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"A Family Tradition for 128 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, September 26, 1995 - 23 SPORTS Don Hurst dedicated to local sports Putting together a team of "angels" By Wally Donaldson Special to the Star In the eyes of many women who have played softball in Scugog Township, Don Hurst is an angel. His philosophical approach to sports, the intensity exuded behind the scenes and professional manner while convers- ing with his young charges, conjures thoughts of the right man doing what's best for the game, and the people who play it. By his own admission, Hurst has become a person dedicated to a common goal since forming the Scugog Angels, an organization committed to fielding the best midget and senior athletes this area has to offer. The mission, ironically, started on a ball field five years ago while Hurst watched a gathering of female talent shagging flies during a slo-pitch game in Port Perry. "It peeved me to see them throwing the ball way up in the air," recalls the 65-year- old .GM retiree. "I thought, 'What's the matter with these girls? Can't they throw ast?" Jan Towns, Lori Winter, D.D. Fowler, Joyce Parkinson and Jackie Dempster were among a handful on the field that day who said, "Sure, we can play." "It was a great idea and I really wanted it to succeed," observes Towns,who in the winter months is an accomplished com- petitive curler at the Port Perry Curling Club. "Don is a great guy for coming up with theideas." Colin Wackett took on the coaching duties and Towns served as a player- coach. "We had trouble getting girls out our first year because a lot stayed with lob- ball, players who were good enough to play fastball," adds Towns. "But we stuck with it." Hurst is an old hand at coaching and managing, having assembled a peewee boys fastball squad for Port Perry in 1960. The "Angels" name was used, an idea spearheaded by the California Angels' entry into major league baseball. "I and asked if I'd be inter- thought it was a perfect name and I've stuck with it ever since," said Hurst. Despite its relatively short existence, women's softball in Port Perry has con- sistently hit a home run on local, provin- cial and national levels. The Angels' scored a coup with a national interme- diate title in 1994, turning EE in an unblemished 5-0 record at Moncton, New Brunswick. They copped eastern Canadian crowns two years running as a midget club advanced to | the intermediate level. The Angels, elevated to | a senior level this season, * experienced growing pains. But Hurst and coach Rick Finlay are wringing their hands in quiet anticipation of the | caliber of talent they'll be | watching next year. Persistence paid off § handsomely for Hurst when he inked Finlay to the head coaching post two years ago, despite a myriad of ball activities already filling the skip- per's palette. "Don came to my door ested in taking over the Angels and I had to decline," recalls the Port Perry resident, who is kept busy as head wom- Don Hurst looks through his scrap of reports about the successes of the Scugog Angles. en's softball coach at Seneca College. "I was get- | ting a team ready for the Canada Games (in Kamloops, B.C.). "He came back to me and asked me a second time if the Angels were able toget a gym. But they never managed to get one." Once workouts began outdoors, Hurst approached him a third time. And it clicked. "He wanted me to help with their prac- tices, and I agreed," says Finlay. "The Belleville midgets had folded and they sent players to us. Once I got the feel for it, I was hooked." Jim Cooke came aboard as an assis- tant, and the groundwork was set. Adding to their list of proposals is the advent of a bantam club, followed by a viable junior program. "We have the players (for bantam) here as well as from out of town, and we're going to build a step-by-step formation," says Hurst, adding a bantam team will compete next year at the facility behind Scugog Arena. A solid infielder during the late 1940's, Hurst was recognized more as a punch hitter than for the long ball. But he did surprise himself on a few occasions as the ball jumped off the bat. One occasion was during a contest at Alexandra Park in Oshawa, where the facility housed dia- monds opposite each other. "I just pounded the ball. It went a long way," Hurst reminisces, with a glow on his face. "There was a game going on at the other diamond as well, and the ball dropped in front of Vern McLaughlin (fielder in the other game). I was puffing like a steam engine - and I only made it to third base! 'What the heck was that? I asked one of our guys. "That should have been a homer." He agreed, and I knew right there I wasn't a hardball player." Hurst's involvement in ball over the years has been heartwarming, a cushion of sorts after being dealt severe blows in life: The loss of his wife Blanche, who shared his enthusiasm, to cancer, and the death of players Joyce Elyea and Lisa Carlson, in a 1993 car accident while returning from a tournament in Grafton. It's as if the devil was on a roll; Hurst discovered last winter he was stricken with bone cancer. And showing another side of his personality, he got angry. "I noticed myself limping a lot and I couldn't figure out why," he recalls. "I couldn't get out of my seat on the (team) bus. Something was wrong with my hip." A kidney operation two years earlier could have spread the disease, he figures. "I was upset. I was ready to blame a lot of people," Hurst relates. "But my special- ist said I couldn't blame anybody, even though he admitted that the doctor should hoge told me. He didn't. So, what can you 0? "I wondered, 'Why me? First the loss of my wife because of cancer, and now I've gotit.' Thankfully, it's in remission." Not without taking its toll, however. Hurst dropped from a healthy 234 pounds to 148. He's feeling much better these days as the tide finally turns in his direction. Angels are staging a bantam tryout camp on Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Water Street diamonds from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Players wishing to compete are invited to attend. Lawn bowlers wrap up season All tournaments and schedule play has been completed for another sea- son. Tournaments Cannington - M.T. - Man leads - Aug. 29 (Ca- nadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary Trophy). High 1 Game Winners from one club were Helen Heard - skip; Lois Dallas - vice; Graham Dallas - lead. Port Perry - M.P. - (I.G.A. Trophy) - Aug. 30 High 3 Game and Tour- nament Winners were from Oshawa - Ken Daw- son - skip; Ella Dawson - lead. Second High 3 Game Winners from Uxbridge - Everett Hockley - skip; Mary Hockley - lead. High 1 Game Winners were from our club - Clara Martyn - skip; Barry Par- ish -lead with 42 pts. Port Perry - M.P. - (Wagg Trophy) - Sept. 14 - 16 teams participated. This trophy was presented by Myles O'Riordan. High 3 Game and Tour- nament Winners were from Lindsay - Jack Gatt - skip; Verna Gatt - lead. Scores from the lanes Tuesday Night Mens - Team Standings: Man- chester Country Style, 5, Team Five, 5, Tri-Gem Flawless, 4, Team No. Six, 3, Team No. Three , 2, No Names, 2. High Single Flat - Ken Bolduc 287 High Single with Hand- icap - Ken Bolduc High Triple Flat - Ken Bolduc 689 High Triple with Hand- icap - Ken Bolduc 803 Singles over 215 Flat - Ken Bolduc 287, 217, Ke- vin Martin 226, Mike Skerratt 231, Harold McLaughlin 221, 231, Jack Vaz 230, Peter Booth 231, Brandon Hammond 238,217. Triples Over 600 Flat - Ken Bolduc 689, Kevin Martin 624, Harold McLaughlin 632, Brandon Hammond 621. Uxbridge - M.T. - Sept. 23. High 2 Game Winner - D. Smith - skip; J. Storry - vice; KE. Smith - lead; with 39+1 pts. Schedule Play Winners of the third schedule were as follows: Tuesday - Garnet War- riner - skip; Helen Nesbitt - vice; Maureen Mayr - lead. Wednesday - Tom Fin- nerty - skip; Marie Foster - vice; Tony Buxcey - lead. Thursday - Barry Par- ish - skip; Marie Cookman -vice; Hazel Gray -lead. Playoffs Wednesday played Thursday on Monday, Sept. 11 with Wednesday defeating Thursday. Tuesday played Wednesday on Tuesday, Sept. 12 resulting in the Tuesday team of Garnet Warriner - skip; Helen Nesbitt - vice; Maureen Mayr - lead, being winners of the third schedule. Annual fall meeting is to be held at our club house on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. CLUB 13300 Cartwright E. 1/4 Line Blackstock (905) 986-0488 CADMUS COUNTRY Rainbow & Speckled Trout Fishing Enjoy beautiful scenery & enjoy a great meal with family & friends. Licensed under LLBO. 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