the COBA all-stars ... Player Kevin A lbrecht S haun B enay A dam G ranlund M att Higginson Tyler H osick R yan Leaist Jason Lyons M arc W alton SPORTS Position Pitcher O utfielder O utfielder Third B ase Pitcher Pitcher Short Stop O utfielder School Q u e e n s University.O ntario Tusculum C o lle g e,T en n e ss ee S em inole S tate C ollege, O kla h o m a Southern U niversity,Louisiana C anisius C o lle g e ,N e w York M o ntreat University,N orth C arolina Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan C erro C oso C ollege,C alifornia Matt Higginson leads the Oakville COBA contingent. Canadian and U.S. junior national baseball teams coming to Oakville to play COBA all-stars on Friday Oakville baseball fans are in for an incredible treat this Friday as both the Canadian and U.S. jun ior teams are in town, at Oakville Park (at White Oaks Secondary School, north campus), for a tour nament with the Central Ontario Baseball Association (COBA) junior all-stars. The COBA all-stars have plenty of home grown talent, and they're listed, here, along with their university affiliation. Team Canada and Team U.S.A are in the midst of an extensive summer tour that kicks off today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) with the Blue Jay Cup at the SkyDome (along with the Ontario Baseball Association all-stars). They'll later be joined by the Australian and Italian national teams. The national teams will play each other along with all-star teams in cities and towns across Ontario and Quebec. It all culminates next month with the 12-nation world junior baseball championship in Sherbrooke, Quebec, August 1-11. Canada's training camp kicked off last week with 29 players, and that has been trimmed to 23 players for this week's exhibition kick-off. It will be trimmed further to 18 players for the World's. "While it is still early in the preparatory phase, there is reason to be optimistic about the medal potential of this year's world junior team," said coach Greg Hamilton in a press release. "The fact that we are faced with many difficult decisions is a reflection of both the talent level and overall commitment of this group of athletes." Ten players attending the Canadian training camp were selected in last month's Major League Baseball amateur draft. Here's the Ontario players (followed by their jersey number) presently with the Canadian team (all are either 17 or 18 years of age). Chris Emanuele 27 (Mississauga), Chris Leroux 25 (Mississauga), Chris Robinson 30 (Dorchester), Arman Sidhu 11 (Mississauga), Robert Bland 33 (North Bay), Jamie Romak 40 (London), David Davidson 17 (Thorold), Eric Wolfe 24 (Willowdale), Jason Gotwalt 23 (Mississauga), Adam Pemasilici 8 (Tecumseh) and Matt Tosoni 26 (Whitby). To access the entire roster or for more info about the Canadian team and schedule, log on to www.baseball.ca Admission is free this Friday at Oakville Park. · more baseball, inside page C6 Jamie Smith · Oakville Beaver Dameian Baker (left), of the American team, tries to stop Mark Passley of the Oakville Maddawgs. Passley led Oakville in scoring with 35 points, including five spectacular dunks, in a losing cause. Can-Am Challenge goes to U.S. Lang again called up to national team The second annual Can-Am Challenge at Sheridan College went emphatically to the U.S. this time around, as they made it three out of three on Saturday, 112-86 over the Oakville Maddawgs. The Sheridan-based Maddawgs team was a col lection of local college and university stars, both current and recently graduated. The U.S. team was a collection of division one and two NCAA players up here on a tour. It offers the U.S. players a chance to keep their games sharp while enjoying international travel. Maddawgs coach Dave Ferencina, who runs the Double Blue basketball program at Sheridan College, said the two years have gone so well he may turn the event into a basketball festival, and include a high school component. On Saturday, the Maddawgs kept it close for the first half but the NCAA players "seemed much more prepared and in better shape as we faded down the stretch," said Ferencina. "We started fast but could not keep it going." The Maddawgs were led by Mark Passley who had 35 points along with five spectacular dunks. Sheridan's Hugh Bent had 19, Tim Woods chipped in 7 and McMaster (and St. Thomas Aquinas) grad Rodney Baptiste added 6 more. The U.S. was led by Dameian Baker (North Carolina) with 25 points, Ronald Banks with 21, Terrance McGee with 19 and Solomon Harris with 17. The support of Sheridan College and its head coach and athletic director Jim Flack (who is also the Canadian men's assistant coach) adds greatly to the tour and also the willingness of U.S. coaches like Chad Reynolds of East Carolina and Dave Springer of Shippensburg to travel to Oakville. UPCOMING EVENTS Upcoming events at Double Blue Basketball: · July 25 - Shane Bascoe & Friends All-Star Charity Game. · August 1 - Registration for all Fall & Winter Basketball Programs at the College. · September 28 - Parent and Child Family Camp. For more info call 905-844-4166. Oakville's Kara Lang is one of seven U-19 national team members who have been called up to the senior national team for tonight's international friendly against Olympic gold medalist Norway. Although only 15 years old, it will mark Lang's second call-up this year to the senior national team. Earlier this year, the St. Thomas Aquinas stu dent, who will enter Grade 11 in September, had an outstanding debut, scoring four goals in her first three games at a tournament in Portugal. But Canada had agreed to play in a lower division for. that tourney and take a young squad. Tonight's international friendly promises to be much tougher, obviously, with Norway being the defending Olympic champions. With the Toronto city workers strike over, the game is confirmed for Centennial Stadium, 7 p.m. The game will pit Canadian head coach Even Pellerud against the team he led to a World Cup championship in 1995 and will involve several intriguing match-ups as both teams feature prominent WUSA players, including Canada's Charmaine Hooper. Pellerud's squad includes seven players who are on the Canadian Under-19 team preparing for the upcoming FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, which is being hosted in west ern Canada, Aug. 17-Sept. 1. "I consider this roster to be one of the strongest that I've had," said Pellerud. "With seven Under-19 players there is a good balance between young and older players and it is an exciting roster in my opinion. "Knowing that Norway are the current the Olympic Gold Medallists, this is a real test on the progress we have made. It will be a good kick-off for our preparations for the Gold Cup (in October)." Tonight's match will be the first of six for the national squad as it prepares for the Gold Cup tournament in Vancouver in October that will serve as the qualifier for the World Cup finals to be staged in China next year. Lang wasn't even born when Canadian star player Charmaine Hooper made her internation al soccer debut for Canada at the age of 18 in 1986. Just as Hooper was then considered a star in the making, Oakville's Lang is now being touted as the player to watch. Lang has already made history by becoming the youngest player ever to play internationally and also the youngest to score, erasing the mark held by American Mia Hamm, possibly the in tonight's battle against Norway, the defending Olympic gold medallists Murphy helps Canada to win over U.S. in crucial World Cup rugby qualifier Canada's national rugby team, with Oakville's Phil Murphy in tpw, recorded it's second key World Cup qualifying win 36-13 over host U.S. Saturday in Chicago. Canada won the opener at Fletchers Fields in Markham last month 26-9 over the U.S. Eagles. The pair of wins give Canada a great start to the Americas qualifying round, which includes homeand-home matches against Chile and Uruguay next month. Murhpy, who rose through the Oakville Trafalgar high school and Oakville Crusader club programs had a stellar season playing professional ly with Perpignan in France. Jamie Smith · Oakville Beaver Oakville's Kara Lang, 15, called up to national team in tonight's game against Norway. best-known women's soccer player. Hamm was 15 years and 139 days when she made her American debut and Lang eclipsed that mark by nine days when she suited up against Scotland in the Algarve Cup tournament in Portugal in March. While Hamm had to wait until she was 18 to get her first goal, Lang scored just two days later by netting her first goal against Wales. Since then Lang has been on a roll with six goals in seven games. Tonight she and Hooper will spearhead Canada's attack against Olympic gold medallist Norway. "It was an awesome experience to play along with Charmaine for the first time in France ear lier this year," said Lang. "And it will be will be exciting to team up with her again at home for the first time." It has been an amazing year for the Oakville athlete who made the jump from a club team to the national team. "I was very surprised and very excited when I first got a call from Even (coach Pellerud) that he (See 'Lang', inside, page C7) Oakville tennis players shine at provincials Ontario's best tennis players battled it out in the U-16 and U-12 age groups last week, and when the dust had settled, Oakville had more than its share of podium placings, including one sin gles champion. Erika Perez won the U-16 girls championship. The U-12 events took place at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, the U-16 girls were held at the Milton Tennis Club, and the U-16 boys were held at the Victoria Tennis Club in Vineland. Here's a summary of the top Oakville finishes: · Erika Perez wins girls singles, U-16; · Lyndon Casey (Oakville), Paul Clough (Mississauga), win boys doubles, U-16; · Eric West (Oakville) and Brandon MacDonald (Oakville), runners-up in boys dou bles, U-12; · Monica Hirano, 4th, girls singles, U-12. Spots still available for McKay's hockey school A high powered hockey school is coming to Oakville this summer, led by director Doug McKay, former coach of the New Jersey Devils. He has another Devils coach, Jim Schoenfeld, in tow and they are supported by a couple of NHL players -- Eric Cairns (New York Islanders) and Dave Andreychuck (Tampa Bay Lightning). The CCM hockey school runs next week (July 22-27) at River Oaks Rec Centre. The two hours on-ice instruction includes one hour of professional power skating instruction and one hour of skill development. Limited openings still available, including two spots for goaltenders who receive specialized instruction. To register, call (905) 634-7035. Pick-up basketball Thursdays Home Court Basketball have organized a men's pick-up session over the summer at Appleby College, Thursday nights, 7:30-9 p.m. Call 905469-8676 or www.homecourtbasketball.com