CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The Hunter’s Corner Mudmen RFC meet arch-rival Halifax Tars today at 2 p.m. for the McCurdy Cup, a trophy Charlottetown-based teams have won just twice since 1954.
Sixty or so years ago, rugby dominated the Maritime fall sports scene but with the popularity of Canadian football and the forward pass, the game was gradually pushed onto the back pages of local newspapers. Introduced into the Island high schools about 20 years ago, rugby is back in the spotlight drawing big crowds everywhere in the world. The quality of the graduates from the P.E.I. high school league has enabled clubs like the Mudmen to field championship-calibre clubs, both men and women, a rarity indeed for this little province.
Island sports fans can get a chance to see rugby at its highest level when the hometown Mudmen tackle the Tars today in the Division 1 championship game today at 2 p.m. at Co-op Field, off of North River Road.
The Mudmen defeated Halifax last year to win the Nova Scotia crown for the first time since the great Charlottetown Nomads won the title in 1954. Many of the standouts on that team, guys like Spy and Charlie Ready, Noel Wilson, Art Perry, Aquinas Ryan and more recently Dave Nicholson and this week Clee Gillis have passed away. There are not many from that 1954 Nomads club remaining, but ageless Gord Tweedy, who looks like he could still play, and Johnny Bradley from Peakes are two who come to mind.
Mudmen co-coaches Eddy MacDonald and Mike Lloyd have put together a powerful team anchored by the heart-and-soul guys Mike Deighan and Sean Doyle. Standout forwards like Phil Lamphier, Alex Forrest and Liam Carter plus a backfield that includes Brodie MacDonald, Ryan Lloyd and Adam Fitzpatrick could give the Mudmen a slightly better than even money chance against Halifax, the class of Maritime rugby for many, many years.
If you want to be entertained, this final will serve the purpose.
Condolences
Clifford (Clee) Gillis is not a name that’s familiar with today’s Island athletes but his passing this week brought back many fond memories. He was a terrific rugby player in his youth, a top student at Queen Square School, a rugged defenceman in the popular Island senior hockey league in the 1950s and 1960s and always a gentleman.
When he was done playing, he coached the Peerless-sponsored peewees in the 1960s with teams that featured many of the future stars like Bobby MacMillan, Rick Vaive, Bob Stewart among many others. In the summer months, Clee lived at the ball parks and joined forces with Don Fitzpatrick to form the highly successful Charlottetown Fawcetts.
Behind the scenes, Clee helped fund minor hockey players out of his own pocket and kept those deeds secret with no fanfare. To all those connected to this gentleman, my condolences.
Harness racing
Live harness racing continues tonight at 6 p.m. at the city track with a 14-dash card.
Two $11,000 Lady Slipper gold divisions featuring our top two-year-old fillies and two divisions of two-year-colts at $9,000 are featured.
There’s also a star-studded Mohawk card tonight with eight Grassroots finals at $50,000 plus Gold Cup and Saucer starter Lincolnjames is in to go. He was sixth last week in 1:48:2, a little too fast for the veteran Lincoln.
At Yonkers, New York, tonight Mark MacDonald has been assigned the outside 8 post with Sunfire Blue Chip, the third straight week in this class for the Takter-MacDonald duo, who won last week with Great Vintage returning $47 on the nose.
The big Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale is set for Friday at 2 p.m. in Crapaud where 120 yearlings are slated to go through the ring. This is a quality yearling live auction where brothers and sisters to many of today’s top two- and three-year-olds will be sold live via auction. Brothers and sisters to horses like Woodmere Bolt, Proven Desire, Ashes to Ashes, Woodmere Ideal Art, Red Dirt Boomer, R E’s Shabla, My Mind is Made Up, J J Powerball, Abner the Great, HowmacFiesty, Dusty Lane Westy, Dare You, Chocolate Terror, Lovineveryminute, Elm Grove Nellie, Woodmere Dancinart, JJ Tanner and Mighty Cowboy suggest this is a top quality sale.
Trot breds in the sale include siblings to trot standouts like Waiting on a Woman, Windemeredontuworry, A Pure Heart, Tyne Valley and half-million dollar winner Smexi. All the top sires in this region, like Camystic, Malicious, Western Paradise, Westwardho Hanover, Articulator, Stonebridge Terror, Varadero Hanover and Image of Dawn, are represented as well as trot standouts like Armbro Barrister and Tad the Stud.
Top Ontario sires Sportswriter, Shadow Play, Betterthancheddar, Thinking Out Loud, Big Jim, Badlands Hanover and Sunshine Beach have babies in the sale as well New York-based trot sire Credit Winner.
Also, highly regarded Rollwithitharry ($650,000 winner) sends his first crop into the Classic Sale, including seven colts and six fillies. There are also four by the now-departed trot sire Striking Lindsay ($629,000). This is a sampling of the quality yearlings in this sale. There are others including 17 first foals of the dam.
Pigskin picks
We all know what happened last week in the NFL, so let’s take a closer look at key games this week.
Miami Dolphins (3-0) at New England Patriots (1-2) – The Dolphins have a vastly underrated QB in Ryan Tannehill, seven TDs and two picks, a run game in Frank Gore and receiver Danny Amendola is back in Gillette Stadium as a visitor. The Fish have a strong pass rush and should give Patriots Tom Brady trouble. This is a real test for the Pats and a game where you should keep your money in your pocket.
Buffalo Bills (1-2) at Green Bay Packers (1-1-1) – The Bills sacked Vikings QB Kirk Cousins four times Sunday and could do the same to a hobbled Aaron Rodgers. I wouldn’t bet these two games with Confederate money.
Here are games I like:
Detroit Lions (1-2) at Dallas Cowboys (1-2) – The Lions who stunned the Pats last week, have a top QB in Matt Stafford, two top backs in Kerryon Johnson and LeGarrette Blunt and top receivers led by Golden Tate. The Cowboys cannot move the ball and have no receiving corps which makes QB Dak Prescott’s job very tough. Take the underdog Lions.
New York Jets (1-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) – The Jags were upset Sunday at home by Tennessee, a team that has beaten Jacksonville five of last six. Jets rookie QB Sam Darnold will be running for his life all afternoon, so I like the Jags to cover the seven-point spread.
Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) at Denver Broncos (2-1) – Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has too many weapons and the Chiefs should cover the bonus five points if you bet Denver.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Chicago Bears (2-1) – The Bears have a Super Bowl-type defence and they’ll need it against Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has three straight 400 yards passing games – an NFL record. Bears QB Mitch Trubisky needs a big game and I think he gets it.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at fiddlersfacts@hotmail.com.
