NEW WATERFORD, N.S. — Baseball fans will see a new and improved Jerry Marsh Ball Field when they visit the local venue next year.
The 108-year-old baseball diamond, which is believed to be the second-oldest in Canada, will receive infield and warning track upgrades prior to the 2020 Baseball Canada Senior National Championship next August.
Renovations have already started at the Plummer Avenue field, but the Cape Breton Regional Municipality was unable to provide an update at press time in regard to the project cost or when work would be complete.
Grass is expected to remain in the infield as part of the renovations.
Sydney Sooners bench boss Jim (Rico) McEachern confirmed the New Waterford venue will be used as the second field for the nationals but didn’t know much about the project.
“When the field is ready to go, hopefully it will be ready for the minor baseball season, but especially by August, you’ll see that they brought it up to national standards,” said McEachern.
“I think the Jerry Marsh Ball Field will be an excellent venue — we’ve been to nationals four of the last six years and we’ve seen the fields and not to take away from them, but the Marsh is excellent.”
Although the semifinal and championship games for the national tournament will be held at the Susan McEachern Memorial Ball Park in Sydney, McEachern noted there will be plenty of games at the Marsh.
“We will be utilizing both fields to a full extent,” said McEachern. “The fields will be pretty well matched for games on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings of the tournament.”
The Sooners were awarded the 2020 national championship in November 2018 and in submitting the bid had full intention to use the Marsh field for the event.
“We wouldn’t have even got the national tournament if we didn’t offer a second quality field like the Marsh,” said McEachern.
“Any major event that comes here, there is some upgrading that does end up happening to certain facilities which leaves legacies for the future.”
In the late 1930s, although not named the Jerry Marsh Ball Field, the field was the home of the New Waterford Dodgers, a club that played in the Cape Breton Colliery League.
The league featured local baseball players as well as import players. One of those import players was Jack Barry of New York, who reportedly saw some Major League Baseball action.
The 1959 New Waterford Giants, which was the first senior club from Cape Breton to win a Maritime championship, also called the iconic field home.
In July 1992, the field was renamed the Jerry Marsh Ball Field in honour of Jerry Marsh, a former mayor of the Town of New Waterford.
The field underwent extensive renovations, which included new dugouts, fencing and drainage system upgrades, prior to the 2011 Canadian Big League Baseball Championship, which was hosted at the field by the Cape Breton McNally Dodgers.
Since then, the field has hosted various provincial and minor baseball tournaments and is used on a regular basis by the New Waterford Minor Baseball Association.
McEachern expects the games will be well attended at the New Waterford facility.
“I played ball there in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and probably the 90s, and the town has such a strong baseball fan base,” said McEachern. “You’re going to see such a great quality of baseball in those games there next year and I know it will draw a crowd.”
The national tournament is scheduled to take place Aug. 27-30 in both Sydney and New Waterford.
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