A unique summer party, months in the making, ushered in August at Newtown's Fairfield Hills campus as the residents joined to celebrate the town's tercentennial. The centerpiece of the party was a well publicized vintage base ball game between the local nine and the much heralded Hartford Senators at the old Asylum Grounds.

The Sandy Hooks, coming off a doubleheader loss six days prior, were determined to show their cranks how the '1876 game' should be played. Hundreds of town folk and avid vintage cranks spurred by intense media attention arrived to watch Senators captain, 'Grit' Moran hurl for the visiting club while Brian 'Tex' Casey, Doug 'Pops' Pendergist and Dennis 'Doughboy' Norwich manned the box for the Sandy Hooks.

The early innings belonged to the Sandy Hooks as 'Moose' Margolus lead off the game with a tenacious at-bat forcing the Hartford hurler to throw twenty pitches to set him down. The Sandy Hooks went on to manufacture three unanswered aces kindled by 'Sparks' Marcucilli while holding the travel worn Senators at bay with splendid pitching, defensive teamwork and timely hitting.

As the innings wore on the battle hardened visitors reached their stride while the wheels on the Sandy Hook's battlewagon began to wobble. The upstart Hooks would eventually fall short due to on-going fielding miscues that proved their undoing in earlier games. As Moran continued his mastery of the home squad the Senator ballists used their signature station-to-station game supported by base-running brilliance to provoke more unearned runs from the disheveled Hooks.

The highlights of the day was the multi-strikeout full game performance by Moran, a thrilling inside the park ace registered by the awe-inspiring 'Crazy Legs' March and numerous fielding gems exhibited by both teams. The final score was somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 to 4 when this scribe stopped counting.

The bright spots for the home team was the exceptional hurling of 'Tex' Casey, the clutch hitting and base-running of 'Chief' Dieckman and two-hit performance by former Middletown Mansfield and Waterbury standout, and Sandy Hook resident Ron Miller who took a hiatus from the Connors team to perform in his hometown celebration.

The day's match ended with the traditional 'huzzahs' to both sides and umpire Herb Bush for making the eighty-mile trip to supervise the match. Because of time limitations both teams retired from the midday sun to partake of the culinary treats offered by the local vendors.

Due to the 'Victorian' nature of Newtown's celebration the traditional beer toast was not offered after the match. But, to the profit of both teams, parched and dismayed by his lack of after-game repast Senators 'Licks' Velapoldi observed that St. Rose Church was sponsoring an Oktoberfest later in the season. After quick and decisive discussion between the team's principals and the proprietors of the event it was decided that both teams would renew their rivalry for the third time on October 9th at the St. Rose grounds for what may prove to be the most well attended match of this exciting new season of Newtown Sandy Hook vintage base ball.

Next Saturday the Sandy Hooks host the well-seasoned rival Simsbury Taverneers for the first match of a home and home series of '1886' games. The team will not only need to get ready for this more challenging '1886' affair but also need to find suitable post-game accommodations equal to Pettibone's Tavern (the Taverneers' chief sponsor).

(R C Shaw)