The Newtown Sandy Hooks returned to the verdant fields of Chase School for the second Sunday in a row to meet their arch rivals and constant nemesis the Waterbury Connors for two matches of '1861' rules. As the storm clouds cleared from a weekend of rain and cold, the two clubs met at center pitch to test each other verve; the Sandy Hooks hoping the winds would change the complexion of the rivalry.

Jim Wigren's nine has maintained prominence over the Sandy Hooks in the previous twelve outings, going back to the club's inception in '05, featuring a fine-tooled club that sparkles in the field and shows consistent bat handling brilliance that is second to none. The Sandy Hooks, showing great gentlemanly spirit, have struggled to find the same competitive luster and youthful drive to challenge their next county rivals.

In game one, forced by numerous injuries, scheduling conflicts and defections, captains Pendergist and Snyder a contingent of veterans and newcomers including four vintage base ball rookies (Mayer, Lanese, Silkowski and Quinn) to do battle against the mighty Connors.

The recently retired and honorable Randy Dieckman officiated the match and called strikers to the line as Paes manned the box for the Hooks. The misty gloom that still covered the field seemed to have little affect on the businesslike Waterbury's as it only took a couple of frames to engage their full repertoire of firepower while their adversaries found it difficult to generate any momentum. Connor after Connor visited the dish to take advantage of the Hooks to accumulate a dizzying score of aces while the Hooks, sparked by newcomer Quinn and captain Pendergist spotted only two on the board for the guests.

Numerous potential Hook rallies were thwarted by heroic fielding by the home town squad and after nine long innings, it was clear any hope the Hooks had of reconciliation had followed them into the '08 chapter. Game one final showed 20 for the Waterburys and 2 for the Sandy Hooks.

 In game two, with the sun appearing behind puffy white, the Sandy Hooks appeared to gain their sea legs and get down to business. A change to the fielding compliment, taking full advantage of seasoned ballists along with the visiting Ridgefield captain Scott, seemed to reshape and revitalize the Sandy Hooks. Zulli then Silkowski hurled admirably for the Sandy Hooks while Weiner, Quinn, Albano and Paes anchored a stouthearted infield core. 'Pops' Pendergist and 'Bingo' Long tried to support a glassy-eyed 'Haymaker' Mayer, still recovering from a 23rd birthday shindig, in the garden.

Both clubs matched each other run for run for five exciting innings before fielding miscues and untimely bound outs in Waterbury's favor doomed the Sandy Hooks upset hopes. In inning eight, the Connors took control and advanced to a sure and decisive 16 to 10 victory to close out the day.

Even though the Sandy Hooks put a strong effort together in game two, their ball handling left much to be desired and their difficulty handling 'bound-outs' led to their eventual demise.

Some bright spots for the Sandy Hook's included:
- 'Mudcat' Albano showed great range as an infielder;
- 'Silky' Silkowski performed admirably as a late inning relief pitcher and showed good punch in his bat;
- 'Pud' Quinn punished the ball all afternoon going 5 for 7 at bats with two doubles and a triple, three runs scored while showing equal brilliance in the field;
- No matter the score, 'Herman' Weiner does a fine job keeping everyone loose and upbeat.

The Sandy Hooks go back to work on Saturday to scrimmage the newly constituted Ridgefield Nine in a prelude to the highly touted centennial celebration in Ridgefield Town on July 5th.

The home club will return to '1867' rule play, which seems to favor their style and plan to institute some of the training rituals of the Connors to sharpen their game.

In spite of their losing efforts, the Sandy Hooks added a hard fought twelve aces to their 'Hits for Harmon' total. The club's next official match is schedule against the Hartford Dark Blues on May 18.