NEWSLINE STORY
published November-December 2015
National Sanction League Tournament: Ultimately a Battle of Illinois Teams
by Jerry Smith, 3rd Vice President and Sanction League Director, Junior Scholarships
The National Sanctioned League Tournament was held in Wentzville, Missouri, at the NHPA’s Hall of Fame facility on October 3 and 4. Twenty three-person teams competed for the top prize of $1,500 over the two days of pitching. The teams were cross-seeded into the Scarlet and Gray divisions and played a full nine-game round robin. The tournament was handicapped at 85 percent and count-all scoring was utilized. Bonus points were awarded when a team won two or three games from an opponent during any given round. The winners of the two divisions then played for the championship. Monetary prizes were given for second through forth places in each division.
The NHPA and the White Distributing Horseshoe Company sponsored the tournament. I directed the tournament with the assistance of my wife, Diane, and NHPA Secretary/Treasurer David Sidles and his wife Carla. The Quail Ridge Horseshoe Club provided valuable assistance as well as staffing the snack bar. Many thanks to all those who helped.
The Gray division was hotly contested right up until the last game when the Illinois 1 team of Larry Thomason, Dalton Rakestraw, and Bill Arnold won the division by scoring three points on the last round. This team was the defending champion and would go to the finals with a chance of defending their title.
The Scarlet division was nearly over after eight games when the Illinois 2 team, comprised of Austin Bailey, Ken Reid, and Denise Daly, took a three-and-a-half point lead into game nine. They needed only one point to win the division title and Austin won his ninth straight game to accomplish that. It was the only point the team scored in game nine and the Tennessee team scored all their points to finish only one point behind.
The championship round pitted the three players from each winning team against their counterparts on the other team. The Champion would be the team that won either two or three of the games. Bill Arnold won his game against Denise Daly. Kenneth Reid won his with Dalton Rakestraw. This left the two teams tied with one win apiece, and one game still in progress. Austin Bailey hung on to win his tenth straight game, giving the Illinois 2 the Championship. This team was runner-up last year and redemption was truly sweet, I’m sure.
The winning team received $1,500 and the runners-up, $900. A one-hundred-dollar bill was given to the player from each division who pitched the highest percentage game over their average. Jim Kinney, Sr., won in the Scarlet division with a 19.19 percent game over his average and Ron Stanerson won in the Gray division with 18.37 percent over his average.
I am looking forward to the 2016 tournament with hopes that more teams from around the country will enter. Make your plans early as only 20 teams can be accommodated.
The top four teams, all of whom received some prize money, were as follows:
|
Scarlet Division |
|
Gray Division |
||||
|
Place |
Team |
Points |
|
Place |
Team |
Points |
|
1 |
Illinois 2 |
25 |
|
1 |
Illinois 1 |
26 |
|
2 |
Tennessee |
24 |
|
2 |
Iowa 2 |
23 |
|
3 |
Missouri 6 |
21.5 |
|
3 |
Missouri 7 |
22.5 |
|
4 |
Missouri 2 |
21 |
|
4 |
Missouri 1 |
20 |
|
5 |
Missouri 3 |
21 |
|
|
|
|
Thanks to all of the teams that entered and to all those that helped run the tournament. Like always, horseshoe pitchers came through.
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