1969-1979 Bates/Budgets Fastball (1996)

The Victoria Bates Construction team was formed in 1968 with some juniors and players from several senior leagues around town. They started in the Senior B division and moved up to Senior A in 1969. The team went on to the B.C. Senior A championship and started a softball revolution in the capital city. The Bates, which went through a number of name changes in the next numbers of years, was almost unbeatable. They won 15 B.C. Senior A championships in 17 years. Their wins included the Canadian championship six times in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982 and 1983. They also won a share of the world championship in 1976 and the gold medal at the 1979 Pan-American games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The expert player talent that forged the backbone of the team over the years included Carl Walker, John Green, Dennis Eckert, Reg Underwood and Randy Benn. Successful managers included Herb Bate, John Oster, Jack Bell and Neil Leard.