Some of the best young baseball players in Canada will be coming to Richmond this weekend to play in the nine-day long Canadian Intermediate Little League Championships.
The District 6 Little League Battalion will be hosting, as seven teams from across the country battle for the title from July 16 to 25 at Palmer Baseball Complex.
The host Battalion team is made up of players from Hastings, Trout Lake, Richmond, New Westminster and South Vancouver Little Leagues.
Both Hastings and South Vancouver have represented Canada at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, but this is the first time they have played in the 13 year-old Canadian Championships which serves as a qualifier for the Intermediate World Series in California.
“This is an amazing chance to see some great baseball,” said tournament chair and Battalion founder, Cameron Phillips.
“Thanks to a lucrative TV deal with ESPN, the 12-year-olds get all the media attention, but the 13-year-old ball is even better.”
The tournament will feature regional champions from Alberta, BC, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada as well as the host team from District 6.
There are three games a day over the first seven days, and then a day of semi-finals, before the finals at noon on the 25th.
“It’s going to be a thrill of a lifetime for these kids,” says Phillips, “and I’m sure we’ll be providing lots of thrills for the fans as well.
Admission is free, and the complete schedule can be found at www.intermediatenationals.ca.
