Horseshoe Pitching Facts & Folklore

By Bob Dunn, Historian

The review of the New England Championships continues. This issue looks at the years 1935 – 1940.

New England Championships – Part Two

The 1935 tournament, held in Medford, Massachusetts, had 38 entries, eight more than in 1934. Only the top eight players qualified for the championship finals, which was won by James Leo O’Shea. O’Shea and Herfurth tied with 6-1 records after the regulation round robin and played a best two-out-of-three playoff which O’Shea won in two straight games 54-36 and 51-7. 

The 1936 tournament, held in East Providence, Rhode Island, had several highlights and some new names. Only 16 players qualified and the championship finals were expanded to 12 players. Remember that this event is taking place in 1936; it is a prestigious tournament and is probably the only tournament in the whole country at the time that was drawing from six different states. Rather unfortunate that the process at the time was just a single class. That was the style even at the World Tournaments. A young Stanley DeLeary (22 years old) was the winner and clinched the title in the final game. Going into the 11th and final game, James O’Shea was one game behind DeLeary and could have moved into a first place tie at 9-2 with a win. However DeLeary won the game 50-45 and the championship.

1936 New England Championships Final Standing

Player                                                            W    L    R           DR         SP              Pct.

Stanley DeLeary            Amesbury, MA              10   1    510       163              798       63.9%

              James O’Shea                Brockton, MA                  8   3     515       180              802       64.2%

              Eino Tiilikainen             Fitchburg, MA                 8   3     461       140              748       61.6%

              Carl Larson                     Melrose, MA                    6   5     503       143              810       62.1%

              Ralph Jenne                   Reading, VT                      6   5     457       125              754       60.6%

              Rudolph Malikowski   Anthony, RI                      6   3     441       138              762       57.9%

              Kenneth Hurst Providence, RI                 5   6     490       126       818              60.0%

              Raymon Lamonthe                                                   5   6     457       126              772       59.3%

              Edgar Landry                  Fall River, MA                  5   6     426       143              718       59.3%  

              Howard Stowell            New Bedford, MA          5   6     427       129              748       57.1%

              William Crofut Connecticut                     4   7     431       147       726              59.2%

Irving Harris                    Medford, MA                   0 11    219         47              550       40.0%

O’Shea had the high qualifying score of 245 points and 73 ringers. Next high was DeLeary with 243 points and 77 ringers. One of the stars of the tournament was Kenneth Hurst, just 14 years old and the reigning Rhode Island state champion. Just three years later, Hurst stood in the victory circle. Eino Tiilikainen is a name that might be familiar to many who live in the west, as Eino moved to Colorado and won a number of tournaments in that area including the Colorado state championship in 1950 and 1953 and doubles championship in 1949. Stan DeLeary is another pitcher that moved out west. Before he did move, he won the Massachusetts in 1936. DeLeary won eight consecutive Arizona state championships beginning in 1949 and won two more in 1958 and 1959. His career included a tremendous record at the World Tournaments in Murray, Utah. Stan qualified six straight years from 1947-1953, with a 6th place finish in 1948, placed 5th in 1949, averaging 78.7% and placed 4th in 1950 on a 30-5 record. Stan’s wife Pauline “Pat” won the Women’s Word Championship in 1950 and 1953. William Crofut was the 1936 Connecticut State champion and won again in 1938, 1939, 1940 and 1941.

In 1939, Ken Hurst, still only 16 years of age, beat Bernie Herfurth in a best of seven playoff for the New England Championship, held in Providence RI. The finals report could not be recovered, but we have the recap of this incredible playoff match. It is impossible to imagine a playoff being any closer, boiling down to the last game and then Hurst winning by one point:

Game 1         P     R    DR    SP    Pct. Game 2    P      R    DR   SP      Pct.

Ken Hurst     50   49   17    70   70.00%                Hurst        37   77   28   102   75.49%

B. Herfurth   39   46   15    70   65.70%               Herfurth   51   82   32   102   80.39%

Game 3 Game 4

Ken Hurst     51   47   19    60   78.33%                Hurst        23   67   24     90   74.44%

Herfurth       22   40   15    60   66.66%                Herfurth   51   76   30     90   84.44%

Game 5 Game 6

Ken Hurst     47   87   35   110   79.09%                             Hurst         51   91   34   116   78.44%

Herfurth       54   89   35   110   80.90%               Herfurth   44   88   32   116   75.62%

Game 7 Totals

Ken Hurst     50   78   29   100   78.00%                             Hurst       309  496  186  648  76.54%

Herfurth       49   77   29   100   77.00%               Herfurth 310  498  188  648  76.55%

DeLeary won another title in 1941; the summary was in the November issue of Horseshoe World:

DELEARY, HOPI INDIAN, WINS 1941 NEW ENGLAND TITLE

“Stanley DeLeary of Amesbury, a Hopi Indian, won the New England horseshoe pitching championship at the all-day round robin event at General Plate Company in Attleboro, Massachusetts. DeLeary was presented with a gold medal by James Ramsey, tournament director and will retain the trophy given by the Connecticut State Association for one year.

Winner of the title in 1939, 18 year old Kenneth Hurst, of Providence, was defeated, 50-31 by Bernard Herfurth, of Northampton in a playoff match for second place. Herfurth was a three time winner of the New England crown, having won the championship in 1931, 1933 and 1934. He and Hurst were awarded silver and bronze medals and all three top finishers received cash prizes.

The field narrowed to 12 contestants as a result of morning qualification play in which James O’Shea of Brockton, present state champion, topped the field with a score of 257 points. DeLeary amassed 243 tallies and Donald Jackson, of Dartmouth, finished third with 242 points.

Of the 11 matches played by the champion in the round robin series, DeLeary met defeat but once. Herfurth was the only man to triumph over the Indian but lost a chance to tie for first place in his last match to Carl Larson of Melrose, former New England Champion.

Assisting Ramsey were Charles Heater, Fred Meier, of Foxboro, past president of the Massachusetts Horseshoe Pitching Association and Ralph Forsstrom of Springfield, secretary of the association.

Referees were: Ed Hawkins of Framingham and Frank Bristol of Medford.”

1941 New England Championships Final Standing

Player                               Hometown                     W          L            SP              R           Pct.

              Stanley DeLeary            Amesbury, MA              10          1            768              557       72.5%

              Bernard Herfurth          Northampton, MA         9          2            742              539       72.6%

              Kenneth Hurst Providence, RI                 9          2            716       489              68.2%

              James O’Shea                Brockton, MA                  7          4            654              464       70.9%

              Carl Larson                     Melrose, MA                    7          4            794              515       64.9%

              Gerald L’Abbe               Salem, MA                        6          5            740              452       59.6%

              Joseph Comeau            Lynn, MA                           5          6            784              485       61.8%

              Peter Heroux                  West Watwick, RI           4          7            708              425       60.0%

              D. Jackson                       North Dartmouth, MA  4          7            692              405       58.5%

              Grant Hoard                   Lakeville, MA                   3          8            640              300       43.7%

              Albert Bourgeois          Providence, RI                 1       10             668              330       49.2%

              Corey                                Georgesville, RI               1       10             618              267       43.2%

Carl Larson is mentioned as a former New England champion. That gives further credence that just maybe the New England Championship began earlier than 1929 even if the tournament was called Eastern States Championships. Ralph Forsstrom was involved in running the 1941 event, and he went on to be involved for many years as well as promoting the sport in many other directions. Ralph was inducted to the National Hall of Fame in 1972.

The New England Championships website states no events held in 1940 and 1942-1949. L’Abbe bio in Ottie Reno’s Horseshoe Pitcher’s Directory states he was the 1940 champion.  The fact that the results of the 1948 Championship was found in a copy of the October 1948 Horseshoe News in the NHPA Hall of Fame Museum archives, gives reason to believe there may have been more tournament in the 1940s but just never recorded for us to find or maintained to be recovered. The statement that Jimmy O’Shea was the defending champion, leads one to believe that a tournament was held in 1947.