The Brooklin Concretes softball team, whose successes created a sense of pride for the community of Brooklin, was to be inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame last April until COVID postponed the event for a year. A Shout-Out to Nancy Mitchell who worked hard to put together a full history to secure their nomination!
The Concretes were born in 1963 when players from the Brooklin Stevenson Motors team joined with players from Mount Zion. This new team, which played to exuberant crowds who filled the Brooklin Memorial Park stands, joined the Oshawa City and District Softball League and developed a reputation for strong performances.
In their second season, the Concretes advanced to the league semi-finals. However it was at the regional and provincial levels where the players accomplished their most outstanding achievements. Competing in the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) Intermediate C division playoffs, the Concretes captured Southern Ontario titles in 1964 and 1966, earning the right to play for the All-Ontario championship. In both years, they played a team from Capreol.
The 1964 squad, coached by Dib Little, advanced through four playoff rounds to capture the Southern Ontario championship. The Concretes eliminated Elmvale, Markham, Selkirk, and Tweed, recording eight wins and just two losses. Their crackerjack pitchers were so skilled that in 10 games, the opposing teams scored just 26 runs.
The 1964 All Ontario championship was a best-of-three series with all games in Brooklin. After they dropped the ball, losing 2-1 in the opening game, the Concretes bounced back to win their first provincial title by securing the next two games with scores of 3-1 and 4-2.
Two years later, with Coach Bill Harper at the helm, the Concretes faced a tougher challenge in the OASA Intermediate C Finals: they had to win six playoff series to become the Southern Ontario Champions. They accomplished it with wins over Battersea, Bridgenorth, Fisherville, Markham, Merlin and Minden, winning 12 of 15 games and with a combined score of 127 to 28. Five of those wins were shutouts! Brooklin defeated Capreol in the provincial finals, winning 2-1 and 5-1 to capture their second All Ontario title.
Photo Courtesy of Scott McLellan.
