By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It took almost three weeks to decide which was the best team in the Forrest City T-Ball League.
The league finally completed its postseason tournament Tuesday night after beginning way back on June 18.
Along the way several teams dropped out, due to the rain outs and the rescheduling process but organizers and a few coaches persisted on playing it out.
As expected by most, Boar's head, which had rolled through the winner's bracket undefeated, was able to hold off Union Planter's Bank in Tuesday's championship game, 19-16 to earn the tournament title.
Union Planter's, playing from the loser's bracket, was awarded a forfeit win over M&T Paving and then bounced Wilson Law 23-19 to get to the loser's semifinal game.
That resulted in another forfeit win for Union Planter's, when Imboden opted out of the tournament, putting Union into the championship game.
Union Planter's would have had to defeat Boar's Head twice to win the title.
Boar's Head rolled past H&H, Bonanza, Dr. Beasley and Imboden on its way to the tournament's title game.
Union Planter's Bank took down Long Real Estate before losing to Dr. Beasley in the second round.
Battling back through the loser's bracket, Union eliminated Perkins and Forrest City Health Club to set up Tuesday's final night of play.
Boar's Head quickly erased a 4-0 Union Planter's lead by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The Bank team plated five runs in the second inning to tie the game at 9-9 before Boar's Head answered with another nine runs in the home portion of the second inning to lead 18-9.
Union Planter's rallied in the top of the third to score seven runs to get within two at 18-16 before Boar's head added a final run to end the game.
Boar's Head got two runs each from Ariyan Alexander, Shawn Galloway, Julian Hughes, Katayshia Galloway and Catera Mitchell.
Union Planter's Bank got three runs each from Brett Forrester, Lucas Whittenton and Joni Fleming and two runs from Justin Brown.
Union took the field for the championship game with just seven players.
The T-Ball League does not keep score during the regular season and does not crown a league champion but does so in the postseason tournament.
The instructional league is for children, ages four through six-years-old.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Local league play may be complete, but there's still plenty of chances to play some more youth baseball.
The Wynne Baseball Commission will host the 2004 version of its annual WynneBall Tournament, July 1618, at the Wynne Sports Complex.
Teams interested in signing on for the ride can do so by contacting Holly Jarrett at (870) 238-3660 or by Fax (870) 238-7595
The tournament features age divisions. Those divisions and entry fees are: T-Ball $125, 8 and under $150, 10 and under $150 12 and under $150 14 and under $150.
Deadline to enter the WynneBall field is Monday, July 12. Cal-Ripkin Rules will be in effect during the tournament.
The 6-under bracket will have a minimum of two games guaranteed as will the 8-under bracket, the 10-under, the 12-under and the 14-under divisions.
Also coming up, the Marion Youth Sports Association will host Marion Mayhem, beginning Friday, July 23 and running through July 25.
Interested teams can contact James Wilson at 870-739-1346.
The baseball tournament is open for ages T-Ball, coach-pitch, kid-pitch through 12 years of age.
Entry fee per team is $200 with a minimum guarantee of playing three games.
There is a limited amount of space available and each age division is being limited to eight teams.
And if that isn't enough baseball opportunity, there's always the Last Summer/First Fall or Who Care's Tournament being sponsored by the Cabot Youth Baseball Association.
The two-day tournament will be played Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20-21, at Cabot.
Teams interested in playing some late summer baseball can contact John Simmons at 501-843-5022.
Age divisions include 6-under through 15-under with a three-game guarantee and limited space in each bracket.
Team entry fees are $100.
And don't forget about the upcoming Junior Babe Ruth 13-year-old State Tournament, which begins Friday, July 9, at the Forrest City Sports Complex.
The Sports Complex will also host the adult men and women's slow pitch district softball tournaments, July 17-18.
There are 17 teams in the men's tournament, which will start Saturday, July 17, at 8:30 a.m.
Seven of the 17-teams will represent Forrest City, including the top three teams in the league -- Gym 2000, Kerby's and the Middle Busters.
The district winner advances to either the Class D or E state tournament.
In the women's bracket, seven team's will play beginning Saturday, July 17.
Three of the seven teams will represent Forrest City.
The East Arkansas/Forrest City Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) will host a basketball camp, July 12-14, at two locations -- First Baptist Church and First United Methodist Church in Forrest City.
The basketball camp is open to all students entering the third through eighth grades in the fall and will run from 9 a.m. until 12 noon each of the three days.
The cost per camper is $25 or $45 for two from the same family and $60 for three in the same family.
The camp will feature Forrest City native and longtime Hendrix College (Conway) men's basketball coach Cliff Garrison, who is being inducted into the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame in September.
Garrison retired from coaching at the close of the 2002-03 season, his 31st coaching season.
Foe more information about the camp, call Dante Wright at 870-882-9112.