Kingston’s best include the likes of Charlie (Goose) Pester, Vinny McQuaide, Del Cherry and Arnie (‘Ol’ Hickory) Jarrell Rank Among The Kingston Greats.

Kingston is playing host to the Canadian Little League Baseball Intermediate championships at the Cricket Field, one of the oldest, continuously used ball fields in Canada.

Baseball has been played at the Cricket Field since 1872.

The St. Lawrence Base Ball Club was the first team to call the Cricket Field home. Located at Kingston City Park, it sits across the street from the majestic Frontenac County Courthouse and the Kirkpatrick Fountain that was unveiled in 1903.

Before the recent upgrades, the Cricket Field had always provided a true homefield advantage. For decades there were no outfield fences. No lights as dusk approached. In leftfield the ground sloped noticeably uphill as you moved beyond 3rd base (McQuaide’s Hill). Cars parked along the outfield grass would come into play. And only the real power hitters could reach the courthouse fountain across the road (see Charlie Pester).

Throughout 150-plus years of Kingston ball, the ‘all-timers’ like Charlie Pester, Vinny McQuaide and Arnie Jarrell immediately jump off the page.

There was also generational talent found in many Kingston baseball families; the Arniel’s, Cherry’s, Elliott’s, Earl’s, Gilmour’s & Senior’s.

Championships won and lost. We had two pro baseball teams that called Kingston home. Memories etched into the sports history of the Limestone City, a simpler time when for decades several hundred fans would turn out on a warm summer evening to watch KBA games.

With a tip of the cap to local baseball icon Tom Carty, he researched and chonicled Kingston’s baseball history in an excellent book published during the ‘Baseball Centennial’ celebrations in 2001. Here is a quick timeline of some of the unforgetable baseball memories made at the Cricket Field and Megaffin Stadium.

1800’s

It started in 1872 when the St. Lawrence Base Ball Club became Kingston’s first organized team to play at the Cricket Field. The Park Nine were the first elite team.

In 1888 Kingston had its first professional team using import players that played in the Eastern International League, it only lasted one season.

The Kingston Ponies Baseball Club was launched in 1899 with a junior team.

Early 1900’s

The Kingston Ponies debuted a Senior team at the Cricket Field in 1911.

Del Cherry was a towering star on five championship Ponies teams. Cherry hit a lofty .400 and won the Central Ontario League batting title in 1926.

In 1935 the Ponies won Kingston’s first OBA Senior A championship. Jimmy Arniel, Vinny McQuaide, Yammy Jamieson and Mickey Compeau starred for the Ponies.

The KBA Junior Baseball League began play in 1938. Future stars Arnie Jarrell and Joe Lay were among the league’s dominant players.

1940’s

The KBA Senior City League started in 1941. The Canadian Locomotive ‘Locos’ won four straight city championships from 1942-1945. Former OBA champions Vinnie McQuaide and Jimmy Arniel were joined by Joe Corkey, Gord Wood, Cliff Earl, and Arnie Jarrell on the Locos.

Pro ball came to town in 1946 when local hotel owner Nelles Megaffin brought the Class C Border Professional Baseball League to Kingston to play at the new Megaffin Stadium.

The Ponies led the league in attendance and made it to the league final in the inaugural season. Local stars included pitcher Arnie Jarrell, he won 22-games, Vinny McQuaide and Joe Lay were both .300 hitters. The Border League was short lived, it folded in 1951.

Kingston won its first OBA minor baseball title in 1948. Bill ‘Squeak’ Reason’s Juvenile A team took provincial honours, led by Jack ‘Gabby’ White, Don Gilmour, and Don Keenleyside.

1950’s

The Disney Leafs won three straight City Junior championships in 1953, ’54 and ’55. Pitcher Jack Jordan was a three-time MVP.

In the City Senior League, the Legionaires also won three titles in a row (1955-57) with Goose Pester, Babe Martin & Gabby White

In 1953, Don Cherry of the Legionaires suffered a badly broken ankle sliding into Lorne Ferguson (Boston Bruins forward) at second base.

Max Jackson started the Lions Club Minor Baseball League in 1950. Max later became an iconic Kingston sportscaster.

The Kingscourt Little League began play in 1957. It opened doors for hundreds of kids to learn the game and lasted 46-years. Leo Lavallee Sr, Jim McLaughlin, Charlie Paradis, Joe Hawkins, Ron Lavallee, George McNeeley, Bill Baird & Don Dennee all played a large part in its success.

Kingscourt Baseball Fab Four; Charlie Paradis, Ron Lavallee, Joe Hawkins and Jimmy McLaughlin dedicated hundreds of hours to give kids a place to play organized baseball.

The league’s annual ‘Potato Chip Drive” became a popular fundraiser every spring, selling chips door to door across Kingston neighbourhoods.

1960’s

The Mustangs won four straight City League Senior championships in the early 1960’s. Guy White, Dave Gilmour, Don Goodridge & Bob Gilmour were key players on those teams.

The Mustangs top players became the core of the 1967 Kingston Lakeview Indians championship team. The Indians ended a 32-year drought for Kingston baseball by winning a second OBA Sr. A title. Coached by two Kingston legends, Hall of Famers Bob Elliott Sr. and Cliff Earl.

The Indians had a dominating pitching staff with Art Leeman, Keith Weese and Doug McIlroy.

Doug ‘Slugger’ Arniel joined his dad, Jimmy Arniel, becoming the only father and son to win OBA Senior A championships for Kingston.

Ron Earl played on two Ontario championship teams in 1967. Earl won titles with the Indians and the Kingston Aces senior hockey team that went to the Allan Cup and Spengler Cup.

Hank Kelly organized the Kingston Midget Baseball League in 1964. Eventually they added a Juvenile division.

1970’s

Gerry ‘Doc’ Wagar guided the Ponies to two Ontario titles in the 1970’s. Doc’s Kingston CKLC’s were the best team in Ontario in 1973 and qualified for the senior national championships in New Brunswick.

In 1975, Wagar’s Kingston Edwards Ford Mercs won a second Senior A title. The core of the two championship teams included Guy White, who won a total of four OBA Senior championships, Ron Earl, Bob Gilmour, Don Goodridge and Clyde Harris each won three provincial titles.

Bill Huntley managed the Kingston Big Macs in 1978. The Big Macs struggled to a 4-and-15 record in the cross border North-Eastern States League, but caught fire in the OBA playdowns. Kingston won its third Senior A baseball championship in six years, beating Thorold in the OBA final. Guy White was the veteran on a Ponies team that included Greg Orr, Johnny White, Roy Baron, Rick Senior & Rod Leeder.

In 1971, Kingston’s Blaney’s Ponies coached by the legendary Arnie Jarrell won the OBA Midget A championship. Gary MacGregor and Kevin Treacy returned home from the Cornwall Royals training camp to help the Ponies win the title.

1980’s

Kingston would add two more Senior baseball titles in the 1980’s. Player/coach Clare Osborne led the Ponies to the 1980 Sr. B championship. 

‘Doc’ Wagar returned as manager of the Ponies and in 1984 they won another Ontario Sr. B title. Key players on both teams included Roy & Scott Baron, Rick Senior, Johnny White, Rob Running, Danny Thompson, and Rod Leeder.

The Kingston Senior Men’s Baseball League began play in 1981.

1990’s

The early 1990’s saw the Ponies win three Ontario titles. Capturing the provincial C championship in 1990, a B championship in 1991 and Kingston capped it off with an OBA Senior A championship in 1993.

Bob Gilmour, the former Ponies star, managed the 1993 Vogelzang Insurance Ponies. Gilmour’s deep lineup included slugger Mike Knott, Patrick Gilmour, Dave & Mark Cleary, crafty lefthander Randy Casford, Danny Thompson and Kevin Burgoyne.

Tim Leonard was the hero in the playdowns. In the final game of the Eastern final versus Peterborough in front of over one-thousand fans at Megaffin Park, ‘Lenny’ belted a 3-run homer in the 9th inning to give Kingston a thrilling 10-9 win.  

Mike Knott was Kingston’s long ball King. Playing for the Ponies and in the Kingston Senior Men’s League, Knott was Kingston’s homerun leader for 19 straight seasons.

In 1995, Knott and Rick Senior were co-managers when the Vogelzang Ponies won Kingston’s first Canada/New York State Baseball League championship.

2000’s

In 2019, the Kingston Ponies played what would turn out to be their final season, ending more than a century of Senior baseball in Kingston. Following the global pandemic they attempted to restart operations in 2022, but couldn’t find enough players interested to field a team. The Ponies were forced to withdraw from the Ottawa-based National Capital Baseball League and ceased operations.

Nineteen former Kingston baseball players are enshrined in the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame. However, only one Kingston player has made it to the big leagues.

Growing up in Kingston, Matt Brash pitched for the Kingston Thunder and Bayridge Secondary School Blazers. Brash made his MLB debut in 2022 for the Seattle Mariners and is a key part of the Mariners bullpen in 2025.

This week as Kingston plays host to its second straight Canadian Little League Baseball championship (July 16-23rd at Cricket Field), local youngsters will be dreaming of being the next Matt Brash.

They’ve seen it firsthand, small town, big league dreams can come true.

My boy’s going to play in the big league
My boy’s going to turn some heads
My boy’s going to play in the big league
My boy’s going to knock ’em dead

Tom Cochrane. ‘Big League’. 1988.

Mark Potter is a longtime Kingston broadcaster and member of the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame. Potter called Kingston Ponies games for about 20-seasons from the perch at Megaffin Park for CogecoTV and was part of the organizing committee for Kingston’s 2001 Baseball Centennial.