“Dashwood has always had a great enthusiasm when it comes to sports. The original ball team was organized about 1920. [Ed. note: In actuality, baseball has been played by organized teams in Dashwood since at least the 1870’s, see entry at the bottom of this page.] At that time, the hard ball diamond was located in Richard Baker’s field just east of his house where Tom Hayter lives. Another softball diamond east of Mrs. Messner’s home; also in the field where Jack Gaiser lives.

For a number of years there was no ball teams and in the 30’s a team was again organized and a soft ball diamond was laid out west of the old cider mill on Reuben Goetz’s farm now owned by Harry Hayter. Many ball games were also played on the public school diamond where home run balls sometimes ended up in the creek, May, 1947 the baseball diamond opened at the present location south of Esther Salmon’s home. The diamond was first laid out in the north east corner along Salmon’s property, but many foul balls went into the garden so it was moved to the present location. The land was owned by W. Willert who also owned the flax mill and after a fire the land was sold to the municipality for a community park.

Both men and ladies played played at either ends of the field at the same time but the games soon began to interfere with one another. In the late 40’s a girl’s softball team was organized and they were called the Dashwood Stars and their uniforms were blue T shirts and white shorts. In 1950-52 the Dashwood ladies were intermediate W.O.S.A. champs, then known as the Tigerettes. The ladies purchased uniforms from money they received from collections at their exciting ball games.

Wally Wein started a baseball team around 1947. He was enthusiastic and very supportive but not a ball player himself. He bought equipment and got the team into a league. To make money for other equipment the men decided to put on a minstrel show in the Lutheran church shed and they made enough money to get the equipment they needed. The Detroit Tigers were the favourite amongst most of the players so the name Dashwood Tigers was given to their teams.

In 1950 Juvenile B won W.O.A.A.. In 1951 Midget B won W.O.A.A. In 1952 Dashwood Tigers were Champions of Huron-Perth Intermediate D and O.B.A. Intermediate D semi-finalists. In 1953 there was a double O.B.A., win by Dashwood. The Tigers captured the Intermediate D title and the Pee Wee won the Pee Wee D championship. The fact that two teams from the same village both won O.B.A. titles in the same year is outstanding in itself. The Tigers won with a home brew team and the Pee Wees won their championship in the first year their team was organized.

In the early 1960’s an intermediate team was formed and Huron-Perth and O.B.A. intermediate D championships were won in 1968, 69, 71 and 72. Electric lights were installed in the ball park in 1969. Dashwood had the distinction of being the first ball park in this area to have lights. There have been many exciting ball games and in the summer months there are very few hours that the diamond is not in use. There has always been a rivalry between Dashwood and Zurich past and present and the crowds sure get their money’s worth at these games.

Dashwood has had many good ball players and teams and have won many trophies and crests over the years. In the last few years slow-pitch has become a game many adults in the area enjoy with competitions with other teams. T-ball has become a favourite ball game with the boys and girls 5-8 years old.

extracted from “Friedsburg-Dashwood 1860-1985” by Mary (Patterson) Rader, 1985; pgs. 89-90;ISBN 0-9692115-0-3

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“Baseball was being played in Canada as early as the 1850’s. By the late 1860’s and early 1870’s baseball had caught on in Canada and was being played all over the country. It is, of course, impossible to say when the game was first introduced to Exeter. It is certain however, that the game was being played in the 1870’s. It was popular in the village then and has remained popular ever since. Indeed, baseball is the only sport to have been played continuously in Exeter for the last one hundred years. […] In the 1870’s Exeter teams played games against teams from Dashwood, Brucefield, London, Lucan, Crediton and other nearby points. One of the first recorded games was played in Exeter on May 24, 1876 between the Exeter North Stars and Dashwood. The game was played [in Exeter] on the sports field east of the Bible Christian Church. As was common in those days the score was high with Exeter winning the contest 52 to 6. At the close of the game the clubs ‘adjourned to the Central’, for some post game conviviality. Games were played on the cricket grounds during the next few years. Exeter’s team in the late 1870’s was known as ‘The Beavers’. In 1877 the Beavers beat the Dashwood Stars 37 to 6.”

extracted from “Exeter, Situate on the London & Goderich Road in the township of Stephen and Usborne, 30 miles from London and in the County of Huron, C.W. : a history of Exeter, Ontario” by Joseph L. Wooden, Exeter, Ont.: R. Southcott, 1973, pg. 187