Sixteen women were pared down to two to culminate a five-week, single-elimination nine-hole match-play tournament that began March 17 at the Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach.
Laura Purcell and Pam Lowry squared off to decide the champion April 14, and Lowry prevailed.
The women’s nine-hole, individual low-net match April 13 opened the week of regular golf action at the club that saw Helen Pollock fire a 2-under-par 30 for first place in Flight A. Sue Wheeler was a shot back in second place, two strokes ahead of third-place finisher Ellen Boin.
Susan VanOrsdale carded a 1-under-par 31 to earn a one-stroke victory in Flight B. Sue Christenson and Judy Todd tied for second with matching even-par 32s, while Annette Hall was another shot back in third place.
Laurie Hicks’ 4-under-par 28 was the low-net round of the day, earning her first place in Flight C. Jody Maleeny took second with a 3-under-par 29, while Judy Menchek was alone in third place with an even-par 32.
Center adults kick off spring soccer
The spring adult soccer league at the Center of Anna Maria Island kicked off April 15 with four matches, starting with Flynn Law edging Sandbar Restaurant 6-4 behind three goals each from Eric Pullen and Damir Glavan. Michael Moya chipped in with an assist, while Mark Long made seven saves to help preserve the victory.
Alex Pichardo scored three goals to lead Sandbar, which also received a goal in the loss from Luis Pichardo and nine saves from Kevin Mulcahy.
The second match of the night saw Slim’s Place slip past Salty Printing 6-5 behind two goals and an assist from Keith Mahoney. Raul Loria added a goal, two assists and four saves in goal for Slim’s, which also received goals from Emily Argeros, David Noval and Max Panthempko in the victory.
Salty Printing was led by Dimitri Maramanides, who posted two goals and two assists. Kevin Roman, Gerardo Ubiolo and Ed Moss each had a goal to complete the scoring for Salty Printing.
The third match of the night saw CABB cleaning services cruise to a 9-4 victory over Killer Bait behind three goals each from Timo Vecchio and Kali Richardson. Connor Haughey, Austin Nutting and Luca Vecchio each added a goal to the victory.
Daniel Hampton had a hat trick to lead Killer Bait, which also received a goal from Chris Scott and six saves from David Greene in the loss.
The last match of the evening saw Beach Bums cruise to an 8-3 victory over Sato Real Estate behind two goals each from Emily Fischer, Jamie Hutchison and Lucky Durmaz. Tyler Brewer had three assists, Edwin Pichardo and Yuri Pereira each scored goals and Tuna McCracken made five saves to help preserve the victory.
Youth soccer starts up at center pitch
The youth soccer league at the Center of Anna Maria Island kicked off April 13 with a bevy of games in four age divisions. The 4-5 and 6-7 age groups are purely instructional. So no results or standings are kept.
The 8-10 division season got started with Bridge Tender Inn edging Beach Bums 2-1 behind a goal each from Logan Stevens and Madeline Kimmons. Elijah Brannock made three saves to help preserve the Tender victory.
Dylan Sato notched the lone goal for Beach Bums, which received three saves from Charlie Serra in the loss.
The second 8-10 division game of the day saw Tidy MD earn a 2-0 victory over Solid Rock Construction behind a goal each from Mason Moss and Kirra Quimby. Shane Bradley came through with two saves for Tidy MD in the victory.
Austin Guess made nine saves for Solid Rock Construction in the loss.
The 11-14 division followed with Blalock Walters cruising to a 4-1 victory over The Gitt Team behind two goals from JM Feeney and a goal each from Jackson Pakbaz and William Pakbaz. Cale Rudacille made two saves in the victory for Blalock Walters.
Brittany Robertson notched the lone goal for The Gitt Team, which also received 12 saves from Ronan Robertson in the loss.
Anna Maria Bath Time outscored Grooms Motors & Automotive 5-4 behind a hat trick from Frankie Coleman. Maddox Culhane added a goal and Jack Mattick scored once as well, while also making nine saves in goal.
Horseshoe news
Horseshoe action April 14 at the Anna Maria City Hall pits saw the last two unbeaten teams lose their final pool-play match, resulting in a five-team playoff.
The first round saw Tom Skoloda draw the lucky bye into the second round. He watched as Jerry Disbrow and Bob Lee eliminated Tim Sofran and John Yaroch 23-15. The other first-round match pitted Tom Farrington and Norm Good in a 22-6 win over Adin Shank and Steve Doyle.
The bye to the final round went to Disbrow and Lee, who watched as Farrington and Good advanced with a 22-18 victory over Skoloda.
The finals proved Farrington and Good to be “too good” in their 21-16 victory over Disbrow and Lee.
Three teams emerged from pool play during April 17 horseshoe action. Steve Hooper and Farrington drew the bye into the finals and watched as Billy Silver walked past Skoloda and Gene Bobeldyke 21-19. Silver edged Hooper and Farrington by the same score in the finals to earn the day’s bragging rights.
Play gets underway at 9 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by random team selection.
There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.