Corner Brook -
Mary Tavenor was affectionately known as Mom to all the players, officials and fans who frequented Jubilee Field.
She was a loyal follower of baseball in the city and had her own vantage point at the city's baseball diamond as the careers of guys like Don Colbourne, Tom Humber, Craig Bugden and Brian Colbourne unfolded before her.
She was also in the stands for many of the great moments in the storied amateur careers of two of the best baseball players in the province - Frank Humber and Darren Colbourne.
Mom's memory is kept alive each year with the staging of the Mary Tavenor Memorial Baseball Tournament in the city.
"Mary Tavenor was one of the finest sports fans in the city," tournament convenor Peter Burt said. "Certainly in baseball, many of us who are involved, have known her since we were children, and she was there to cheer (at) all the tournaments, from minor to the senior Barons, of course.
While celebrating Mom's legacy as a an avid sports fan in the city is foremost on the minds of the organizers, Burt said staging a well-organized tournament early in the year is appreciated by those who participate.
"It gives these children an opportunity to play in a very good, organized tournament early in the summer," he said. "Because, as I have mentioned the last number of years, it's rare for these kids to play in a well-organized tournament other than their provincials because it's such a short season.
"So, despite the fact it's a lot of work, we think it's well worth it because the kids are the ones who benefit."
This year marks the fifth annual event and champions will be crowned in three divisions with 16 teams participating in one of the biggest memorial minor baseball tournaments ever staged in the province.
Five teams will participate in the mosquito division with all games played on the Little Jubilee Field, while the eight-team pee wee event is slated for Fred Basha Memorial Park A Diamond on Wellington Street. The three-team bantam tournament will be staged on Jubilee Field with a fence put in place to reflect the distances for bantam baseball.
Corner Brook AAA, Corner Brook A, Upper Island Cove, Mount Pearl and St. John's will compete in the mosquito tournament.
Entries in the bantam tournament include host Corner Brook, St. John's and Upper Island Cove.
The pee wee tournament features two divisions of four teams with A division comprised of Corner Brook AAA, Upper Island Cove, St. John's AA and Pasadena, while St. John's AAA, Conception Bay South, Corner Brook A and Gander form B division.
For a complete schedule for the fifth annual Mary Tavenor Memorial Baseball Tournament see today's edition of The Western Star.
