In Winchester, Billy Willis’s wife was just a dynamo from start to end – she was so busy, I didn’t get a chance to ask her name. But she can really keep the crowd satisfied. From breakfast (country ham biscuits, yum!) to dinner (fried steak ‘n egg sandwiches) she dished up .Then, on short notice, in Grottoes, Eddie Gregory & Rosette Cupp, added to the standard menu with home-made brown beans & cornbread and chicken-breast-grilled sandwiches, that were greatly appreciated. Good job all, a great big “THANK YOU”!! From the pitchers, “the food was the BEST!”

Sunday, September 1st was rained out in Winchester. It was decided to finish up the 10 games of the championship round in Grottoes, Saturday, September 14. Under cloudy skies, with the threat of rain, sixteen men focused on trying to win the Virginia State Championship, knowing that only one of them would come out with The Title. The overcast skies and mild temperatures made for a wonderful day of pitching, and the relaxed atmosphere let everyone pitch their best. 

Robert Staton finished fifteenth out of the sixteen man round robin but was still victorious for the day. His overall-above-average in percentage was the highest of the class pitching nearly seven percent above his starting percentage. Pitching with the big guns in Virginia certainly gave Robert the boost he needed to pitch-up and exceed even his own expectations. Good pitchin’ Robert! 

Hearl Kelly and Lenwood Conner faced off in the ninth round. At 50 shoes, the score was Lenwood 22 and Hearl 16. Both of them turned the heat up matching each others doubles, but from there on, Lenwood took advantage every time Hearl missed the pin. 30 shoes later Lenwood won the game 42 to 26 - the longest game of the class at 80 shoes. 

Also in the ninth round, Jackie Wetzel took the brunt of Branson’s determination, and managed to score only a single point. Branson pitched 27 Ringers out of 30 shoes for an amazing 90 percent, the highest single game of the day.

Going into the fourteenth round, Branson Miller stood undefeated. It was up to Lenwood to force a playoff, if it could be done. Lenwood went into the round with only one loss. If he won the game, he and Branson would both have one loss.  Lenwood gave it his all. At 68 shoes, the score was 39 – 32 Branson. Throwing down, Branson missed the peg completely, and on top of that, Lenwood only scored a point! Throwing back, Branson mustered all his attention. He flexed, he stretched, he focused, wound up and… and he threw a six-pack! It was a very long game, and Lenwood must have been feeling it. He threw back, but missed the pin. The game ended, Branson 45, Lenwood 33.  Great pitching guys! You had us on the edge of our seats!!

For the last game of the round, Ricky Hall was all the stood in front of Branson’s going home undefeated. Ricky’s record going into the round was 12-2. As Branson’s last competitor, he came out fighting. At 50 shoes, the score stood at 26 Ricky and 21 Branson. It took Ricky another 24 shoes, but he kept the heat on, to give Branson his only loss of the day. The final score was 45 to 31, Ricky.

The finals for the day were Branson, 1st place – State Singles Champion! Lenwood second place, by percentage – he edged out Ricky Hall by 1.18%. Ricky 3rd, and Hearl Kelly 4th. 

Great pitching all the way around, and just too many close exciting games to list them all. Everyone had a sense of satisfaction at the end, and a lot of great memories are being carried home. Even those pitchers on the bottom side of the seeding said they “wouldn’t miss it”. To have even a little bit of a chance of taking home the “STATE SINGLES TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP” made it all worth it to them. The new format was appreciated by all pitchers, from the ground up. 

In recognition of the effort, dedication and participation of all the pitchers, every competitor in the class came out with trophies. Places eight through sixteen received a commemorative mug for being part of the Championship Class, and awards to places one through eight were a plaque and a commemorative mug.

Our sincere thanks to the spectators who helped out with the scorekeeping, some of you came just for that purpose, and to watch the Singles, others came just to visit and volunteered. Special thanks go out to Marty Sheets for court assistance on the makeup day. The Grottoes club is closed for the year, but he graciously made sure all was in shape and the courts were closed up after the pitching was done. 

To all those that participated or supported the VaHPA State Singles this year, a whole hearted appreciation of what your commitment and dedication to the sport means. 
Thank you all. 
    Pat