LOOKING BACK | BY GEORGE ALBANO
10 YEARS AGO
It was a repeat performance for Shorehaven golfer Cameron Wilson as the 20 year-old Norwalker won the prestigious Ike tournament for the second straight year. Founded in 1953, “The Ike” is the premier amateur stroke play championship in the region, annually attracting the top golfers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This year’s host club was the historic Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle and Wilson found the course much to his liking, sinking 19 birdies in his three rounds. The Rowayton resident, who played scholastically at St. Luke’s and will be a senior at Stanford University, shot a 13-under par 203, matching the lowest 54-hole total in Ike history. After shooting a 69 in Monday’s opening round, which left him in a three-way tie for the lead, Wilson carded a 7-under 65 in Tuesday’s morning round to tie the record he set at last year’s Ike. He then shot a 69 in the 90 degree heat in his afternoon round to claim a four-stroke victory and the 58th Ike Championship.
In local baseball action, the Norwalk Junior American Legion made it 10 straight wins with a 10-4 victory over Fairfield as Post 12 improved to 11-1, including an 8-1 mark in Zone 4. Sean Welch, Matt Downey and Chris Cotaling had two hits apiece with Downey and Welch driving in two runs and Cotaling knocking in one. Jared Smith and Brendan Miller added RBI singles while winning pitcher Alex Scallion tossed a six-hitter and allowed only two earned runs.
Meanwhile, the Norwalk Senior Legion managed just four hits against Wilton, but two of them were RBI singles by Ryan Evans and Alex Valenzano as Post 12 posted a 2-1 win. Miles Turner had the other two hits and winning pitcher Mark Ballard scattered seven hits in a complete-game effort.
25 YEARS AGO
A pair of Norwalk Babe Ruth all-star teams remained alive in the District 2 tournament with one-sided victories in the losers’ bracket. The top-seeded Norwalk 14-15 year-olds, who managed only two hits in a 3-0 opening-round loss to tournament host Trumbull, bounced back to crush Westport 20-0 in five innings at Unity Park. John Marino and Alex Arcano pitched a combined three-hitter while Chris Vartuli and Tito DeJesus each belted three-run homers. Vartuli’s blast highlighted a 10-run first inning.
Meanwhile, the Norwalk 13s, who lost to Fairfield in the first round, rebounded to rout Wilton 19-4 at Malmquist Field. John Keegan led the onslaught with three hits and four RBIs while Craig Ventrice drove in five runs with two hits and Craig Bartush also had a pair of hits.
The Norwalk American Legion picked up a pair of victories, one in blowout fashion and the other a nail biter. Post 12 had its best offensive output of the season by collecting 12 hits in a 13-4 win over Bridgeport one day after losing to the same team 6-3. Winning pitcher Mike DePalma led the way with three hits, including two doubles, a pair of RBIs and three runs scored. Bobby Wong also had three hits and drove in three runs while Chris DiRoma added two RBIs. Trailing 4-2, the Norwalkers erupted for seven runs in the home fifth and tacked on four more in the sixth.
Post 12 also rallied for a 5-4 non-league victory over Katonah, NY, at the Brien McMahon diamond. Norwalk trailed 4-2 in that game, too, but an RBI triple by Pat Moffett and runscoring single by Matt Van Buskirk knotted the score 4-4. Moffett then singled in what proved to be the winning run in the fifth. Brett Mathieson drove in Norwalk’s first two runs with a single in the last of the first.
50 YEARS AGO
Norwalk’s Paul Gerken scored the biggest win so far in his young pro tennis career when he upset Australia’s John Newcombe, the world’s No. 1 ranked player, in five sets at the West German Open. The 23 year-old Gerken, the No. 19ranked American, outlasted Newcombe 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 1513 in a four-hour marathon to advance to the quarterfinals. The 1968 Norwalk High School graduate, who won the state singles championship as a junior and senior, is in his second year as a pro.
After two close games in the Rowayton Little League championship series, Rowayton Pharmacy turned the third and deciding contest into a blowout with a 24-0 win over Bora Real Estate and Insurance to claim its second straight title. Bora won the opening game 3-0 while Pharmacy evened the series with a 5-4 victory in game two. But the winner-take-all third game at the Rowayton School field was a one-sided affair as Rowayton Pharmacy scored in every inning while Chris Gaffney pitched a onehit shutout with nine strikeouts. Mike McGuinness sparked the offense with two doubles, a single and five RBIs, while Rusty Kough also collected three hits and Doug Imri had two hits and drove in four runs. Scott Brown, Tony Shanahan and Billy Wubenhorst also had two hits for the 1973 champs, who finished 14-6 under longtime coach
accounted for