Retro: Exhibition baseball match held at The Oval, Belfast (1925)

The match had been arranged by the members of the Sydenham Men’s Club, of which Mr James A Thompson was the president, and gifts were handed to all the players at the close by the Lady Mayoress, who was accompanied by Sir Frederick Moneypenny and Mrs Gillespie.

During the match the ship’s band played selections, under the baton of leading musician Mettlach.

The umpires were Ensign Olch and Ensign Poore, and the teams were as follows: Deck Force, Horton. Rayder, Veneble, Smith, Kasal, Summers, Pagenkoff, Haynes, and Matthews. Engineers, Woodford, Connors, Tangerman, Delaney, Erickson, Clark, Maranda, Hitchcock, and Tato.

The score stood at seven runs to two in favour of the engineers when the game ended.

Mr J M Thompson extended a hearty welcome to the officers and men of the ship, and hoped their stay in the port of Belfast would be very pleasant.

He expressed the thanks of the Sydenham Men’s Club to the directors of The Oval Football Club for placing the ground at their disposal.

The Reverend Canon A W Barton thanked the Lady Mayoress, on behalf of those present, for her kindness in attending at the match and distributing the prizes.

Later that day the Lord Mayor and a number of the citizens of Belfast had the pleasure of entertaining over 400 members of the crew of the Pittsburgh at a dinner and concert in the Ulster Hall.

The hall had had been decorated with flags and streamers, “kindly loaned by Messrs J C Mayrs Company”. Masses of ferns and palms loaned by the Parks Committee, “added to the picturesque appearance of the building”.

The men, under the command of Lieutenant K R Belch and Ensign Poore, filed into their places at the tables, which had been adorned with choice roses and other flowers by the ladies committee, consisting of the Lady Mayoress, Lady Coates, Lady McCullagh, CBE, Mrs Harold Barbonr, OBE, Mrs Malcolm Gordon, Mrs T W McMullen, Mrs Cecil Lindsay and others. Dr H Fitzsimons played selections on the Mulholland organ while the men were assembling, and during the dinner a pleasing programme was rendered by Miss McCrea’s orchestra.