Clinton diamond loses luster.

Byline: Karen Nugent

CLINTON - Just over a year ago, folks here celebrated Fuller Field making in into "Guinness World Records" as the oldest baseball diamond in continuous use.

But the jubilation is coming to an end.

Clinton's field has been usurped by a Canadian ball field - Labatt Park in London, Ontario, which was opened in 1877. It was placed in Guinness last month as the oldest field, besting Fuller Field by only a year.

As with all good ball games, the clincher involved home plate.

Barry A. Wells, founder of the London-based Friends of Labatt Park, said city officials, including the mayor, have submitted information to Guinness disputing Clinton's claim. A full package, with a large amount of documentation, he said, will be submitted within the next two months.

Labatt Park's new designation is on page 191 of the 2009 Guinness edition, released last month. A spokesman for "Guinness World Records" could not be reached yesterday, and an online news registration tool said it may take up to two weeks to get questions answered.

An old Clinton map shows Fuller Field in existence in 1878. Labatt Park, formerly Tecumseh Park, was its closest competition, but Labatt proponents last year could not prove that the original baseball diamond has remained in the same place. An 1883 flood damaged the park, moved home plate, and left lingering questions as to how much of a change it made to the diamond.

Speaking from his office in Ontario yesterday, Mr. Wells said he was surprised at the happy news, although he said Guinness has not notified his organization.

Last year, A.J. Bastarache, formerly of Clinton, submitted two years of research on Fuller Field, at 450 High St., including an 1878 map showing the ball field, which Guinness used for the 2008 designation. He received a Guinness certificate for his efforts last year.

Mr. Wells contended that Mr. Bastarache gave Guinness "skewed information" about Labatt Park, especially pertaining to a move after the flood.

"The park has never moved," Mr. Wells said. "Baseball picked up immediately after the flood, and only home plate moved."

Mr. Wells, while saying he did not want to make the dispute a "Canada versus U.S. thing," said he finds it hard to believe that home plate at Fuller Field has never moved in its 130 years.

"It's been a splitting hair kind of thing since the get-go," he said, adding that he is more interested in history than baseball.

Mr. Bastarache, who wrote a book on Clinton's history, said yesterday the information he gave Guinness about Labatt Park was direct quotes from the London city manager saying the diamond had been moved several times owing to flooding, and is now on the other side of the park.

"I advised them to go after another record, such as oldest grounds," Mr. Bastarache said.

"I don't think this is final," he added. "I think an error was made."

He said he has not been notified by Guinness that his claim has been superseded.

In an e-mail to Guinness yesterday, Mr. Bastarache said his claim had been deliberately specific and narrow.

"If any old baseball diamond can qualify regardless of it is still in its original location, then Civil War prison grounds could still qualify. The dispute would be endless," he said in the e-mail.

Mr. Bastarache said he doesn't expect the Fuller Field claim to stand forever, but stressed that other designees would need proper documentation, such as maps showing that fields were never moved.

Coincidentally, town meeting voters Wednesday night approved building a new youth ball field at Fuller Field, near the existing diamond.

After the Fuller Field designation in Guinness last year, Mr. Bastarache, who now lives in Andover, and Donald A. Lowe, director of the Clinton Community and Economic Development Office, were the subject of a media blitz, appearing on television and radio segments. A crew from Red Sox Video Productions even came to town to film a segment for WSBK-TV Channel 38's "Red Sox Stories."

Mr. Lowe, who contacted Red Sox executives shortly after the Guinness designation, also requested that the Fuller Field designation be announced during a game at Fenway Park. He said yesterday he never heard back about that.

Yesterday, he said he had not heard about the Labatt Field designation.

"I'm in no position to challenge any of the claims to challenge Fuller Field. I'll leave it up to the experts at `Guinness World Records' to make the correct determination," Mr. Lowe said. "I'll respectively support whatever findings they make."

Mr. Wells suggested a diplomatic solution may exist in having a series of baseball games at both parks between officials and citizens of the two communities.

"I'd be in support of that," Mr. Bastarache said. "It would be fun to do a friendly thing."

ART: PHOTO; MAP

PHOTOG: (P) KAREN NUGENT; (M) T&G Staff

CUTLINE: (P) The ``oldest field" designation that is on the field house door at Fuller Field. (M) Labatt Park