Four surviving members of Exeter’s first-ever baseball championship team threw out the first pitch at a recent game, as part of a ceremony honouring their accomplishment seven decades ago. “It’s a long time ago, and we waited 70 years for this,” says Jim Hennessy, first basemen for the 1956 championship team. In 1956, 14 Huron County teenagers won the Midget C final against Caledonia. It was Exeter’s first-ever Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) title. “It was a big thing that’s for sure. The first championship in town. We had a big ride in the fire truck at the end of the trek home, and it was great,” said Jim Russell, who scored the winning run in the 1956 championship game. Exeter’s ball teams have won many OBA titles since, but the first one, still feels special 70 years later. “We won the championship, but at the time we didn’t realize really what we had done, you know,” said Doug Kelson, right fielder for the 1956 winning team. “There are quite a few times when I was playing ball that I was out here and doing this, and that was great,” added Cy Blommaert. The recognition is that much sweeter for the surviving members of the ’56 team, because they’re all in their 80s now, and have started to lose teammates to old age over the past few years. “Well, you start to savor it and appreciate it a little more at this age. I don’t think you do while you’re playing,” said Kelson. “This is very special. We didn’t know about it until about a week ago, and appreciate what everybody’s done to get it looked after,” said Russell. The four members of the ’56 championship winning squad received pennants and plaques commemorating their accomplishment.
