The first Ancaster Little League Qualifying Tournament for the District 1 Houseleague Championships was held May 29-31 at Smith and Amberly Parks. In the Finals the 2-2-1 Mets took on the 4-1 Yankees, in a tremendous game. The Yankees scored 6 quick first inning runs and took a commanding lead. Ty Wilson of the Yankees pitched 4 innings, and cruised through the first 3, in the fourth however the Mets scored 4 runs, and had the bases loaded with 2 out, when Mark Szostak came on to pitch and close the door. Szostak finished the game and got out of trouble in the 6th inning when the Mets were threatening to tie the game and take the lead, but Szostak got a timely K to send the Yankees to the District 1 Houseleague Championships.

Earlier in the tournament the Rays mercied the Red Sox for 3rd place 16-6 in 4 innings. In the semi-finals the Mets mercied the Rays 16-6 in 5 innings, in the second semi-final the Yankees knocked off the Red Sox 5-2 in 8 innings. On Friday the Rays upset the #1 ranked Blue Jays 9-8 in 8 innings, and in the other Friday game, the Red Sox mercied the Pirates 10-0 in 4 innings.

With the win the Yankees advanced to Stoney Creek on June 19-21, where they will meet a representative from the other five leagues in our district. The Yankees begin the District 1 Tournament on Friday June 19 vs. Dundas at 6:30 pm in Stoney Creek, then play Saturday at 10:30 am against Stoney Creek and then on Sunday at 1:00 pm against Erindale. The Semi-Finals are on Friday June 26 at 6:30 and 8:30 pm and the finals are on Saturday June 27 at 1:05 pm in Stoney Creek at Optimist Little League Park off of Queenston Rd.

The schedules for our 3 Bantam and 3 Midget teams that play in the HDBA have been posted. They can be accessed along with all of the other division schedules from the team menus in the right column.

Please help your division conveners by promply reporting your game scores so they can be posted here in a timely manner.

Tryouts for the 2009 All Star and Select tournament teams for the Rookie Ball division will be held on the following dates and times.

For more information contact Coach Jeff VanTuyl at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Response to article in Ancaster News Friday May 1.2009
Little League will finance clubhouse despite shortfall

Ancaster Little League would like to assure our many community partners that the 2010 Canadian Little League Championships is not  in jeopardy. This League has a 53-year history of active community involvement developing baseball programs for youth. The reason for us to bid on the 2010 championships was to give us an opportunity to highlight those programs and our very unique facilities and location, along with our relationship with the community at large. It was out of respect of the memory of the Second World War vets who developed these facilities in 1956 that the League wanted to host these Championships. Ever since it’s inception in 1957, Ancaster Little League has continued to build these facilities through volunteerism and generous community donations and participation. The League continues to maintain and upgrade its facilities on an annual basis at no expense to the tax payer. We have contributed thousands of dollars into capital improvements to all our facilities over the years.

 In order to host the 2010 Canadian Championships, a budget of approximately $170,000 was established to run the tournament itself. To date, through many very generous and supportive community partners, 75% of that budget has been pledged or collected. Over the course of the next year, we will continue to fundraise at all levels to meet our goals. We are in the process of developing an Alumni association to further continue our relationship with those who have been involved in the league in the past.

The diamond retrofit and new Clubhouse in no way has an impact on the tournament itself. The tournament simply gave the initiative to further improve our facilities to leave a legacy to future generations of Ancaster youth. Due to the uniqueness of our facilities, wet and soggy fields were a constant problem. Inadequate concessions, washrooms and storage were also a problem. It was agreed that the City of Hamilton would pay for and organize the retrofit of the ball diamond and Ancaster Little League would build the clubhouse. As in the past, it was agreed that the League would match dollar for dollar the capital improvement costs. At the time of initial planning of the clubhouse, the League was led to believe that septic facilities could be installed in the valley. That is not the case. An elaborate sewage pumping system was designed to service the new washrooms in order to pump up to Central Ave. Through very generous donations from many contributors in the construction industry, funding for the building itself is at 75%. A Trillium grant was applied for in November in order to help finance the pumping station. It was declined in late January. To date, 50% of the funding to install the pumping station is in place. The league will secure full funding by June 30 in order for construction to be completed this fall.

The 2010 Canadian Little League Championships will highlight our community on the national stage. We would like to thank all of our supporters and assure you that with all of our efforts these Games will be a proud moment in Ancaster’s history.

Mark Strongman
2010 Canadian Little League Championship Committee

The house league schedules for Blastball, T-ball, Rookie Ball, and the Minor and Major divisions have been posted. The schedules for the HDBA teams and rep baseball will be posted when available. You can also find all of the softball schedules from the girls fastpitch website.

The House League T-ball Rules have been revised for the 2009 season. All parents, coaches and umpires should review them prior to the start of the season. Playing within both the letter and the spirit of the rules makes the game more enjoyable for all participants. They are available through a link in the right Rules Menu.