Seven teams will descend on Ancaster Little League Park on Thursday to battle for the chance to hop a bus to Williamsport, Penn., for the Little League World Series in mid-August.
The 2019 edition of the Canadian Little League Championship is being hosted this year by the Ancaster Baseball Association, which picked it up after Oakville, which was initially chosen to host, withdrew.
If you plan to follow the tournament, here’s what you need to know.
Where
All games will be at Little League Park in Ancaster. The main field is located at 286 Jerseyville Rd. W, between Meadowbrook Drive and Fiddler’s Green Road.
Tickets
As was the case in 2010, spectators are invited to watch the games free of charge. Little League Park has little in the way of seats in the stands but has a large, grassy outfield. Be warned, though — the turf can be wet at times.
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Schedule
The tournament kicks off on Thursday with the opening game at 10:00 a.m. and the opening ceremonies hosted by 900 CHML’s Scott Radley at 3:30 p.m.
There are three games per day up until the final, which will be the only game on Saturday, August 10 at 11:00 a.m.
The full schedule can be seen on the tournament’s website.
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The teams
There are seven teams competing in the tournament from six regions across Canada, plus the host, the Ancaster Diamond Backs. Here are the representatives:
Host
Ancaster made the final the last time they hosted the tournament in 2010, only to lose to a team from Little Mountain in B.C.
Atlantic Canada
The Glace Bay McDonald’s Colonels will represent Atlantic Canada. The five-time national champions finished second in the 2018 tourney in Québec.
British Columbia
The Coquitlam All-Stars will represent B.C., a province with a strong recent track record in the competition. B.C. teams have represented Canada at 13 of the last 14 Little League World Series in Pennsylvania.
Alberta
Calgary West went five and one in the round-robin of the provincial tournament before defeating southern rival Fish Creek in the province’s final. Calgary West had a memorable run at the 2007 tournament in Regina, falling short in the final to White Rock/South Surrey from B.C.
Prairies
Moose Jaw has only been in the Canadian championship final once in the tournament’s history, in 2003 against Glace Bay, N.S. The Atlantic Canada squad pitched a no-hitter against the Saskatchewan representative in the championship game.
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Quebec
It was just two years ago that the Diamond Baseball Academy from Mirabel made waves in the Medicine Hat hosted championship tournament. The side from Quebec fell short losing 12-5 to White Rock/South Surrey.
Ontario
Ottawa West is the fourth team to represent the city in the Canadian championship. Twice in the last six years, a squad from Ottawa has made the final, with East Nepean winning in Nova Scotia in 2013.
Streaming
The CBC will stream 21 of the 24 tournament games on the web, with the semifinal and the championship televised on the main network.
Social Media
The tournament can be followed on the three big social media platforms, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Food Trucks
If you plan to take in the games live in Ancaster, the venue will host a number of food trucks serving fries, hot dogs, ice cream and smoothies.
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