Evening star., 1932-07-10
IRON CHAMP FNDS'
RIVALS IMPROVED
Takes Unofficial Trouncing
From Henson-Tourney at
Mclean Big Test.

A MOTHER horseshoe cam
~ paign is on and it promises
"A to end in a Waterloo for
Harry Fraser Saunders,
who, for two years, has ruled the
5000 odd pitchers of Metropolitan
Washington with hand as firm
as the irons he filings.
For nearly a year, or since
Saunders won for a second time
the championship of Washington,
Maryland and Virginia in the an
nual tournament sponsored by
The Star, a half dozen or more
of the better ringer throwers have
been training against the time
they would encounter the Iron
Champion" in another struggle
for the Metropolitan crown.
Just how far they have progressed
may be learned early next month
when the second annual invitation
tournament of the Mclean, Va, carni-
val is held Participants in this will
be drawn from the select pitchers OF
Washington, Maryland and Virginia,
with probably a few from Pennsyl-
vania and West Virginia.
THE Mclean tournament will be a
i warm-up for the Metropolitan
CHAMPIONSHIPS, which also will be
held in August, with the finals possibly
running into September. Town and
Y1roliy,airo rioc haua hnn0
dispensed with and the competition
will start with county championships
in Maryland and Virginia and di-
visional tournaments in Washington.
Dates and other details of the early
competition are now being arranged.
Among those who have served notice
on Saunders is Clayton c. Henson OF
Arlington, champion two years ago Of
Northern Virginia. Henson lost his
title last year to young Chick Darr of
BaIlston, but wasn't discouraged. On
the contrary, he Immediately set about
improving his game. He took lessons
from Saunders.
ONLY few days ago, Saunders may
~ have begun to regret the tips he
passed out to Henson and num-
ber of others. In an impromptu tour
nament on the Henson courts the
champion lost four cut of six games
to Henson and was hard pressed by
others. Raymond Brown of Cleveland
Park a formidable contender for the
Washington title this year, all but beat
him and the champion eyed with con-
cern the improvement in the pitching
of George c. Thompson, the Fairfax
County titleholder, and Joe Merryman
of Bladensburg, monarch OF the courts
in Southern Maryland.
The pressure of championship COM
petition was lacking in the Arlington
affair, which made the results risky
criterion, but the fact remains that
Henson's victory over Saunders was the
only decisive defeat of any kind in
f1icted on the former Missourian since
his sensational triumph in the 1880
metropolitan tournament.
COLLECTION of the pitchers to take
- part in the Mclean battle is largely
In the hands Of H A. Huschke of
Mclean and Andrew Casper, secretary
of the Metropolitan Horseshoe Club,
and it promises to be difficult job.
Sixteen, the number that competed last
year, Is ideal, but there are many more
than 16Inow who are worthy OF hand
In such an affair
Invitations to pitchers outside the
Metropolitan Washington area will be
an innovation Pennsylvania, West
Virginia and Western Maryland horse
shoe experts for several years have
tried in vain to enter the metropolitan
championships. The tournament already
was too bulky to handle expeditiously
and the inclusion of more territory
would have aggravated the condition.
THE town and neighborhood pre-
i liminaries have been eliminated this
year to shorten and sweeten the
competition. Many communities, how
ever, will stage tournaments Of their
own
Virtually all of the county tourna-
ments will be held at night, with most
of them to be billed as features Of
carnivals. Lighted courts are becoming
increasingly numerous.
There will be no qualifying test for
the county and divisional events nor in
any advanced stage Of the tournament
except the metropolitan finale. A ringer
percentage system Is being worked out
for this.