The reign of the Orangeville Kings atop the Intercounty Fastball league is over for this season.

This past weekend, the Kings and the other top eight teams from the Intercounty league converged on Ponsonby for their 2009 championship tournament.

After posting a perfect 18-0 season record, Orangeville came into the tournament heavily favoured to defend their 2008 championship. Unfortunately for the Kings however, their bats fell silent when they needed them the most and, despite only giving up seven runs in five games, were unseated from the championship throne by the Arthur Merchants who defeated them 2-1 in the final.

The Kings started the weekend off on the right foot, posting a 3-2 win over Maryhill on Friday night.

Rich Long got the ball rolling for Orangeville in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded, he hit a single to score Kent Campbell and Greg Hickey for a 2-0 lead which held until the top of the third when Maryhill scored a pair off 3 hits.

Donaldson would score the winner in the Kings half of three, bringing in Phil Gordon with a single.

Kyle Anderson went the distance on the mound for the win, tossing 10 strike-outs while only giving up six hits over seven innings.

Game Two on Saturday morning had Joel Pegg pitching a nohitter for the Kings, serving up 10 strike-outs while Greg Hickey's double in the bottom of the fourth was just enough to allow the Kings to edge past Ponsonby 1-0.

Later in the afternoon, Orangeville faced off against Arthur for the first time in the tournament.

In the first inning, Arthur managed to score three before the Kings defense and pitcher Scott Gordon settled in and shut them down but those three runs would prove to be all they needed.

Pegg's RBI single in the bottom of one scored Campbell to put Orangeville on the board but a double plays by Arthur in the third and seventh robbed the Kings of a couple chances to even the score allowing them to hang on for a 3-1 win which advanced them to Sunday's final.

Orangeville now found themselves in a must win situation and needed a win over Puslinch for any chance at getting back into the final.

With Pegg again on the mound, both defenses put in a solid effort, going scoreless through regulation time to force extra innings.

With the international tie-breaker rule in place - a runner starting the inning at second, Campbell bunted advancing Mike Lake to third which Phil Gordon followed up with a single to score Lake and give Orangeville the 1-0 win and another shot at Arthur in the final on Sunday afternoon.Pegg would get the call, going the distance on the mound for Orangeville.

As in the first game, Arthur got off to an early lead, scoring two in the top of the first.

Jeff Donaldson's RBI single kept things close, scoring Pegg in the bottom of the second.

A pair of singles in the bottom of seven gave Orangeville some hope but with two out, Mike Brooks grounded out to to end the game, earning Arthur the 2009 championship.