The St.John’s Amateur Baseball Association will induct for new members into their hall of fame this coming weekend.
Ian Bennett and Paul McGrath who both played with Feildians baseball team in their careers will be inducted into the player category.
Bruce Rogers will be inducted as a player/ builder and Alf Prince is being inducted into the builder section.
The ceremony will take place Saturday night at seven o’clock at St. John’s City Hall.
Ian Bennett
Ian Bennett’s career in the St. John’s junior and senior leagues with Feildians was not lengthy, but it was impressive. A pitcher and catcher, the powerfully built Bennett led both junior and senior squads
to several titles. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s his senior Feildians team was a powerhouse that claimed three senior championships. Some of Ian Bennett’s finest performances on the baseball diamond came against the Corner Brook Barons in provincial senior competition. More than once the perennial all-star pitched and batted the Capitals to victory. Ian Bennett’s power at the plate and versatility in the field made him a feared opponent.
Paul McGrath
Paul McGrath, a teammate of Ian Bennett’s, also had a relatively short baseball career. He too could play several positions, strong both on the mound and in the infield. His confidence at the plate produced both a high batting average and clutch home runs. Paul McGrath was not only a key contributor to the champion Feildians of the early 1990’s, but was a leader on the St. John’s Capitals in their annual heated battles with the Corner Brook Barons.
Alf Prince (builder)
Alf Prince, born in Princeton, Bonavista Bay, did not see a live baseball game until he came to St. John’s in 1972. His early involvement with the Feildians junior team led to his long tenure as the St.> John’s Baseball League’s official scorer. Before the advent of computers, Alf Prince painstakingly scored and calculated the stats for nearly twenty years. He also served on the league executive and was heavily involved in the organization of both the 1982 and the 1990 senior nationals at St. Pat’s Ball Park. The press box at St. Pat’s is named “The Alf Prince Room”, a testament to his tireless work for the league.
Bruce Rogers (player/builder)
Bruce Rogers’s baseball career started with the junior Guards in 1966. It continues today, over fifty years later. A crafty left-handed pitcher, he won numerous city titles with Guards and Shamrocks. He went on to coach the Shamrocks to more city titles and also played for and coached both the junior and senior Capitals all-star teams. For over twenty-five years Bruce Rogers has been a key member of the local umpiring fraternity. He is also a member of the Mt. Pearl Sports Hall of Fame.
