Another Wiffle ball field of dreams in Portsmouth

Patriot Field takes over where Mick Fenway left off

By Margeaux Gagnon
Posted 9/23/17

PORTSMOUTH — If you’re driving down East Main Road, you may have noticed a small shop called Patriot Upholstery across the street from Clements’ Marketplace and thought nothing …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Another Wiffle ball field of dreams in Portsmouth

Patriot Field takes over where Mick Fenway left off

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — If you’re driving down East Main Road, you may have noticed a small shop called Patriot Upholstery across the street from Clements’ Marketplace and thought nothing of it. 

But what you might not know is that behind the business is a small dirt lot that’s been turned into a Wiffle ball field.

Every Tuesday and Thursday night, Patriot Field is home to games as part of the Mick Fenway Wiffle Ball League. 

This isn’t the first Wiffle ball field built in Portsmouth. That honor goes to Mick Fenway, a replica of Fenway Park in Boston that even features a scaled-down duplicate of the NESN booth. 

Patriot Field, while not built to replicate any MLB stadiums, still serves the purposes of the league and features a set of wooden bleachers, a large scoreboard and a concessions stand. 

Bill Whitmarsh is the owner of Patriot Upholstery and the backyard lot in which the field sits. He said the field was built because the owner of Mick Fenway, Chris “Mick” Richard, was going to stop holding games at his West Main Road home.

“He asked if there was anyone who would keep the league going if he could have another field somewhere,” Mr. Whitmarsh said. “I said, ‘I have this space in the back of my shop I’m sure we could build a field there.’ He came and checked it out and here we are today.”

The Mick Fenway Wiffle Ball League, a nonprofit, is currently made up of eight teams, but anyone can form a team and join the league. 

Each team must have a minimum of six members, and each player pays a $50 fee that goes into a pool which goes back to the league.

For more information or if you’re interesting in joining the league, e-mail mickfenway@yahoo.com.

Mick Fenway

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.