Diamond days for Demons’ new Masters

Published 7:00am 31 October 2020

Six members of Narangba Demons’ new Masters baseball team are back playing together – and winning together - after more than 30 years.

Demons’ 35 and Over side has the same coach, team manager, three players and scorer from the club’s Under 14-16 side of the late 1980s.

They are club founders Bobby and Maureen Skeehan as coach and scorer, team manager Col Bain and players Wade Bain, Noel Tate and Clinton Bale - all live in Narangba, except Col, who is at Burpengary.

Good to be back

“We live five minutes from the (Harris Ave) fields and when they decided to put together a Masters’ team, I admit I was thinking about it,” says Bobby, who is now 74.

“Maureen then said she would score … so that was it! It’s really good to be back. I think we filled the grandstand with relatives for our first game.”

Demons’ team lost that Greater Brisbane League match 9-4 against reigning champions Pine Rivers Rapids, and went down 9-7 to Windsor, before beating Pine Hills Black 5-4 in their most recent game.

Fun is key

“There are some big boys in our team and some haven’t played for 25-30 years,” says Bobby, “but it’s all about enjoyment so we don’t go hard on them!”

In their younger days, new Master Clinton played for Brisbane North Under 12 and Under 14, while Masters’ team-mates Noel and Wade were asked to try out for Atlanta Braves when in the Under 18s.

The Masters’ fixtures in the Greater Brisbane League are on Mondays starting at 7pm or 8.30pm.

In the beginning

Bobby and Maureen launched Narangba Demons in 1985, when the village had only one shop and few activities for children. There were 14 players in the first season.

From that point the club has grown and this season reports a record number of juniors with three teams in each of the TBall (4-7 years old), Rookie Ball (Under 10) and Little League (Under 12) age groups.

There is also a Junior League team, senior league and women’s league squads plus and senior teams in Divisions Three, Four and Six of the Greater Brisbane League.