Kentville, Liverpool, and Yarmouth were all strong baseball towns, but none were more inspiring to other Nova Scotian towns than the Springhill teams. Famous for mining and mining disasters, it may be difficult for Nova Scotian youngsters today to realize that during the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s, Springhill was better known for its baseball team, the Fencebusters.

With teams composed of almost all miners, the Fencebusters were provincial champions in 1921, ‘22, ‘25, ‘27, ‘28, ‘33, ’36, and ‘45. The great teams of the 1920s and ‘30s were paced by stars like Ackie Allbon and Hank O’Rourke the tough catcher who refused to wear padding because he said it hampered his style. Over 3,000 people would attend the Fencebusters’ games, with Springhill having a population of only 6,000.

Members of the 1927-28 team: Alfie (Ackie) Allbon, George (Brownie) Burden, James Conway (manager), Frank Cranton, Ed Emberley, Jack Fraser, Leslie (Red) Gallagher, Albert Gibson, Fred Hawker, Doug Lorimer, Stew McLeod, Charles Merlin (trainer), Neil Noiles (mascot), Fred O’Brien, James (Hank) O’Rourke, C. (Zeddy) Welton, (Big) Bill Wilson.

Members of the original 1921 team: George (Brownie) Burden, John Caulfield, Ed Emberley, Leslie (Red) Gallagher, Fred Hawker, Billy McKay, Charlie Merlin (trainer), Charlie Murray (manager), James (Hank) O’Rourke, Emerson Rideout, John Rideout, Herb (Skimp) Rushton, Bob Smith, (Big) Bill Wilson.

Annual Program Bio 27-28 Team

In Nova Scotia baseball lore, no team stands brighter than the Springhill Fencebusters. Dominating play from the mid-1920’s to the mid-1940’s, the “Busters” were a force with which to be reckoned. Over the years the team prided itself by consistently drawing on local talent. “many of the players were full-time miners and after completing their shift in the pits jumped into their baseball uniforms and onto the diamond with their faces smudged with coal dust”. (The Halifax Mail Star, July 1974). Many times Nova Scotia Senior Baseball Champions, the Fencebusters took the fiercely contested Maritime Championship crown in 1927, 1928 and 1945. Lloyd Sterling, who went on to the big leagues, was the pitching ace for the Busters 1927 Maritime victory. A sudden death game against a strong McAdam, New Brunswick team in 1928 gave the “Busters” their second consecutive Maritime title. They were the first club to perform this feat. The Fencebusters weren’t just a baseball team to Springhill -they were a way of life, an integral part of the community and the greatest morale booster for the hardships of the Depression years.