Sports
For the casual fisherman, fishing the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby is like going from sandlot baseball to the major leagues.
Oh boy, what a derby this is.
There is something evil and ugly lurking in the rules of the United States Croquet Association, and that is the rule that tournament matches should be played regardless of the weather — and this means rain.
It rained on the first day of the Edgartown Croquet Club’s tournament, with four matches being played in the morning and six played in the afternoon. A traditional courtside luncheon was served from Soigne, all according to the rules in the rain.
Eat your heart out, Nicholas Sparks.
Derby angler Janet Messineo last week found her second message in a bottle from an Island student.
The Vineyard football team passed its second test of the season on Saturday, defeating a dangerous opponent on the road in Carver High School by 14-0 to remain undefeated on the young season.
For the second week in a row, the Vineyarders found themselves locked in a tight battle to bitter end. After beating Old Rochester 7-0 in their home opener last week, the Vineyarders on Saturday again led only a single score going into the fourth quarter when Nick Viera scored on a 45-yard punt return to seal the win.
Eight-year-old Donald O’Shaughnessy of Edgartown won the 26th annual Kids’ Mini Derby on Sunday. Mr. O’Shaughnessy caught a 14 3/8 inch scup, the largest fish of the contest. It was the first time an angler had won the morning contest with a scup. The youngster caught his fish at about 7 a.m., at a time when most Island youngsters were at home asleep.
The boy was aglow at the 8:30 a.m. awards ceremony at the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority wharf. He also received a plaque of a good looking mounted scup, made by Janet Messineo of Island Taxidermy.