Sport
Wolves in waiting
Terry Mallinder
25Mar08
Williamstown Wolves players gather after claiming the Division 3 premiership earlier this month. Picture: VALERIU CAMPAN S38OS694
WILLIAMSTOWN Wolves will know early next month if they are to be promoted to Baseball Victoria's Division 2 competition next season.
The Wolves won the Division 3 flag in sensational fashion earlier this month, downing the might of Springvale 6-3 in the Grand Final at Keysborough.
The win has been described as one of the club's greatest ever and came on the day it celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The Wolves are hoping the icing on the cake will come in the form of promotion, but according to secretary Mick Hurstfield the club must first tick several boxes, such as having a sufficient junior program.
"We're going to have to present to the pennant committee of the VBA on why we should go up," he told the Leader.
"We've struggled with juniors, but we're putting a plan in place
"We're going to do a big recruitment drive during the winter months. We're going to run baseball clinics in all the primary schools in Hobsons Bay."
The Wolves fielded stand-alone under-18 and under-14 teams this season, but were forced to join with Division 1 club Newport Rams to field an under-16 side.
Hurstfield said locally baseball struggled to compete with cricket and lacrosse.
"Lacrosse is our killer," he said. "We've got a number of juniors who are state and national lacrosse players and they're commitments are to lacrosse in the summer months, getting ready for national and world titles."
The 2007-08 season will no doubt benefit the Wolves in the long-term however.
The club also won the Division 3 thirds premiership, coached by Hurstfield himself.
"We've played in the last three grand finals," he said. "That was our first win since 1973."
The thirds' win was extra special for Dean Flower.
"He'd played 300 games for Williamstown and never won a premiership," Hurstfield said.
Coached by former national league player David Simpson, the seniors' victory brought an end to Springvale's dominance of the competition. It had won the previous three flags.
"It was probably one of the biggest wins Williamstown has had," Hurstfield said. "They've got ex-Australian players.
"They were also dominant in Division 2, but because they've only got three teams they got relegated to Division 3."
Jay Willis, who returned to the Wolves this season from Division 1 club Melbourne, has been important with the bat, while the young pitching trio of Ryan Camov, Aaron Green and Jason Lester have all benefited from Simpson's influence.
Few were happier about the win than Simpson, in his first year at the helm.
"That's the first premiership he's ever won as a baseballer," Hurstfield said.
"He's played in nine grand finals now and that was his first win.
"He got quite emotional after it cause he's never known the feeling.
"It just proves how few and far between they can be."
