Coach Terry Henderson was prophetic in predicting how well his Brookfield Elks would perform in the 1980 softball season. “We are going to be tough to beat. Although our hitting is suspect, we have the strongest fielding club in Canada.” Three months later, the boys of summer from Colchester County were, in fact, the best softball team in Canada.

The Elks won the national senior championship in Saskatoon, the cradle of Canadian softball, by defeating the hosts 4-3 in the championship game. That victory capped Brookfield’s 6-1 record in the tournament. The Elks, backed by a superior defence, set a tourney standard by allowing just five runs in 57 innings, with five shutouts in their first six games. They became the only team east of Ontario to win the Canadian crown. After their success, the Elks went on to represent Canada at the 1981 World Championships.

Members of the team were: Terry Anthony, Al Campbell, Bobby Campbell (co-captain), Robbie Cooke, Danny Dean, Steve Healey, Mike Henderson (co-captain), Terry Henderson (Coach), Doug Holland, Dave Hunt, Dave Lively, Steve Locke, Herb McCallum, Graham Maguire, Hugh Matheson (assistant coach and manager), Dennis Peterson, Robert Putnam, Tom Soehl (bat boy), Cliff Surette, Mike Worsley.