The Newtown Sandy Hook club showed good form and gentlemanly comportment this past weekend at the Old Bethpage Festival in spite of shortages of manpower.

'90' Keane (verses New York Gotham), 'Muhl' Snyder (verses Providence Grays) and 'Herman' Weiner (verses Brooklyn Atlantic) hurled admirably but unfortunately, the Sandy Hooks didn't fare very well in the scoring column... Unlike last year, when Newtown cleaned everyone's clock, the club seemed to wake-up on Saturday morning about an hour after game time, and tragically failed to keep pace with better fortified opponents throughout the weekend.

There were few highlights in the 1864 match on Saturday, short of Matt Maleri and Zack Smith's heroic defensive plays (earning Smith the nickname 'Dirt'), as the Gothams took advantage of every Newtown mistake and the Newtowners insisted on using their 'softball' strategy, which never works in the early 60's game. Five seasons of this vintage base ball has proven, the longer Newtown batters attempt to reach the fences with every swing, the longer they are likely to come up short. Short was the key word in game one as Newtown only connected on seven hits in nine innings of 1860's ball. The club lost a major contributor only a few innings into the match when 'Lucky' O'Leary went down with a severe hamstring injury. All in all it was a frustrating opener for the Newtowners who have a habit of manufacturing large amounts of runs against the Gothams in previous matches but came to this game with far too few tools and a flawed strategy to mount a serious effort.

The highlight of the 1884 match with Providence was the Snyder - Toomey battery and overall athleticism of the Newtown men who actually scared the living stuffing out of the Gray-beards. The Grays thought they would cake-walk over a '60's club until they realized the Hooks were far more capable of keeping pace with their brittle bones than originally imagined. Again, the low-powered offense and lack of clutch hitting of the Hooks supported by feeble fielding made them easy prey for the Providence willowsmen. Sandy Hook 'Herman' Weiner, show his undeniable hitting prowess going four for four including a jaw-dropping triple in the final frame that left the cranks breathless and his teammates a gassed.

The Sandy Hook - Providence rematch scheduled for Colt Park in September should be a match to remember (assuming a full Newtown squad shows up).

Sunday morning's 1867 match with the Brooklyn Atlantic was disappointing but competitive. The Hooks found their way in the later innings but came up short of at bats in their effort to match the scoring tally of the more cohesive and dependable Brooklyn club. The Brooklyn, energized by the Newtown match, went on to gain a walk-off win against the dangerous Waterbury Connors later in the morning.

A torrential downpour and Bristol's desire to make tracks for home saved the Newtown club from further embarrassment.

Our hats go off to the organizers of the event for making us feel at home and appreciated. The sharing and friendship of all clubs cannot be overstated. Players from the New York Mutuals and Brooklyn Atlantics helped fortify the Hooks diminished ranks; without their generosity the weekend would have been far more disastrous.

The Management thanks all who committed to the arduous trip to the event, and pledges to seriously consider whether the Club will commit to playing two days at the event in the future.