Evening star., 1941-09-09
Saunders Also Hits
Hot Ringer Tempo
In Comeback Try
Three Major Crowns
Will Be Decided in
Tonieht's Tilts

Horseshoe throwing addicts who
despaired of seeing Clayton G. Hen
son of Arlington uncrowned as
champion of the Metropolitan Wash
ington Area today nursed a ray Of
hope. The Virginian personally Is
popular, but few folk care to have
a title under lock and key as Hen
son for years has held the ringer
crown of this sector.
Irving Carlberg. former District
champion and ambitious to supplant
Henson as horseshoe ruler of the
area, including Washington, North
ern Virginia and Southern Mary
land, tossed the brand of game last
night in the opening rounds of The
Stars 18th annual championships
that Henson would find difficult to
top.
Thursday and Friday evenings, on
the public park courts opposite the
Commerce Building, Henson will de-
fend his title. In the field of is
will be Carlberg. Melvin Penewell,
Harry Saunders and Phil Akard
from Washington; Lee Fleshman,
ST; Joe Merryman, Carleton Null
link and H. L. Bell of Southern
Maryland and Charley Howery,
George Thompson, jr.; Ed Baranow-
ski and Ed Henry of Northern Vir-
gtnia. plus three others, winners Of
consolation play among defeated
quarter -finalists in competition for
sectional titles.
Titles at Stake Tonight.
The group named won its way
into the semifinals last night. Sec
tional honors will be settled tonight,
with play starting at o'clock. The
pairings: ashington-Carlberg VS..
Penewell, Saunders VS.. Akard;
Northern Virginia-Howery, defend
ing champion, VS.. George Thomp-
son, jr.: Baranowski VS.. Henry;
Southern Maryland-Lee Fleshman.
sr., VS.. Merryman, Mullinix VS.. Bell.
To eliminate w. r. Eernisse and
Joe Murphy, Carlberg pitched ring
ers at the rate of rs, 65, SO and So
per cent and appeared to be coast
ing. To handle Henson he very
likely would need more than 10 per
cent. In the opinion of Harry
Woodfield, president of the National
Horseshoe Pitchers Association and
other observers, the wiry young
Civil Service Commission employe
Is capable of raising his game to
that pace in clutch.
One of the surprises of last
nights competition, which held a
gallery until midnight, was the per-
for1nance of Harry Saunders, former
District and Metropolitan champion,
who entered the tournament on the
spur of moment after several
years of inactivity as a ringerite In
polishing off Elvin Shank, usually a
tough competitor. and Hubbard
Quantrille, ex-D. c. champ, Saun-
ders averaged a bit more than IS
per cent ringers without the loss of
a game. Thus he became a for
midable rival of Carlberg for the
Washington title. Also he gained a
need of revenge for an upset defeat
handed hom some years ago by
Quantrille who relieved him of the
Washington championship. Guam
trille, like Saunders, essayed come
back
Haley Worries Champion.
Defending the Southern Maryland
title, Lee Freshman, sr., encountered
all he could handle in q second
round match with Walter Haley
who won the first game, 50-45,
dropped the second, 47-50 and the
third $3.50. Fleshman's son, Lee,
jr., not quite IL years old, was elm
mated in the second round by an
other youngster. Carleton Mullinix.
after he'd beaten Dave Dodson. also
youthful. Flea sized Lee amazed
the gallery by firing 81 and 50 per
cent ringers against Dodson, but
the 2l5-pound shoes, thrown 40 feet
took toll of his stamina In the sec
ond round, albeit Mullinix pitched
well enough to deserve victory even
had the mite of lad been fresh.
H. L. Bell, Greenbelt champion
maintained an even pace in the
middle 40's to eliminate the second
seeded Marylander, George Ken
field, and Harold Cliff. who in the
FIRST session erased Frank Flesh
man, father Of Lee, ST.
It was like old times when Lons
Joe Merryman. who several years
ago was thought washed up in 9
general way when both Of his leg'
nearly we're severed in an accident
reached the semifinals with vic
tories over George Boyer, the Manor
Club golfer, and Bill Woodfield o.
Camp Meade. better known as
consistent seeker of the District
ringer title.
Little George Scars.
Holding the spotlight in the vir.
einia section was George G. Thomp
son, IT., who fooled himself by win
ming a place in the semifinals
Little George" son of the forme
Northern Virginian champ, recentl,
received an air pilots license. HI
expected to go approximately no
where in the tournament but breezet
to two victories while averaging
better than so per cent ringers. Hi
pop, out of competition for years
was whacked early, the victim o
redoubtahle Pete Heflin, who in turl
was put out by Champion Howery
All three sectional titles will b
settled tonight, with play startin
ut 7 O'Clock.
Tomorrow night the defeate'
ousrter-fnalists will shoot the con
sola ton round, also starting at
and on Thursday and Friday eve
nings will be contested the Metro
politan District championship, on
Of the most coveted titles in tn
realm of the horseshoe. tn
women's Metropolitan crown wi
80 .e@tIad TTo,rrSdov and Friday