(Chelsea Update would like to thank Burrill Strong for the photos in this slide show. If you’d like to see more of his work, please click here.)
By Lisa Carolin
The site of the old Tigers Stadium came to life earlier this month when Chelsea’s Merrimack Ladies Vintage Base Ball Club, known as the Merries, had the opportunity to play there.
The Merries are the sister club of the Chelsea Monitors, and both teams play by 1860s rules.
The Merries played against two other vintage women’s teams, the Detroit River Belles and the Lil Fillies of Benton Harbor.
“Playing baseball at the site of the old Tigers Stadium is a really neat experience,” said Liz “Gingersnap” Van Hoek, captain of the Merries, and wife of “Honest Jon” Van Hoek, captain of the Monitors. “But spending the afternoon playing vintage ball with my teammates as well as the other great Michigan ladies vintage clubs was the highlight of the day.”
That particular match was called a Gating Gun style match, which allows three teams to all play in one game. The River Belles won with 16 tallies, the Merries had 12, and the Lil Fillies had six. It was also the final match of the Merries’ 2014 season.
“This season has really been an amazing experience,” said Van Hoek.” I have had the chance to meet so many fabulous ladies. We really came together as a team this summer, learning from each other and enjoying each other’s unique contributions to the club. The Merries are a great reflection of the community spirit that makes Chelsea such a wonderful town.”
Van Hoek encourages anyone interested in following the Merries to look them up on Facebook at “Merries Ladies Vintage Base Ball Club of Chelsea, MI.”
