Sports Highlights

By Don Lyons
Published: July 31, 2008

Links champs crowned

Elmer Silva of Vineyard Haven won the men's Championship round at Farm Neck last weekend besting Mike Poirier, 4 and 2. Last year Elmer came close but lost to Gary Ben David in the finals.

Chas Deary of West Tisbury flew highest in Flight A, nosing out Steve LaPierre with one hole to go, 2 and 1. Chas had to climb over Richie Combra and Jason Lew to reach the finals.

Even closer was the Flight B match of Dan Meader versus Allen Schweikert who were tied after 18 holes. Meader won the 19th hole to claim the Flight B crown.

For the third year in a row, Cameron Eck earned the junior title, besting Michael DeBettencourt.

It took Frank Peri 19 holes to beat challenger Al Alexander in the 2007 senior tourney. This year, with the same cast, Peri made it look easy, winning 6 and 5.

Anne Lemenager's rounds of 82 and 81 (163) gave her a 12-stroke cushion over runner-up Helen Green's 175, more than enough to claim the women's Farm Neck club championship.

In the Meadow

Jim Ketcham shot rounds of 75, 76, 73, good enough to unseat reigning Mink Meadows Club champ Lenny Vanderhoop who was runner-up at 77, 75, 77.

Connie Doherty won the Senior Championship and Sheldon Hackney claimed the Super Senior title.

Dick Barbini, who was tops in Flight A at Farm Neck last year, emerged as winner of Mink Meadows Flight A this year.

Matt Crowther won at Flight B and Don Harrington claimed Flight C. Frank Gonsalves won at Flight D.

Tennis down on the Farm

For the third year in a row doubles tournaments will be played at the Farm Neck tennis courts, Friday to Sunday, August 22-24, to benefit the Martha's Vineyard Cancer Support Group.

Women's, men's, and mixed doubles tourney play begins Friday morning and culminates in Finals on Sunday.

As well, the weekend will feature round robin play, clinics and exhibitions by local and celebrity pros.

Entry fee is $100 per player.

A party Friday evening, 4 to 6 pm, will introduce the players and the pros.

The bouncing ball

At Niantic Park, Oak Bluffs, the town Park & Recreation department sponsors basketball games in a number of configurations.

For instance, in the local "NCAA" league, where numbered teams are sometimes named for colleges but populated by high school players, Team Three is undefeated, 4-0, scoring 62.25 points per game. Team Two, in second place, is 3-1 with 45.75 points per game.

Third, Team Four, with a 1-3 record scores 25 points per game. Team One has a 39.25 point average but is winless at 0-4

Individual scoring leaders are (1) Will Stewart, 73 points, 18.3 per game. (2) Mike Araujo, 52, 17.3; (3) T.J. Van Gerven, 45, 15; (4) Matt Birtwell, 58, 14.5; (5) Randall Jette, 58, 14.5; (6) Jack Wadleigh, 57, 14; (7) Kenny Handy, 51, 12.8; (8) Tyler Araujo, 35, 11,7; (9) Delmont Araujo, 46, 11.5.

Men's League

In the eight-team Men's League, the Stone Cold Hustlers ride high with an unbeaten 7-0 record. Team Baptiste , Team Fisher, Team Booty, and The MonStars are jampacked in second place, all showing four wins and three losses.

The High School Ballers are 3/4, Chips Ahoy are 2/5 and the Black Dawgs are winless at 0/7.

Individual scoring leaders are (1) Nick Viera, 142; (2) Brant Silvia, 128; (3) Steve Handy, 123; (4) Jordan Burnham, 121; (5) Don Birtwell, 119; (6) Eric Sutterland, 117; (7) Earl Adams, 116; and (8) Jason Dyer, 101.

Women's League

The team affectionately referred to as "the Olde Ladies" has the best win-loss record of 4-1 in the four-team Womens's League.

Three teams vie with each other in the Girls League

The bounding main

One of the favorite Holmes Hole Sailing Association (HHSA) races of the summer season was sailed last Sunday - the Tarpaulin Cove Rendezvous Race. Tarpaulin Cove is a beautiful and historic anchorage on Naushon Island across Vineyard Sound from Lamberts Cove.

The morning was overcast with a south-southwest wind of 15 knots. Fifteen boats posted for the 10 am start at red nun 6 outside the Vineyard Haven breakwater. The fleet sailed across the line downward and made for the only mark of the course, red nun 4 at West Chop.

A strategic chess match ensued with each captain and navigator trying to predict where the most favorable wind and current could be found. Most skippers opted to turn hard around West Chop and sail up the Sound inside Middle Ground Shoal. Others chose to sail a lay line course on the port tack on the west side of the shoal. It was soon apparent that the latter was the better choice and many of the boats inside the shoal crossed over, including a guest boat, Perception, a deep draft schooner, which nudged the bottom while crossing in shallow water.

In the A division, the first boat to finish was Juliani, a J 35 sailed by Don Rappaport. Jerry Goodale was second in the Pearson 31, Stormalong. Then came (3) Roger Becker in Gloria, (4) John Amabile in Solitude, (5) Phil Hale in Mischief, (6) Art Spielvogel in Sea Wolf, (7) Brian Roberts in Starfish, (8) Frank Sutula in Magic Twanger, (9) Bob Jewett in Andiamo II, and (10) Mike Loberg in Masquerade.

In the B division, first place honors went to Alan Wilson in the Marshall Cat High Tide. Second was Dan Culkin's Vineyard Vixen, Magic Time. Sandy Alexander in Falcor was third, Charlie Felder in Aerie was fourth, and Helmer Puetthoff in Frisia, fifth.

The summer racing series continues with an evening race tonight, Thursday, at 6 pm. Sunday's race is the Chappaquiddick Rendezvous, beginning at 10 am.

The HHSA welcomes new members and guest boats. Interested sailors should call Diane Hartmann at 508-693-4592.

Bridge port

Eight and a half tables were in play at the Bridge Club of Martha's Vineyard tables in Tisbury's senior center, Saturday.

At north-south the top score belonged to Reese Schonfield and Larry Harrison. At place and show were Emily Robertson and Claudia Bowser, Rosemary Taylor and Bevin Cushnie.

Winners at east-west were: (1) Jim Kaplan and Barbara Besse, (2) Marion Burke and Thomas Burke, (3) Marjorie Raskin and David Selin.

A well-earned honor

Ralph Stuart, of Brookline and a seasonal resident of West Tisbury, has been selected for the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) New England Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hall at a ceremony in Newport, R.I. on June 21.

Mr. Stuart is part of a short list of players who have achieved top-2 rankings in four consecutive decades. He was number 2 in New England's 18 and under group in 1952. In 1969 he was second in the junior veterans category. In 1975 he soared to the top spot among the 45s. Mr. Stuart was the second ranked player in the 50s division in 1986.

Ralph Stuart represented New England in the Friendship Cup. He has given his time and knowledge to young Island players as a volunteer with Vineyard Youth Tennis.

The USTA Hall of Fame exists to recognize those persons whose achievements as sportsmen and sportswomen are worthy of the highest recognition and commendation.

Scooped again

The annual Scoops 5K Tour of Edgartown and Fun Run, presented by Martha's Vineyard Multisport Inc. and the Farm Institute at Katama Farm, will start at 9 am on Sunday, August 3,, at Katama Farm, Edgartown.

The pre-race entry fee is $15. Day of race fee from 7 am to 8:45 am is $20. Fun run entry fee is $5. Family rate: $50.

The top 300 finishers will receive a tee-shirt. Fun runners receive medals.

Call 508-627-8303 for more information.