The vintage base ball season for the Newtown Sandy Hook nine opened on Saturday at the new ball grounds in Glastonbury as the Sandy Hooks took on a much heralded Mudville Nine from Holliston, Massachusetts. The game was played by 1876 rules with the Honorable Herb Bush officiating.

Brian 'Tex' Casey hurled a masterful two run six hit game supported by exciting defense and timely hitting by the Sandy Hook boys who banged-out 20 hits in a 6 to 2 dismantling of the visitor's effort. The Sandy Hooks featured the run-and-gun offense of the triple-threat combination of 'Pudgey', 'Chief' and 'Shoeless' Dieckman who made their debut in vintage base ball with a devastating hit and run attack that left the Mudvillers flat-footed. 'Bulldog' Paes, 'Moose' Margolus, 'Rock' Zulli were outstanding in the field while the entire club functioned nearly flawlessly (except for the occasional baserunning mistakes) for all nine innings.

The inaugural game for the new Newtown Sandy Hook vintage nine was amply supported by family and friends who made the trip upstate on a hot Spring afternoon.

Everyone is looking forward to the club's home opener on June 25th against the ever dangerous Hartford Senators who trounced the Pittsfield Elms in an earlier match at the Glastonbury grounds. [Ray Shaw]