Tony Gay wins 11th KI Elks horseshoe tournament since 2000 – MyEasternShoreMD
STEVENSVILLE — Longtime Kent Island Elks member and perennial top horseshoe league performer, Tony Gay of Grasonville, won his 11th career tournament championship at Lodge 2576, in Stevensville, since the year 2000, on Saturday, Aug. 28. The season began the end of March and played every Wednesday evening at the lodge horseshoe venue for 19 consecutive weeks. Eighteen two-person teams competed during the regular season, playing each other team in a five match set each week during that time period. Every team was entered in the single elimination, best of three match tournament to advance beginning Saturday morning. Teams were paired based on their regular season standings.
As it turned out, the number three seeded team of Gay and his first year partner Phil Rehm battled it out with the number four seeded team of Melanie Cadle and Bruce Agee for the overall championship. To get to the finals, best of 5 match championship, Gay-Rehm had to defeat the number two seeded team of Steve Moran and Paul Svrcek, and Cadle-Agee had to upset the number one seeded team of Craig Luckett and Julie Moran. Besides being an extremely hot and humid day (feeling like it was more than 100-degrees), the competition was fierce.
In the championship match, Gay-Rehm took what appeared to be a commanding lead winning the first two matches. However, Cadle-Agee scrapped back, taking the third match by a score of 21 — 13, as Gay-Rehm went cold. Cadle-Agee continued their comeback to win the fourth match 21 — 15. It appeared Gay-Rehm were struggling in the heat. Gay had lost his rhythm and was missing the mark, not hitting many ringers or points as Cadle-Agee inched closer to victory.
With the score at 20 — 15, Agee appeared to have scored at least the final point to win the match. However, Agee threw before Gay. With the match on the line, Gay hit what’s known among horseshoe pitchers as “a six-pack”, throwing two ringers on top of each other, cancelling Agee’s point and scoring six-points to stunningly take the match and the tournament championship. Gay threw his arms in the air and yelled “Yes!”.
The Elks horseshoe league is in its 29th year. No tournament has ever seen a more crucial and spectacular ending to the championship. The league started in 1992. It started keeping records of tournament championships in the year 2000. Since then, Gay, with different horseshoe partners each season, has won either the Summer or Fall tournament 11 times. More than any other person in the league. Until 2020, because of the pandemic, the league has always had a Summer league and a Fall league, with a tournament to end each season. In the 40 tournaments held since 2000, Gay has one just over a quarter of them.
The top four seeded teams regular season records going into this tournament were: Luckett-(Moran, subbing for Eddie Cadle) 63 wins v 22 losses, Moran-Svrcek 62 wins v 23 losses, Gay-Rehm 61 wins v 24 losses, Cadle-Agee 61 wins v 24 losses.
The fall league began this past Wednesday, Sept. 1, and will have a short season ending the last week in October. All games are played beginning a 6 p.m. each week. The KI Elks horseshoe venue is one of the best in the state of Maryland, even having lights to be able to play when darkness comes early. To join the league, a person must be a member of the Elks. If interested, in joining the Elks and/or the league, call the lodge at 410-643-2221, leaving a message of league president Mike Moran to return the call.