REMINISCENCES OF THE OLD DAYS OF LACROSSE IN THIS DISTRICT
"OLLIE" SEBERT, VETERAN OSHAWA LACROSSE STAR RECALLS TEAM
OF 1878

Resident of Whitby is only Member now living in this
district of Famous Team "the Maple Leafs" which won the
lacrosse championship of Canada Fifty-one Years Ago.

"Ollie" Sebert of Whitby, veteran lacrosse player of Oshawa
and captain of the Maple Leafs who won the lacrosse
championship of Canada in 1878 when they defeated Brampton,
expressed great delight at the recent victories of the
General Motors lacrosse team and their winning of the
Dominion Championship and the Mann Cup, when interviewed by
the Times recently. Mr. Sebert, is now in his 76th year and
has lived in Whitby for the last 49 years since moving from
Oshawa. "Ollie" is the only player of that once famous
team, "The Maple Leafs" still living in this vicinity, a
number of players having died while others have moved to
distant parts.

In describing the early days of lacrosse in Oshawa, Mr.
Sebert informed the Times that he, with a number of other
young men, the first interested in the games played at
Whitby and were later taught the game by two blacksmiths
who gave them an excellent training. In those days the
practice field was the site of the Queen's Hotel or better
known as the Bassett block on Simcoe Street N. There were
no such conveniences as dressing rooms and the players had
to don their uniforms at home.

HECTIC DAYS
Those were the hectic days of lacrosse in Oshawa and the
town which called themselves the "Maple Leafs" gradually
improved until after four or five years of continuous
activity it won the right to meet Brampton in 1878, who for
several years had held the Dominion Championship of Canada.
Peterborough, Brantford, Six Nations, Millbrook, Toronto,
Tecumsehs and other teams were defeated before Oshawa won
the right to vie with the champions.

THE OLD SYSTEM
The first game of the series was played in Brampton. In those days
the teams did not play four twenty minute periods with the game 
being awarded to the team with the greatest number of goals at
the end of the eighty minutes but the team which scored the first
three goals out of five gained the honors no matter how long it took
to do it.  This is the reason why some teams battled for the greater
part of the day, sometimes, before a winner was declared. The contest
in Brampton was a close one was fiercely fought from start to finish,
however after two hours of play Brampton won by a 3-2 score to give them
a one goal lead to carry to Oshawa.

In commenting on the game in Brampton, Mr. Sebert recalled that many of the
teams played barefoot. The Oshawa team in trying to get a "line" on Brampton
had seen them play in Toronto against an Indian team. As both teams played in 
their bare feet and put on a flashy display of lacrosse the Oshawa team decided
they would do likewise. On their arrival on the playing field in Brampton,
much to their sorrow it was to find that it was a stubble field and that the 
other team were wearing rubbers. The Oshawa players were at a great disadvantage
as they had left their rubbers at home and none were available so the game
had to be played as best they could. After a strenuous battle the local team
lost out, and although there were no sore heads in Oshawa there were many sore feet.

A QUICK VICTORY
The return game in Oshawa only lasted fifteen minutes, the home team swept 
Brampton completely before them and scored three goals to win the game before
the visitors knew what had happened. It was recounted that many spectators were
still on their way to the playing field expecting to see a great battle when
they met the defeated players homeward bound.

The game was played within the race track which used to exist on Park Road South, 
but, which has long since been built upon and is now remembered by only a few as
the scene of the championship lacrosse match. The field was then nothing more
or less than pasture but served the purpose well and was used by the Maple Leafs for 
many years.

THE TEAM
"Billie" Munroe, now dead, played goal for the team, while "Alf" King, also 
deseased, played point, "Ollie" Sebert of Whitby was captain and played cover point,
while Jack Hodder, Jack Carswell, and Jack Rogan were on the defence.Of these last
three Jack Hodder, lives in Port Arthur, Jack Carswell in Red Deer, Alberta while
Jack Rogan is among those who have passed away. Jack McNaughton, who now resides
in the United States, played centre while first, second and third home players
were George Gersden, deseased, Alex Henderson, Vancouver, B.C., and George Hodder,
Fort William. The inside and outside home position were filled by Billie Gullock,
deseased, and Connie Walsh who has also gone to live in the United States. Johnston
Graham, who is thought to be living in British Columbia was another player of the
team.

WERE REAL AMATEURS
To such an extent was the team amateur can be shown by the facts that the players
bought their own sticks and payed the travelling expenses out of their own pockets.
Each player payed for his own uniform, which accounts for the fact that pictures
of these old teams show a great variety of uniforms. Mr.Sebert stated that no 
padding of any nature was worn by the players, not even on their hands, which 
presents a contrast to the well padded teams of today.

COACHED WHITBY TEAM
Mr.Sebert on moving to Whitby about 1880 continued his lacrosse activities and
coached a team that won for Whitby great honors. A book could be written on
Mr.Sebert's lacrosse activities and experiences in other lines of sport and
also on the champion Oshawa team and their exploits and many successes during
the period of 1875 to 1880. In spite of his advanced age this veteran lacrosse  
player still retains much of the vigor which made him a formidable member of the
team in the pioneer days of Oshawa lacrosse. He still maintains keen interest
in the sport and joins with citizens of Oshawa and district in offering 
congratulations to the General Motors Senior Lacrosse team on their recent 
achievement.

OSHAWA'S FIRST LACROSSE TEAM
J.W. Borsberry, One of its Members Gives it's History
(Reprinted from the Oshawa Daily Times, Oct. 31, 1928)

Shades of old lacrosse days bring to mind still older recollections of yester
year and the unusual and interesting facts of the first lacrosse team ever formed
in Oshawa, 56 years ago, now come to light through the still excellent memory
of J.W. Borsberry, one of the first prominent citizens and a member of this
first Oshawa team ever to carry lacrosse sticks into manly combat against other
communities.

Teams in Bowmanville, Port Hope, and Millbrook, then all just as large in size
as Oshawa, were played by this Oshawa team in the first year of its being and
like the Oshawa Intermediate rugby team of this year, this team of 56 years ago
met with excellent and gratifying success in the first year of its inception.

This team of 1872 made up in brawn and natural ability what it lacked in experience
at the first of the season, but as time advanced, they became able to equally
match their brawn with the value of experience and the result was seen six years
afterwards when Oshawa's championship team of 1878 was developed.

The only members of this team of 1872 who were also members of the 1878 team were
Oliver "Ollie" Sebert, who now resides in Whitby, and William Gullock, who has 
passed away. Indeed Oliver Sebert along with J.W. Borsberry, of Oshawa, are the 
only two men still living of those who originated the game in this district. All 
remainder who have passed away, the latest to go being Richard Troy, the team's
celebrated goalkeeper who died last week at the age of 78.

Mr. Borsberry, referring to Oshawa's first lacrosse team, which was formed here in
1872, tells the Times: "The first I became interested in the club being formed
here in Oshawa was when the secretary, Wheeler Dickie, called on me and asked
me to join the club. I asked him what it would cost and he said $1. I told him I
would like very much to become a member, but had not the cash until I received my
pay at the end of the month for working as a clerk in the G.F. Blainey's grocery
store.

"Wheeler Dickie said, "That will be all right, you can give me your I.O.U.". I 
didn't know at the time what that meant but I marked a piece of paper I.O.U. $1, 
and signed J.W. Borsberry, and the following week we started to practice in the 
field next to Trick's factory. We got up at 5 o'clock in the morning to practice
and met three times a week, some of the boys having to walk as far as the Five 
Points to attend those workouts.

"Many of the boys who originated the game in Oshawa have now passed away, but some  
whose names I remember are C. Steele, Wm. Woon, Wm. Carswell, Samual Dearborn,
W.Gullock, Wheeler Dickie, Oliver Sebert and his brother, and myself".

Besides being Oshawa's first lacrosse team. this is in all probability would be
Oshawa's first team of any nature, to enter competitive sport, the father as it 
were of the many sports which are now fostered in this city and which all flourish
just as this first lacrosse team of 1872.