ASSINIBOIA — Fans in 2026 watching their favourite team play in the senior men’s Dunning Baseball League probably have never thought of, or known, the history behind this senior men’s baseball league.
The league was organized in 1926 and was named after Charles Avery Dunning, who was a Liberal MLA from 1917-1929, and eventually went on to become premier of Saskatchewan before entering federal politics. He donated the Dunning Cup in 1926 for annual competition.
When the Dunning League formed in 1926, there were five teams competing. Mossbank, Vantage, Congress, Palmer and Mazenod made up the men’s baseball league.
A Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame history book noted that from the 1930s until the mid-1990s, a number of leagues were formed, but in almost every case, they lasted only a few years and then folded, making it necessary to form a league that could be well organized and continue to operate for years to come.
Except for interruptions during the war years, the Dunning League is the longest continually operating league in Saskatchewan.
Baseball in Saskatchewan between 1926 and 1986 evolved from a scattered local pastime into a highly organized, competitive sport that served as a major social hub for prairie communities. It was often paired with school picnics and community sports days.
Spectator interest reached a peak between 1940 and the late 1950s, with hundreds attending tournaments that offered prize money to the winning teams.
Baseball was once a vital social component in rural Saskatchewan and, in many communities, more popular than hockey during the summer months.
Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame carries on history
A history book shared with the Assiniboia Times from the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame notes that over the years, close to 40 teams have been part of the league. This refers to teams, not towns, as some towns had two or three teams in the league at the same time, such as present day Assiniboia, which is represented by both the Aces and the Brew Crew.
Teams included Ardill in 1953. Assiniboia teams have been part of the league under various names from 1947 to today. Teams from as far away as Big Beaver and Chaplin were also part of the league.
Russ Patterson, who hailed from Lafleche, was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 and added his wisdom and knowledge of the DBL for a historical book published in 1995, writing, “Sporting activities began as soon as the pioneers of this area could gather enough participants to muster a baseball team. The diamonds were usually a flat piece of prairie in someone’s pasture, with little or no equipment.”
In 1995, Mossbank had a remarkable three teams in the league — the Mavericks, the Lakers and the Meteors — but those teams have since folded or amalgamated. Mossbank had at least one team in the league since its formation but does not currently have a registered team.
Former league commissioners have included John Kesslar of Mazenod, Don Forer of Assiniboia, Ed Beclurt of Lafleche and Russ Patterson of Lafleche, who served 16 years from 1978-1994. Kesslar had a long affiliation with the league for 50 years, serving as a player, manager, coach, umpire, executive member and commissioner prior to his passing in 1978.
At one time, the number of teams increased, resulting in the creation of north and south divisions divided by Highway 13.
The Dunning League has been honoured to have a number of people inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in the Battlefords in either the builder or player category.
The Assiniboia Museum shared an excerpt from a history book stating the first baseball team in Assiniboia was organized in April 1913, with R.B. Carter as president and Homer Detrick as secretary. The general idea was to join the Southern Saskatchewan League.
Dunning League executive shares more history
Chapin Sleightholm is the current secretary for the Dunning League and has served as league president, secretary or website administrator since 2010. Although Sleightholm was unable to fill in the gaps between 1995 and 2010, he was able to provide some information from 2010 to the present.
Keeping up with the age of technology, a league website was developed in 2014 that includes some past and mostly current information on the league.
Sleightholm told the Assiniboia Times, “When I began in this league there were eight teams.”
At present, there have been suggestions to commemorate the remarkable 100-year history, but Sleightholm said nothing has been decided yet. Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame president Earl Berard has been asked to present the winning trophy to the championship team at the end of the season.
Key to league's longevity
Asked what might be the key to the longevity of the league, Sleightholm responded, “The league’s executive being very invested in the Dunning League, and that has a lot to do with it. Also, both teams and fans appreciate and recognize the value of baseball in this area.
“The Dunning League is more of a league filled with regular guys, farmers, teachers etc. as there are no paid players or superstars, but that's what makes this league special. Also, the longevity of this league's consecutive season is another reason it stays going year after year, no one wants to be responsible for breaking the 100-year long streak,” added the league executive secretary.
An interesting piece of league history shared with the Assiniboia Times involved the 2020 season during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges of social distancing restrictions, the league still managed to hold a season. However, the championship trophy was ultimately not awarded after allegations surfaced that a playoff team had used an ineligible player, an issue that reportedly came to light through photos posted online. Although the team had won the league title, officials decided not to award the trophy because of the controversy.
Although the trophy was not awarded in 2020, the league said it is important to note there was still a season and therefore the 100-year consecutive cycle was not broken.
With any organization, challenges can be part of the process and the Dunning Baseball League is no different, as Sleightholm acknowledged.
“The same guys are organizing the league, and their own teams, not many young players want the responsibility to take over that type of thing. Also, just this year we had two teams drop out of our league due to not enough commitment of players, which makes the number of teams down to six. I think at our peak we have had between 10 and 12 teams in the league.”
The Southern Saskatchewan Dunning Baseball League offers senior men’s competition. As a 100-year-old league in 2026, it continues to provide local entertainment, competitive scheduling with playoffs and opportunities for provincial-level championships in Senior Tier 2. The Assiniboia Aces won Tier 3 and Tier 2 titles in back-to-back years.
