If you watched any ladies slo-pitch in the 1970s and 1980s, the Abbey Stingers would come to mind as the dominant ladies team in this area.
The Stingers were formed from the International Hotel ladies team in 1979, after competing as the I.T. team from 1977-79. When The Abbey took over as sponsor, the team thrived, winning several local league championships and tournaments.
Donnie (Silliker) Brown spoke to the Sun last week about the reunion, saying she misses all of those girls more than anything.
“Of course, I miss playing, but it was the girls that kept me coming back each year,” she said. “Most of them are still around here, but I don’t see them much.”
The reunion was held at one of the former players’ homes on the last weekend in May and attracted about 20 former players — one of them came from as far away as Edmonton for the 40+ year reunion.
The Stingers were dominant throughout those years and the team quietly disbanded after the 1988 season. Brown and a few others went on to play with a team in Kingsville for a few years, but some of the girls stopped playing to raise families.
“We were league champions for 10 years,” she says. “I believe we were way ahead of our time. We didn’t lose very often.”
She said they played every weekend as the summers included numerous tournaments, of which they were always in the mix for the championship.
The reunion included photos, memorabilia and a cake done up in those familiar green and gold colours.
Photo submitted
A few highlights from the Stingers’ glory years follow, as taken from the archives of the Leamington Post.
