The Quesnel Horseshoe Pitchers Club began their 36th season by hosting an open tournament last weekend, following a rainout earlier in the season.
Originally located at Alex Fraser Park, the horseshoe club moved to their current digs on Carson Pit Road in 1980.
Over the two-day tournament, Quesnel horseshoe pitchers took top spot in five of nine categories, beginning with class A men’s actions.
Lloyd Osborne took top spot with a record of 6-1, ahead of Joe Brietkopf and Lorenzo Ferrara, also of Quesnel, who each finished with records of 5-2.
Osborne repeated as top horseshoe pitcher in men’s class B competition with a perfect 3-0 record.
Mike Cunningham took home bragging rights for Prince George horseshoe pitchers by taking the men’s class C competition.
Cunningham earned first place with a 4-1 record, to out pitch Brietkopf and Phil Erickson of Quesnel who tied for second, each with a 3-2 record.
In the senior men’s division, Ferrara tossed his way to a 6-1 record to finish ahead of Osborne and Erickson.
On the women’s side, Ida Boschman of Prince George had a perfect 3-0 record to take top spot in class B competition, ahead of Helene Boudreau of Quesnel.
“She fell apart in the home stretch,” club secretary Jeanette Ferrara said of Boudreau’s third-place finish.
“She should have won.”
Barb Williamson of Victoria tossed her way to first place in women’s class C action.
Williamson had a record of 4-1, to finish ahead of Boudreau and Cheryl Brietkopf of Quesnel.
In women’s class D competition, Brietkopf took top spot with a record of 4-0.
Benita Karlson and Alice Laflamme of Prince George finished in second and third place, with records of 2-2 and 0-4, respectively.
Boschman earned her second first-place finish on the weekend with a 4-0 record in senior ladies competition, ahead of Karlson and Boudreau.
The horseshoe club is now focused on July when they host their annual Billy Barker Days tournament.