Evening star., 1896-09-21
WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP
saakstt Duryea Showed Remarkable Skill
at Oroquet.
Defeated the Crack Players Of the
Country-His Style-National
Tournament.

ship in the crouuet tournement which has
been in progress all of last week. His
work has been phenomenal. and out OF
eight games played, some of them against
acknowledged champions of the country.
he has lost but one. Three times he has
whftewashed his opponents, carried both
balls through all the wickets and put HIM
self out of the game before his opponent
could get through a single arch. The three
men to whom he administered such crush
ing defeats were Jacobus of Springfield. a
one-time champion of the country; Harris
of Philadelphia, crack shot of that city.
and Bean, among the best of the local
players.
The one game he lost was to DR.. Veasey
of Wilmington. Veasey was, until the
opening of the present tournament. a sec
ond division player He earned place in
the first division after he came to this city
by breaking a tie that had existed since
the close of last years game between HIM
self, Cooper and Bryant for first place in
the second division. By winning the cham
pionship of the second division he became
rated as a first division player and almost
Immediately afterward met and defeated
young DCryea.
The game which definitely decided the
championship of the first division was
played Saturday afternoon between Bean
and Duryea. 1t was understood that If
Duryea should be defeated in that contest
his record with Jacobus would be tied. and
to determine the winner Of the tournament
it would be necessary to have recourse to
the number of points made in the game
each had lost, the one doing best in that
game beng awarded the medal. But Dur
yea did not lose to Bean. On the contrary.
In game lasting little over half an hour
he whitewashed his opponent, allowing him
but one chance at the balls. One Of the
prettieSt and most difficult shots of the
tournament was made by the young player
during the game, by which he made his
ball Jump over an arch and hit another on
the other side.
Duryea is easy and rapid player. To
an observer he seems almost careless in his
play, but this impression is contradicted by
his extraordinary accuracy of aim and deli
cacy OF stroke. He conducts his game with
a great deal of science, and has the fac
ulty of placing his opponents balls Just
where he wants them and in such a posi-
ton as to make 1t almost impossible for
the other player to make any kind Of
stroke.
The visiting players have all left the city,
the last to go being Prof. Jacobus and Mr.
Strong, who finished up Saturday morning
game which they began the previous af-
ternoon 1t was matter of surprise to
great many about the courts that Jacopus
hnaily won the game, not because he is re-
garded as one whit inferior to his opponent
but because he has been unable to keen in
form during the present summer. having
been badly out of practice.
There Is genuine interest among local
payers over the proposition to secure for
thls city the annual natiCLal tournaments
which are now held each August in Nor
wich, Conn. 1t is more than likely that a
vigorous effort will be made to ACCOMPLISH n
this object. The local men have the hearty
cooperation of all the visiting PLAYERS.
who have assured those who SO cordially
entertained them last week that they
would much prefer Washington to the
Connecticut town for the meeting place of
the national Journeys.
1t is believed that it would not REQUIRE
an unusually large sum of money to af-
ford the necessary facilities here. 1t
would be Necessary. of course, to build ad-
d1tlonal courts and provide other neces-
sarieS and ConVenieEceS. but this wouli
not call for an extraordinary outlay. There
Is ample time, also, to give the matter
thorough consideration for it is the under
standing that for at least two years to
come the national contests will come off
at Norwich, as the national associate has
a lease on those grounds for that length
OF time. What the local men want is TO
so arrange matters that when the ques-
| ton CT a rev lease comes up the directors
| may be induced to choose Washington for
the future events.
During the afternoons and evenings of
| this week the few remaining games yet
unplayed will be contested among the
local men in the second division. All of
the out-of-town men have completed their
scores, so that when the local players
| finish the complete record of the tourna-
ment can be made up. Up to date the
score stand as follows:
1