- Publish date:
A roundup of the sports information of the week
BOATING—MISS BUDWEISER, driven by Dean Chenoweth, won Florida's Tampa Sun Coast unlimited hydroplane championship, beating Bill Muncey and the Myr's Sheetmetal Special by 231 points over the 2½-mile course.
BOXING—ISMAEL LAGUNA of Panama retained his world light weight crown, scoring a TKO against Japan's Ishimatsu Suzuki at 2:45 of the 13th round in Panama City.
FISHING—A 717-pound bluefin tuna caught with 80-pound test line off Prince Edward Island, Canada, last summer by DORIS WATTS of Williamsport, Pa. has been recognized by the International Game Fish Association as a women's world record.
GOLF—DICK LOTZ passed early leader Lou Graham in the final round to take the $150,000 Kemper Open in Charlotte, N.C. by two strokes—finishing with a one-under-par 71 and a 10-under 72-hole total of 278. Winner of the Monsanto Open earlier this season, Lotz moved to second place on the pro money-winning list with a total of $105,951. Tom Weiskopf, Larry Hinson and Grier Jones tied with Graham for second place.
British Walker Cup Captain MICHAEL BONALLACK became the first to win the British Amateur Golf championship three years in a row, beating Bill Hyndman of Huntington Valley, Pa. eight and seven in the final at Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
Shirley Englehorn rolled in a 20-foot putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to take the $15,000 O'Sullivan Women's Open in Winchester, Va., by a stroke over Australian Margie Masters. The two had finished 54 holes at 210, six under par.
GYMNASTICS—YOSHI TAKAI, a graduate student at Georgia Southern, and LINDA METHENY of Tuscola, Ill. took the all-round titles in the National AAU championships at Miami Beach. Takai scored 108.35 points while Miss Metheny, the only woman from the U.S. to place in the 1968 Olympics, garnered 74.65.
HANDBALL—MARK LEVINE, an 18-year-old Brooklyn College freshman, upset defending champion Steve Sandler 21-5, 21-11 in the AAU National one-wall championships in New York City.
HARNESS RACING—COLUMBIA GEORGE ($8) owned by Dr. G. A. Smith Jr., paced the fastest mile by a 3-year-old this year in taking the $35,000 Battle of Brandywine in 1:58[4/5] at Wilmington, Del. Driven by Roland Beaulieu, he reached the wire three lengths ahead of Most Happy Fella, with previously unbeaten Truluck a nose farther back in third.
Adonis Stable's DAYAN ($3.40), driven by Bill Myer, held on for a three-quarter-length victory in the $20,000 Speedy Scot Trot at Roosevelt. Fresh Yankee, just returned from a successful European trip, could only get up to second, two lengths ahead of Eric B. The time over the rubberized synthetic surface mile was 2:00⅕ best time over the track in eight years.
HORSE RACING—Unbeaten NIJINSKY, owned by American Charles Engelhard, took England's $233,920 Epsom Derby by an easy 2½ lengths over Gyr, with Stintino third, three lengths back. Lester Piggott, winning his third classic this year, drove the colt to the wire in a time of 2:34[3/5] for the 1½ miles.
Slogging through heavy mud, Mrs. Ethel D. Jacobs' HIGH ECHELON ($11) scored a three-quarter-length victory in the $158,750 Belmont Stakes over the late-closing Needles N Pens. Naskra was a neck farther back in third. John Rotz splashed the winner home in 2:34 for the 1½ miles (page 14).
Arpad Plesch's SASSAFRAS, the 11-to-5 favorite, rallied in the stretch to win the 129th running of the $217,927 Prix du Jockey Club—known as the French Derby—by three-quarters of a length over 46-to-1 shot Roll of Honor, with Caro another half-length back in third. Yves St.-Martin brought the winner home in 2:31.1 for the 1½ miles at Chantilly. Second choice Dragoon broke his leg and was destroyed.
Frank McMahon's BAFFLE ($4.80) carried his speed for the 1‚⅛ miles of the $54,150 Inglewood Handicap at Hollywood Park to win by a neck over the fast-closing Pleasure Seeker, with T.V. Commercial third in the field of seven. Jerry Lambert brought Baffle to the wire in 1:47⅕ only three-fifths of a second off the stakes record.
HORSE SHOWS—The U.S. EQUESTRIAN TEAM captured the Prix des Nations at the Lucerne International Show in Switzerland, beating Great Britain and West Germany. KATHY KUSNER, riding Night Hawk, and ROBERT RILAND, on Blue Plum, won the pairs jumping class, and WILLIAM STEINKRAUS took the final Class A speed event on Bold Minstrel.
MOTOR SPORTS—PEDRO RODRIGUEZ of Mexico held off favored New Zealander Chris Amon for the last 23 laps to win the Belgian Grand Prix by one second in a BRM. His winning time over the Francorchamps course was 1:38:9.9, an average of 149.61 mph for the 245 miles. Only eight of the 17 starters made it to the finish.
Cale Yarborough beat Pete Hamilton (page 63) in a tight duel to capture the Motor State 400 stockcar race at Cambridge Junction, Mich., by .2 second. Driving a Mercury, Yarborough clocked an average speed of 138.302 mph, covering the 400 miles in a total time of 2:53.32. After the finish, a formal protest was entered by Hamilton, claiming he had been illegally passed under a caution flag.
TENNIS—BOB LUTZ of Los Angeles defeated Tom Gorman of Seattle 6-2, 9-7 for the men's title in the North of England championships at Manchester, a grass-court tune-up for Wimbledon. Australian KERRY MELVILLE took the women's crown with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Mrs. Carole Graebner of New York.
TRACK & FIELD—Oregon's ROSCOE DIVINE posted the fastest mile in the world so far this year with a 3:56.3 win at the Twilight Meet in Eugene—with four others also coming in under four minutes: Steve Prefontaine, 3:57.4; Dave Wilborn, 3:58.2; Norm Trerise, 3:59.1 and Steve Savage 3:59.2 (page 28).
Chuck LaBenz of Arizona State upset Marty Liquori of Villanova at the Compton Invitational Meet in Los Angeles, drawing away in the last 50 yards to win the mile in 3:59.5. Jim Crawford, unattached, finished second, two yards back as Liquori faded to third. KEN SWENSON of Kansas State took the 880 in 1:47.9 while RALPH MANN of BYU won the 440 intermediate hurdles in 51.1, beating Lee Evans, who finished fourth. EVANS came back to win the 440 in 46.3, edging UCLA's John Smith. CHI CHENG won the women's 440 in 52.6, only two-tenths of a second off the world record, although running on a slow track.
MILEPOSTS—NAMED: To the 1970 All-America Lacrosse team, four repeaters from the '69 lineup: Attackmen PETER CRAMBLET, Army, and MARK WEBSTER, Cornell; Midfielders CHARLES COKER, Hopkins, and HARRY MacLAUGHLIN, Navy. Others include TOM CAFARO, Army, attack; JAMES POTTER, Virginia, midfield; GREGORY MURPHY, Navy, defense, and ROBERT MacCOOL, Hopkins, DOUGLAS HILBERT, Virginia and LEONARD SUPKO, Navy, in the goal. A total of 43 players was selected; Army led with six.
NAMED: As coach of the St. Louis Blues, Defenseman AL ARBOUR, 37, captain of the team and 17-year veteran in the NHL, replacing Scotty Bowman, who brought the Blues to the final round of the Stanley Cup in each of the three years of their existence. In Boston new coach of the Stanley Cup champion Bruins will be TOM JOHNSON, 42, current assistant general manager, who was winner of the Norris Trophy in 1958-59 as best defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens.
SWITCHING: From championship football to baseball, Kansas City Running Back MIKE GARRETT, who was drafted by the L.A. Dodgers and says he will sign with them after one more year with the Chiefs.
TRADED: To the New York Giants for two draft choices, San Francisco Wide Receiver CLIFTON McNEIL, six-year player who led the NFL in receiving two years ago but suffered a shoulder injury last year. The Oakland Raiders picked up 10-year Tackle RON MIX, eight times all-league at San Diego, also for two draft choices.
DIED: BRANCH (Big Bear) MCCRACKEN, 61, for 24 years the basketball coach at Indiana U. and winner of NCAA championships in 1940 and 1953; of a heart ailment in Indianapolis.
DIED: ARKLE, the foremost steeplechaser in English history, who retired in 1968 after winning 27 races and more than $210,000 for his owner, the Duchess of Westminster.
