

A season before St.Catharines could get the "cushion" at the city sports park up to spec, Niagara Falls jumped into the latest craze with a senior boxla team that played out of a long gone arena on Victoria Avenue.
From THE NIAGARA FALLS DAILY REVIEW
TUESDAY APRIL 19, 1932
NIAGARA FALLS -- In long distance telephone conversation with Gene Fraser last night, president Blainey, of the O.A.L.A., stated that the Niagara Falls senior box lacrosse entry has been accepted by the governing body. The league will branch out to an eight-team circuit and the schedule will be re-drafted in a few days.
The question of the allotting of certain St. Catharines players will also be dealt with by the senior executive unless Hamilton and Niagara Falls interests come to a mutual understanding in the matter.
The season will start on or about May 4th. Several local players have been participating in games at the Buffalo Auditorium and it is expected that the squad will be in good trim for the official opening.
President Jack Lawson of the local club has called a meeting for
tomorrow night at 8 o’clock, at the Arena.
LOCAL BOX TEAM WILLPLAY SINGLE SCHEDULE WITH SEVEN HOME GAMES –
MEETING OF CLUB AT ARENA TONIGHT
RUSSELL KELLY STRONG FOR ENTRY OF FALLS
From THE NIAGARA FALLS DAILY REVIEW
WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 1932
NIAGARA FALLS -- Secretary Gene Dopp of the O.A.L.A. notified the Falls Senior Box Lacrosse management last night that the senior schedule is being re-drafted and that the local club will open the season at home on Friday, May 6.
The Falls entry will engage in fourteen games, seven at home and seven on the road. Six of the remaining eight clubs will play a double schedule. By this arrangement, the four points will count for a win in games in which the local team takes part while a draw will go for two points.
President Jack Lawson of the Falls club has called a meeting for tonight at the Arena at eight o’clock, when it is expected that arrangements will be made to get practices started early next week.
RUSSELL KELLEY WANTS FALLS IN
Sporting Editor
Niagara Falls Evening Review
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Dear Sir – We have been going over some of your recent issues and notice your remarks regarding the possible attitude of the Hamilton Lacrosse Club towards the entry of the Niagara Falls Lacrosse Club into the Senior Series.
At no time or in any way have we expressed any objection to the Niagara Falls entry. Naturally it works in fine as far as we are concerned because it is only an hour and a half drive over from here to the Falls. We think you will appreciate the fact that any objection that has been made is more apt to come from the Toronto teams because they have a three hour drive to go to the Falls.
Regarding the question of players, it is true that we count on using two or three players from St. Catharines but was could use two or three players from St. Catharines if they come with us and there would still be lots of players for Niagara Falls.
I believe the rule in connection with the admission of a new team into the Senior Series has practically got to be unanimous and I just want to assure you that as far as Hamilton is concerned we have not made and will not make any effort to keep Niagara Falls out of the Senior Series.
Yours very truly,
RUSSELL T. KELLEY
FALLS REPRESENTED AT YESTERDAY’S MEETING
From THE NIAGARA FALLS DAILY REVIEW
TUESDAY APRIL 28, 1932
NIAGARA FALLS -- The Niagara Falls Senior Box lacrosse Club will be grouped with Native Sons, Oshawa and Fergus! That was the decision of a special meeting of the O.A.L.A. senior committee held in the offices of President W.J. Blainey, at Toronto yesterday.
To Gene Fraser and Pat Haffey, who represented the local entry at this meeting, it was shown that it was impossible to insert the Falls club into the schedule already drawn up and including the following six clubs: Toronto Nationals, Toronto Marlboros, Hamilton, Mimico, Orangeville, and Brampton.
From a Toronto standpoint it would be impossible to work-in more games at the Maple Leaf Gardens as two professional and two senior amateur collections are already taking practically all of the time that the Gardens management can assign to lacrosse.
Along with Niagara Falls, Native Sons of Toronto, Fergus and Oshawa, have all applied for senior berths (tc footnote…Mimico “Canucks” would be added to this group as well). Hence the action of the governing body of taking the easiest way out and grouping these four clubs together.
The winners of this group will play-off with the Big Six winners at the conclusion of the schedule seasons.
President Blainey expects to be able to make a definite statement
regarding the organization of the new four-team group, in a few days.
BY PAT HAFFEY
From THE NIAGARA FALLS DAILY REVIEW
MONDAY MAY 30, 1932
NIAGARA FALLS -- The Falls Senior Box Lacrosse team enjoy an even break in two starts, losing on the road to Fergus and copping the local opener against Mimico. Saturday night the local stick-wielders will be at home again, when Toronto Native sons, making their season’s debut, will provide the argument. Herbie Matthews, mentor of this formidable Queen City collection is looking for his protégés to open up with a victory and expects to bring a bunch of supporters along who will take in the game and the scenery.
On Wednesday night at the Arena the Falls Seniors will meet a picked St. Catharines team in an exhibition game. The contest will be free to the public thus presenting a good opportunity for local fandom to break-in to the new sport. “Faster than hockey” was the verdict of many who witnessed the Falls-Mimico tilt.
The Spalding Lacrosse club of Brantford who have an undefeated record in the Central Ontario League, are anxious to bring the Niagara Falls Seniors to the Telephone City for an exhibition game. Wilf Cote, of the Brantford team, who learned his lacrosse at the Falls and who week-ended in this city, declares the game is going over big up that way and was of the opinion that a Brantford-Falls clash would draw a crowd of at least 1,000 fans. According to Wilf, Russell Kelley pilot of the Hamilton Seniors has turned down a couple of invitations to turn his protégés lose among the Brants, and thinks Wilf, “Mr Kelley has his reason.”
Previous to the Maple Leaf – Maroon professional game at Toronto Saturday night, League President A.L.Carron instructed the officials to stop any ragging or delaying of the game. The anti-ragging movement was first launched by the old C.L.A. over twenty years ago, in fact “ragging” as it was once practiced in lacrosse has long ago ceased to be an art. St. Catharines Athletics in the days of Tod Downey, George Kalls, Charlie Lowe, “Uncle” Hagan and George Parks, were pastmasters at the ragging game. We recall a game in Brantford, exactly twenty-eight years ago last Saturday (May 28, 1904), when St. Kitts, going into the last period with a 3 to 2 lead, adopted the “rag” racket to perfection. During the final 20 minutes, not one St. Kitts player went past centre field. They kept the ball at their own end where gaoler Teddy Brown gave them an odd-man advantage. Though they lost possession of the rubber a few times and Dades and Doyles had a few shots on goal, the racket worked and the final score stood at 3 to 2. ‘Tis said “early impressions are lasting” and how we got to join the 8,000 fans on that memorable occasion is just nobody’s business. However, they’ve since patched the fence.
Reprinted with the permission of the Niagara Falls Review
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