36 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 25, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Rugby, old school A GAME FOR ALL AGES: An over-40 oldtimers game was a highlight of the Oakville Crusaders Rugby Club's 40th-anniversary celebrations Saturday at Crusader Park. Above, former Cru player Jim Johnson (with ball) makes a cut in the open field while Hentie Pretorius (left) looks on. Right, long-time player Mark Luceri (with ball) pulls away from the attempted tackle of Niagara Old Boys player Chris Mant. The Crusaders hosted games for all ages during their celebration day, which drew a large crowd and concluded with a live band. PHOTOS BY CHRIS KORNACKI / OAKVILLE BEAVER Blades players can serve as role models Continued from page 34 ALL A'S: The Oakville minor bantam A's posted a 5-0 record to win the championship at the Oakville Minor Baseball Association's recent AAA baseball tournament. Minor bantam A's a provincial threat The Oakville minor bantam A's continue to make strides. Tournament runners-up in five competitions two years ago, the A's broke through last season to win two tournament titles. Now, the club has established itself as a top contender for this summer's provincial championships, following a triumphant showing at the Oakville Minor Baseball Association's minor bantam AAA tournament recently at River Oaks Park and Oakville Park. The A's were dominant at the local competition, winning all five of their games by a combined score of 58-14. Oakville routed West Toronto in the championship game, using a seven-run third inning to break open the contest and coast to a 132 mercy-shortened victory. "The kids continue to improve game after game, and this (tournament) proved to be a major step toward our ultimate goal, the OBA's in September," said A's manager Ron Belluomini. "There is a difference between kids playing baseball and kids that are baseball players. They played awesome." The pitching staff of Mike Morley, Mark Wilush, Stephen McPhaden, Blake Weston, Mike Teasdale and Doug Bonar shut down the opposition throughout the weekend. Jordan Mosca, Jason Mitchell, Nick Shanks, Elliott Campbell and Nick Harma provided offensive and defensive contributions, as did catcher Dylan Munro. Lou Mosca, Mike Wilush and Doug Morley are Belluomini's assistant coaches. zation in Oakville, and a lot of our players come from there. For us, what it means is we hope to draw more fans from the Oakville minor hockey system, and also help our players to be recognized by younger athletes who might be inspired to become an Oakville Blade in the future." Though he has best made his mark helping higher-level players advance their careers, Coccimiglio has plenty of experience working with youngsters. The former high school coach ran a house league camp in Burlington in the 1990s and won the Timmy Tyke tournament coaching seven-year-olds in 1995. Coccimiglio added local players like forward Kellan Lain and defenceman Dan Hunt could serve as inspirational role models for youngsters. Lain played high school hockey for the T.A. Blakelock Tigers two years ago and Hunt was cut by the Streetsville Derbys, but both played key roles in the Blades' long playoff run this past spring. "I think the kids always enjoy having someone to look up to and watch," Brooks agreed. "Whether its an ex-NHL player or a Blades player they may have watched during playoffs, it's exciting for a kid." The camp will run Aug. 18-22, with morning and afternoon sessions avail- able. Another feature of the partnership between the organizations will be MOHA's assistance of the Blades with special events throughout the season. That includes the Blades' annual golf tournament (Aug. 28 at Lowville Golf & Country Club), home opener (Sept. 12 at Joshua's Creek Arenas, including a pre-game tailgate party and the raising of 2007-08 championship banners), a Canadian Cancer Society night (Oct. 18) and an alumni evening (Nov. 29). Patching the rifts The partnership is a significant one, given the distant relationship between the two organizations in recent years. Both Brooks and Coccimiglio hope this is the first step towards patching any rifts. "It's a building block," said Brooks. "There were issues in the past, but you have to let go (of those), on both sides." Coccimiglio added, "Both organizations need each other. It's important for the Oakville Blades' survival for them to be part of our organization, and we want to be part of the community and want the community to support us also." The Blades are currently seeking billets for out-of-town players for the upcoming season. For more details, visit www.oakvilleblades.ca.