Volume 16 , Issue 15

Chester (Cardinals) Baseball team

We are Not sure of the year of this photo, but the players standing on back row, left to right: Bobby (Buddy?) Plummer, Jerry Plummer, Leonard Louthan, Howard Louthan, Floy Louthan, Vic Holub, Vernie Paris, Lee Chapman; seated down front: Bud Albert Holub, John Shuck, Elden Louthan, Raymond Bensch, Jack Plummer Loyd Bensch, Les Louthan, Lyndie Branstetter, Wilson Shaffer. The "C" may stand for Cardinal and/or Chester.

Back three years ago, 2011-09-05, Vol. 13, Iss. 36, we talked about Baseball In Chester, Oklahoma. Here is a reprint of that story:

Chester, Oklahoma - Remember baseball days in Chester, Oklahoma in the old days? It is not exactly known when the Chester baseball team was organized, but according to the Chester Centennial (1895-1995), there have always been ballgames around "Cottonwood Corners."

In the early 1930s there was an organized team known as the Cardinals, though that name was not used very much. They were known usually as that Chester team.

Managers through the years for the Chester team have been Clarence Webber, Raymond Bensch, Fred Strecker, Wilson Shaffer and Lloyd Bensch. The umpire that most players remember was Jim Hyle from North of Chester.

During the baseball season, Chester had a game somewhere almost every Sunday afternoon. They would travel to other towns to play or sometimes the two teams would play a game in someone's pasture.

All these teams were loosely based around other towns or country stores except the River Rats. They were from anywhere between Chester and Longdale.

It's been said that, when other towns went to play Chester they figured they might get beat because those guys knew how to play ball. The players varied through the years. Not all of the players listed below played at the same time. There were some who came later or earlier in the era, that are not named.

List of Chester Baseball Players

Lloyd Bensch, Lyndie Branstetter, Buck Chapman, Lee Chapman, Jason Crane, Bob Estep, Fuzz Gift, Hobart Gift, Stub Gift, Bud Holub, Emil Holub, Jim Holub, Vic Holub, Elden Louthan, Floy Louthan, Howard Louthan, Leonard Louthan, Lester Louthan, Vernon Vernie Paris (my mother's older brother), Bud Pierce, Buddy (bobby?) Plummer, Jerry Plummer, Wilson Shaffer, John Shuck, Milo (Happy) Shuck, Creel Unwin, Howard Webber.   |  View or Add Comments (2 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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