PHILIPSBURG—Members of the Quebec Capitales of the Canadian-American Professional Baseball League are on St. Maarten to conduct a series of free youth clinics and an open try out for the team.

The first clinic for athletes 17 and under was held at the Little League Stadium on Pond Island yesterday. A second clinic for the same age group is planned for this afternoon starting at 3:30pm and will run until 5:30pm.

The open baseball try out for athletes 18 and up is scheduled for Saturday. Athletes need to be at the field at 9:00am to register and warm up.

St. Maarten's professional baseball player Rene Leveret, from South Reward, invited members of his team to the Island. Making the trip were team manager Patrick Scalabrini and team president, a former pro-baseball pitcher and manager Michel Laplante.

Leveret has played for the past two years with the Capitales and helped the team to back to back league championships. He played in 83 games, had 295 at bats and averaged .292 with 86 hits, 12 of which were four baggers. He scored 58 runs and drove in 55. He walked 51 times and struck out 59.

Yesterday after the Capitales ran the local athletes through speed and agility drills to warm up; Leveret took the children into the cage for batting practice.

Scalabrini worked with the athletes on fielding and Laplante drilled the children on how to "whip" the ball for power and accuracy.