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| Men's pro winners Kevin Lechlitner, left, and Winston Owens appear to be dancing during Beach Tennis USA action at the Manatee Public Beach. Photo: Beach Tennis USA/John Rarrick |
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Soccer player seeks funding
Life-long Island resident Joey Hutchinson and his U12 Manatee Magic soccer team are entered to play in the Umbro International Cup, a youth soccer tournament that will be held July 26-29 in Manchester in the United Kingdom. The tournament will be host to more than 450 teams from 24 nations.
Hutchinson and the other players have been charged with raising the money needed to make the trip and each player needs to raise $2,500 to help the team attend this very prestigious tournament.
Help Joey and his teammates make it to Manchester for what will surely be a fantastic lifetime experience!
Donations to help Joey and his Magic team may be made out to Coach Doug Goodman and mailed to P.O. Box 1156, Anna Maria FL 34216. |
Little League tops Island sports week news
by Kevin Cassidy
Islander Correspondent
Beach tennis, a combination of tennis, badminton and beach volleyball, made an appearance at Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach for the first annual Bradenton Beach Tennis Open May 13-14.
Beach tennis is played on a regulation beach volleyball court and is an exciting, fast-paced game. Players use regulation tennis racquets to hit a tennis ball back and forth over the net without letting the ball hit the sand.
Winston Owen and Kevin Lechlitner of Serendipity Racquet Club in Sarasota defeated 16-year-old Jason Zafiros from the Bollettieri Tennis Academy and Cookie Barnard of the Dominican Republic 9-7 to take home first place and the $1,000 prize in the men’s pro division. Owen and Lechlitner automatically qualify for the September 2006 Beach Tennis Championship tournament that will be held in Long Beach, N.Y.
Laurie Tinell of Bradenton and Longboat Key resident Cindy Bruckman defeated the all-Bradenton team of Janis Longhurst and Nina Schmidt 8-5 to win the Women’s Pro division and the $1,000 prize.
Reese Milner and Carling Seguso, both Bollettieri students, easily captured first place in the amateur division.
For more information on Beach Tennis USA, visit www.beachtennisusa.net.
Duncan continues to rule baseball
Duncan Real Estate opened up a five-game lead in AAA Division Little League baseball thanks to a workmanlike 12-7 victory over West Manatee Fire District on May 13 at the Bayfront Recreation Center on Longboat Key. Blake Wilson led the way for Duncan with a perfect 3-for-3 hitting performance that included a two-run double and three runs scored.
Connor Cloharty had a double among his two hits while scoring two runs, while teammate Shawn Conover added a pair of singles and two runs scored. Justin Suca added a pair of RBI doubles for Duncan, which also received a single and one run scored from Hunter Parrish and Michael Dolan and two singles from Glenn Bower in the victory.
WMFD was led by Tommy Price, who went 3-for-3 including another long home run to right-center field. Austin Wash went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for WMFD, which also received a single and one run scored from Daniel Janisch and Trevor Bystrom in the loss.
On May 10, Michael Dolan and Glenn Bower combined to pitch a four-inning, three-hitter with six strikeouts and only two runs allowed during Duncan Real Estate’s 12-2 victory over Morgan Stanley.
Bower also contributed mightily at the plate, going 3-for-3 including a double and three runs scored, while teammate Shawn Conover added a double, single and two runs scored. Blake Wilson and Andrew Burgess each added a pair of singles and two runs scored for Duncan, which also received a double from Max Moneuse and a single and two runs scored from Justin Suca in the victory.
Chris Pate paced Morgan Stanley with a single and two runs scored, while Martine Miller and Ally Titsworth each added RBI singles in the loss.
On May 8, Daniel Janisch went 3-for-4 including a home run, double and three runs scored, while Tommy Price added a single, double and four runs scored to lead WMFD past Morgan Stanley by a 13-11 score. Daniel Pimental added three hits, including a double, while Trevor Bystrom doubled and scored three runs for WMFD in the victory.
A triple and one run scored from William Brusso and a double and two runs scored from Ally Titsworth paced the Morgan Stanley offense. Kyle Parsons added a double and one run scored, while Lee Bergeron singled and scored two runs for Morgan Stanley in the loss.
In AA pitching-machine action on May 9, Beach Bistro pounded out 11 hits to help the team to an 8-5 victory over Island Real Estate. Alyssa Bosch, Rip Shafer and Sterling Louw each went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, while Blake Tedesco added a single, double and one run scored for Beach Bistro in the victory. Keegan Murphy, Josh Zawistoski and Jewel Royal each added hits to the Beach Bistro offense.
Kalif Mora led the Island Real Estate attack with a perfect 3-for-3 day that included a home run, double and three runs scored. The Cucci brothers, Joey and Anthony, each contributed a pair of singles, while Courtni Wash and Lexi Moore managed singles to round out the IRE attack.
Horseshoe news
The all-Bradenton team of Ron Pepka and Ron Slagh defeated Herb Ditzel of Anna Maria and Karl Thomas of Vancouver Island, Canada, by a 22-13 score to win the May 10 horseshoe competition at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Both teams advanced to the final game by posting 3-0 records during pool play action among the 12 teams participating.
The team of John Johnson and George McKay rode McKay’s clutch “six pack” that turned a 16-17 deficit into a 22-17 victory to win the May 6 challenge over Tom Rhodes and Jay Disbrow. Johnson and McKay defeated the team of Bill Bartlett and Steve Doyle 23-8 in one semifinal, while Rhodes and Disbrow defeated Ron Pepka and Tom Skoloda 21-15 in the other semifinal match.
Play gets under way at 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warm ups begin at 8:45 a.m. followed by random team selection. There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.
Skateboard contest set for May 20
The city of Holmes Beach is hosting a skateboard contest on Saturday, May 20, at the skateboard park adjacent to city hall. The contest costs $20 for registered skaters ages 9-17. If someone isn’t registered at the Holmes Beach skate park, they can do so by registering with an adult at city hall and paying a user fee of $10.
Three age divisions, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17 will compete for first-, second- and third-place trophies. The deadline to sign up is May 19. For more information, call 708-5804, ext. 248.
Join Her-icane golf challenge
The Manatee High School Her-icanes girls soccer team is hosting a fundraising golf tournament at the Bradenton Country Club at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. For only $100, golfers can test their skills in a four-person scramble at what is considered by many as Bradenton's most exclusive and challenging layout.
All players who register before the Aug. 1 deadline will receive a goody bag, a post-tourney banquet and guaranteed fun throughout the day. Also on tap are a straightest-drive contest, two closest-to-the-pin contests, a putting contest and raffles for tons of prizes. The field is limited to the first 100 golfers, so don't delay.
The Her-icanes are also looking for sponsors for the tournament. For $800, your business can purchase the Hat Trick package, which consists of a foursome and attendance for the team at the banquet, a tee or green sign on the course and a banner which will be displayed at all Manatee Her-icane home soccer games. A golden goal sponsorship package includes a foursome and a tee or green sign on the course for $500, or you can simply purchase a tee or green sign for the tournament for $125.
To sign up a foursome, list four players and their phone respective phone numbers and send a check payable to Manatee Girls Soccer Booster and mail it to this writer, also the Her-icane’s coach, at 3610 York Drive, Bradenton FL 34205. For more information, call me at 751-6602. |
