Evening star., 1939-08-01
Strongest Field Ever
To Battle Starting
On August Il
National Capital Parks
Courts to Be Lighted
For Championships
By ROD THOMAS.

BY ROD THOMAS.
What promises to be the hottest
horseshoe competition in the history
of that rapidly growing sport In
Washington, the 18th annual Eve
ming Star championships, will open
August 81 on the new National
Capital Parks courts-lc in number
opposite the Commerce Building.
Arrangements for the tournament
were completed today with an
nouncement by the National Capital
Park Service that it would be able
to light the courts for night play
for the duration Of the event, or
about 10 days.
The tournament will bring togeth-
er the leading ringerites of Wash
lngton, Northern Virginia and
Southern Maryland with the cham
pionship of each sector at stake.
Climaxing it will be the Metropolitan
District championship in which will
play the best performers in the sec
tional contests. The Metropolitan is
ranked with the foremost horseshoe
pitching events in the country.
Field Classiest Yet.
This year the field should be the
strongest ever. Time was when a
ringer percentage of a little more
than 40 was enough to win the Met
ropolitan title. OF late seasons a
player who could shoot so per cent
was a strong contender. But the
dopesters now are figuring on at
least 90 per cent as the winning
pace. The general average of 10
tWlrlers in the all-star METROPOLITAN
Singles League in their last matches
was 54. And not all of the best
players hereabout are in the league.
Notable among exceptions is the
Metropolitan champion, Harry Fras-
er Saunders, who started the season
with the league but withdrew. This
worthy will be squarely on the SPOT
when the battling starts August 81.
He will be only one Of half q dozen
tavorites and the field will be shot
through with dark horses.
Heading the list will be Clavton
Z. (Boo) Henson of Arlington, who
won the Virginia title last year, but
was prevented by illness from irving
Tor the Metropolitan which he had
won several times. Henson only
recently regained the form that
mace MIN for years the outstanding
pltcner OF the metropolitan area.
In the Singles League he has aver
aged 66 per cent ringers and has won
45 straight games. He has tossed
as nigh as 81 per cent in a single
game, league record.
Rival for Henson.
Yet Henson may be no cinch tn
retain the Virginia title. A new
conner to the field, Charles Howerv
OF Mclean, is tossing better than
on per cent and steadily improving
An OF night for Henson and a hot
hand for Howery would put the
redoubtable and popular Boo among
the spectators.
defending the Washington title
Will be Irwin Carlberg, young en-
ploye OF the Civil Service Commits
sion, and the Maryland crown will
be defended by husky Lee Fleshman
VINO, by the way, has a 9-year-old
son, Lee, jr., who isn't likely to be
a pushover in the Old Line competi-
tlon. He's firing 40 per cent ringers.
lhlS IS little remarkable consider
ing the horseshoe axiom that if
requires three years to attain a high
oegree OF skill, even for grownups
The entire tournament will be
played on the National Capital
Parks courts, one of the finest ringer
layouts IN the country, thanks to
Acting Supt. Frank T. Gartside
and his enterprising parks staff,
VINO nave shown a genuine interest
IN the games development along
with other sports which depend on
the parks service for facilities. It
was typical when Mr.. Gartside, in
announcing that lights would be
provided, remarked that although
they would be temporary there
would be nothing makeshift about
them. The parks courts, in an ideal
setting, have dressed up" the game
considerably and the lighting sys-
tenn will be in keeping
Must Shoot Qualifying Round.
The first two nights of the tourna-
ment will be given over to qualifying
play, with each pitcher to hurl 100
shoes. The 16 high scorers in each
sector will shoot it out in elimina-
t1ons, starting August %.
With an abundance of courts, less
time than heretofore will be re-
quired to run off the championships.
Washington, Maryland and Virginia
pitchers will fire simultaneously and
the sectional eliminations will be
completed in two evenings. Then
will come the big show-the Metro
politan playoff. Five men from
each section plus a sixth for Wash
ington in the person of Defending
Champion Saunders, who automat-
ically is eligible, will participate.
The semi-f1nalists in sectional play
will carry on into the Metropolitan
and the fifth man in each sector
will be determined by a consolation
play-off of defeated quarter-fnalists.
Pitchers desiring to compete in
The Star tournament should report
at the courts on August 81 or % for
the qualification test. There is no
entry fee.