Batley, Day named to hall
Lakers GM, former head coach/GM being inducted into Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in November
Peterborough Century 21 Lakers general manager Paul Day and former Lakers head coach and general manager Jamie Batley have been named to the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
They are among six 2017 inductees the Ontario Lacrosse Association has chosen for the hall of fame, which is located at the Welland Canal Centre museum in St. Catharines at Lock 3 on the Welland Canal.
Batley was elected in the player category while Day was elected in the builder category.
Joining them in the 2017 hall of fame class are Oshweken player Ken Montour, Brooklin player Scott McMichael, Cornwall’s Roy Ledoux in the builder category and Brampton’s Bert Russell in the veterans category.
The 2017 Induction Dinner will be held on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Marriott-on-the-Falls at 6755 Fallsview Blvd. in Niagara Falls.
The newest group will bring the hall of fame total number to 298 members.
Here are the induction citations for Batley and Day:
Jamie (Bats) Batley - of Peterborough is elected in the Player Category.
Jamie is known as an exceptional playmaker and goal scorer, which makes for a lethal combination. He has won his share of individual awards and citations, and a number of team awards. Jamie was OLA Jr. A League scoring champion in 1987 with 55 goals and 112 assists and 68 goals and 66 assists in 1988, and was selected as the MVP of OLA Jr. A Lacrosse and Peterborough Jr. Athlete of the Year in 1987.
Jamie was also an All American award winner at the Division 1, UMBC in 1993, and one of only six UMBC players to score 10 points in a single game (Ohio State – 5 goals and 5 assists in 1993).
He was a member of the 1990 Canadians Mens’ National Field Lacrosse Team World Games in Perth Australia, and of the 1995 and 1996 Six Nations Chiefs Mann Cup Championship Teams.
Upon his retirement in 2004, Jamie went on to have a successful coaching career with the Peterborough Lakers where they won five Mann Cups in 10 years.
Jamie has dedicated much of his life to being a good sports citizen of Peterborough and in particular the sport of lacrosse.
Paul Day - of Grimsby/ Peterborough is elected in the Builder Category.
Paul hails from one of the small town hotbeds of lacrosse Peterborough. Like so many others his summers were spent playing minor box. In 1983 he played Jr. B and then played 6 years of Junior A, where he was a member of the two time Minto Cup Champions the Peterborough Maulers. Along the way he picked up two OLA Best Defenseman Award in 1988 and 1989 and was selected Team Captain. He then played in the MILL, Senior A with both the Burrards, and the Niagara Falls Gamblers in 1997.
He has built and coached teams to become competitive and vie for championships. He Paul has coached the Rochester Knight hawks on the NLL for over 18 years.
In the summers during NLL offseason, he coached the St. Catharines Jr. A from 1993 to 1996, the St. Regis Indians in 2009 and was an Assistant Coach with the Brampton Excelsiors of the MSL in 2010.
He was the GM of the champion - Team Canada Indoor team in 2007 and assistant coach in 2011, and 2015.
He has instructed at schools and clinics in the Niagara area, and has also conducted a few clinics south of the border in California when time permits from his career and his lacrosse activities.
Paul recently returned to the Peterborough Lakers where he was entrusted as their GM to bring in a coaching staff and build successfully toward the 2015 Mann Cup. He still holds this position currently.
NOTE: Read the citations for the other four inductees in the online version of the story at www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com.