The 1991 Newcastle A & B Junior Cardinals, coached by Gary Wood and Mike Wood, led by players such as John Cann, Chris Burns, Stephen Maltby, and Jamie Wood the Cardinals began their march to national recognition by knocking off arch-rival Chatham Ironmen in the Eastern Zone elimination tournament. The Cardinals then captured the N.B. Junior Championship by defeating the Saint John Dodgers in two straight games in a best-of-three final series. In the Atlantic tournament, hosted by the Chatham Ironmen, the Cardinals prevailed over teams from PEI, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and, once again, defeated the
Ironmen 7-5 in the Atlantic Championship game, behind the pitching of Chris Burns.
The Cardinals succeeded in capturing the bronze medal at the National Championship tournament in Newcastle, N.B. by defeating B.C., 4-2, in
the bronze medal game. John Cann was the tournament’s top hitter, to round off a most successful season for the A & B Cardinals.