BRISTOL — A perennial horseshoe pitching luminary held off a rising star to claim the Class A title at the Sodbusters Open tournament, hosted by the Sodbusters Horseshoe Pitching Club at its Bristol courts this past Sunday, Oct. 7.
With a ringer percentage of 70.28, former world champion Brian Simmons won with a 6-1 record and 201 total ringers. Fellow Sodbuster Tyler Howard, who was third at the world championships in Florence, S.C., this past summer, claimed second in the Open with a 4-2 record and a 73.2 ringer percentage.
Sunday’s competition featured 39 pitchers, including participants from Vermont, New York and Connecticut.
Full results for Sodbusters finishers, with win-loss record and ringer percentage, were:
CLASS A: 1. Brian Simmons, 6-1, 70.28; 2. Tyler Howard, 4-2, 73.21; 3. Michael Devino, 4-2, 55.65; 4. Dan Gonyaw, 1-4, 45.51; 5. John Remy, 1-4, 41.95.
CLASS B: 1. Jennifer Bassette, 6-1, 38.72; 2. Michael Brown, 4-2, 40.29; 4. Charlie Frost, 1-4, 32.76; 5. Ken Cassidy, 1-4, 32.58; 6. Destinnie Wilke, 1-4, 31.90.
CLASS C: 5. Leon Ross, 2-4, 32.28.
CLASS D: 2. Maurice Cyr, 4-1, 22.50; 6. Lou Cousino, 1-4, 11.84.
CLASS F: 1. Jackie Gorton, 6-0, 12.80; 3. Beverly Forgues, 4-2, 6.33; 4. Christopher Hudson, 3-3, 10.34; 5. Steven Brown, 2-4, 7.59.
The club will host its 22nd Annual Roger Forgues Sr. / Fall Finale Horseshoe Tournament this Sunday, Oct. 14, at 56 Airport Drive in Bristol (behind the American Legion). All are welcome to compete in this non-sanctioned tournament, which officials said is a “Hunter Gorton Fundraiser.”
The entry fee is $20 per person. It will be played in a round robin format, with partners drawn after each game.
Check in at 9 a.m.; play starts at 9:30 a.m. Food and drinks will be available.
For more information, contact Mike Brown at 453-2219 or [email protected].