The Last Hurrah

Club de Recreio’s Men’s Softball Teams’ Clean Sweep of Senior, “B” & “C” Leagues in 1963-64.

By Francisco “Frankie” Leonardo Correa, written in 2015.

Macaense Excellence in Sports

During the pre- and post-Pacific War period. The Portuguese community, led by Club de Recreio (“Recreio”), enjoyed a golden era in sports in Hong Kong excelling in badminton, cricket, hockey, lawn bowls, soccer and softball. 

Even in the minor events such as billiards and snooker, Club Lusitano and Recreio were amongst the leading contenders.  In shooting competition, members of the community mainly drawn from “The Hong Kong Volunteers”, represented Hong Kong in the Commonwealth Games.  Apart from swimming and water sports where Macaense represented the Victoria Recreation Club (“VRC”), Recreio represented the Portuguese community in almost every other category. 

For a small minority group, all Macaense can look back and feel proud of its contribution and the enormous achievement in the top level of sporting endeavor in Hong Kong.

Interport Sports

In those pre and post war colonial days, sports played an integral part of Portuguese life in the Far East. In addition to the local competition, intense rivalry existed amongst the three communities of Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai. 

Regular meetings between the Hong Kong and Shanghai groups particularly in soccer, and their Hong Kong and Macau counterparts in hockey, were major events in the sporting calendar. Although confined to the Macaense community, these encounters always attracted large crowds from the general public.

Softball

Since the introduction of softball to the former British colony in the late 1930s, the Portuguese community had been a dominant force in this particular sport. 

In the post-war period, teams comprising mainly Portuguese players, such as Braves, Cheyenne, Jaguars, Madcaps, Seminoles, Squaws – to name a few – dominated the Hong Kong softball scene winning multiple championships.

Emigration Dwindles Players Numbers

With the exodus of large groups of Macaense emigrating to new lands in the 1950s and 1960s, numbers of young softballers continued to decrease and it became evident that sooner or later, the lack of players would prove fatal to the Portuguese dominated softball clubs, resulting in ultimate closures. This likewise drastically affected all other sporting activities in the community.

With dwindling numbers, it was decided in 1963 that after an absence of a decade, Club de Recreio should organize and enter teams in the Hong Kong softball competition.  Under the guidance and leadership of the late Eduardo “Chief” Carvalho, three Men’s and a Ladies’ teams joined the league.  Recreio immediately made its mark once again in the softball scene.  The “New Breed” of Rambling Recs excelled themselves with distinction winning the Senior, “B” and “C” titles of the Hong Kong Softball League thereby making a clean sweep of the Men’s section for Recreio – a signal honour for any club.

As testimony to their high standard of play exemplary sportsmanship, large crowds flowed to Tin Kwong Road, Kowloon to watch the Senior Team play.  In Antonio Guterres, the club found a match winner and with his brilliant pitching, he was a source of inspiration to the whole side.  For his outstanding performance, Antonio was voted the Most Valuable Player for the 1963/64 season.

The Club’s “B” team performed with reliability and consistency throughout like a well-oiled machine with every member doing his part. The nucleus of the “C” squad consisted mainly of schoolboys from La Salle College, and blended with some older players, improved as the season progressed culminating in the overwhelming defeat of their nearest rival in the final play-off game to win the “C” Division championship.

In a nutshell, all three teams owe their successes to their superb skill, teamwork, discipline and never-say-die spirit as demonstrated by the numerous “come from behind” victories in late innings to thrill their many supporters.

Scanning through the names of the players as listed below, one cannot help reminiscing about fathers, uncles, aunts and cousins who graced the diamonds of King’s Park, Kowloon Football Club and Marina Ground in pre-Pacific War (1941-1945) days.

The 1963/64 Club de Recreio teams consisted of the following members:

Softball Convenor:  Eduardo “Chief” Carvalho

Senior Team 

Head Coach:  Frank Correa

Coaches: Calau Azevedo, Chappy Remedios and Calau Yvanovich.

Players: Mike Barros, Quito Barros, Vi Britto, Dickie Chaves, Jock Collaco, Antonio Guterres, Robert Guterres, Vic Pedruco, Edo Remedios, Robert Remedios, Antonio Ribeiro and Onofre Sousa.

“B” Team

Head Coach; Johnny Pereira

Players: Calau Azevedo, Johnny Chaves. Joao Carlos Guterres, Pablo Oliveira, Ricky Oliveira, Robert Olaes, Sooner Remedios, Albert Silva, Alvaro Sousa, Peter Sousa, Derek Turner, Antonio Xavier, Eduardo Xavier, Henry Viana and David Vieira.

“C” Team

Head Coach:  Robert Remedios

Players:  Paul Brown, Johnny Carvalho, Michael Figueiredo, Ricky Gosano, Johnny Monteiro, Ronnie Noodt, Artie Remedios, Frisco Remedios, Roberto Remedios, Edward Ribeiro, Calau Sousa and Hector Vieira

Ladies Team

Head Coach:  Dick Chaves

Coaches:  Vic Pedruco and Johnny Pereira

Players:  Betty Baptista, Nancy Barradas, Mana Barros, Teresa Campos, Flavia Collaco, Mickey Collaco, Evelyn Cotton, Geraldine Elarte, Kathleen Elarte, Elaine Guterres, Doreen Remedios, Margaret Remedios, Marie Cecille Remedios, Norma Remedios, Myra Reyes and Inez Roza.

In the following years with immigration continuing to take its heavy toll on the membership roll, the Club de Recreio’s ability to field teams was seriously affected and had no option but to withdraw from further participation in the Hong Kong softball competition. 

A majority of these members has since settled in new lands, mainly Australia, Canada and the United States.  Sadly, as for softball, the 1963/64 season was the “Last Hurrah”.

The following article appeared in the South China Morning Post, 2^nd March, 1964

“Club de Recreio Wins Senior Division Softball Championship

Club de Recreio won the Senior Division Softball championship yesterday when they decisively beat the Seminoles 10–3 behind Tony Guterres’ grand pitching.

Guterres also added the new champions’ cause by hitting a beautiful home run early in the game. The Seminoles had to win to force a possible play-off for the title and Recreio needed a victory for their title.

Seminoles has a chance to score in the beginning after they had won the toss and elected to bat first. Moti Dayaram stole home while a run-down play between first and second bases was in progress but the plate umpire, Fred Diesta Sr. ruled that the final put out of the inning had taken place before Dayaram touched the plate.

In their turn at bat Recreio scored four runs.  A quick throw by Moti Dayaram to brother Leo with the bases loaded and two away, bounced off the latter’s glove and two runs were scored.  Onofre Sousa then hit a hot grounder past the second baseman, Klondike Wong, for the other pair of runs before the side was retired.

In the bottom half of the second, Recreio as good as won the game when, after increasing their lead to 7-0, Guterres cracked the ball over left fielder, Peter d’Almada for a well taken home run.

In the top of the third inning, the Seminoles finally got some runs.  With two outs and runners on base Hal Slade hit a slashing single to left field and two runs scored to make it 8–2, but Recreio made it 10-2 when they batted as Souza and Quito Barros crossed the plate.

Lal Dayaram had come in for Dave Malig after 1-2/3 innings of play the damage had been done.  He held Recreio batters hitless for the rest of the game, and the Seminoles got a consolation run in the top of the fifth inning”

Frank Correa was Head Coach of the Club de Recreio 1963/64 Senior team and passed away in Australia in 2016.