The Champion Hill Toppers made the trek in their buggies to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, on June 1-2, to participate in the Mayor's Cup, hosted by the Wyandot Ghostriders. The matches were played at beautiful and spacious Stepping Stones Park.
The first match had the Hill Toppers facing the Frogs from Sylvania. This was the second encounter with the Frogs, and it proved to be a fantastic match. The ballists walloped the sphere into the outfield and we saw a final tally of 18 aces a piece. I know that most people would not agree with this, but I love ties. In the end both teams are winners and you just get to enjoy the beauty of the game. The Frogs were a very gentlemanly and fun team to play.
The second match of the day, we faced the Mansfield Independents. Talk about a ball of fun. Both teams bantered friendly back and forth and enjoyed playing the game together. In the end the Hill Toppers scored a few more aces than the Independents, but they started a new friendship in the process. After the second match, we sat down with members of the Independents, played a little cornhole, and enjoyed some libations while waiting for our third match. We can see this becoming a long term match between us and the Independents.
The third match, we played the host club, the Ghostriders. The Hill Toppers must have used up all of their runs the first two matches, because aces came few and far between from this point on. The Hill Toppers struggled to muster any offense against the elder Shane, and he stifled us throughout the game. The Ghostriders won the match, but it was a grand time. During this match, I introduced myself to Col. Jim Mattingly, of the Norwood Highlanders. Instantly we started talking about the "old game" and enjoyed some camaraderie. We ended our conversation after a few minutes and agreed that we looked forward to playing against each other at some point and time.
After the three matches the first day, the Shane's and the Ghostriders put on one of the best feed bags that I have ever encountered. The wonderful conversations going around the pavilion along with the fantastic food, made day one of the event wonderful.
Day two of the event, saw the Hill Toppers playing the Hoover Sweepers, for the first time ever. The game started out a little rough, and both teams were a little confused, but it didn't take long for the Sweepers to show us how the game is played. We unfortunately did not score any aces, and, well, the Sweepers scored many aces. It was fun to play them and we hope to join them for a match again.
The final match of the event, had the Hill Toppers finally meeting up with the Colonel and his bunch of Highlanders. The Norwood Highlanders, I have to say, have become one of my new favorite teams to play. We had so much fun in this match, that it will be remembered for a long time. I know that the Highlanders prevailed, but that didn't matter because we had such a fantastic time. Both teams got along tremendously, and bantered back and forth like old friends. We truly look forward to playing against the Highlanders again, and this is another club that I truly believe will be on our schedule for years to come.
In conclusion, we met the Colonel, drank some beer and tried to play some base ball with the Independents, and still haven't found the mayor and his so called "cup". Oh what a weekend!
Until next time!
Pops (The Vintage Ballist)
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