THE CATOWA

Stratford, ON - Sept. 19, 2003

What better way to end a season than having an arena packed with cheering fans, a full roster of league teams geared up for action, and an evening with competitive matches filled with upsets and surprises.

Such was the case tonight at the Stratford Fair in Stratford, Ontario. The program consisted of Men's and Women's Catchweight divisions run simultaneously on a surface of packed earth. Weight differences are made less significant however, when the players' can "dig in" to the more pliable soil and it was evident from the start that the pulls were going to be long and gruelling. The average pull was 1 minute, 25 seconds for the men's competition and 43 seconds for the ladies.

Toronto Highlanders in competition at Stratford Fair

It is usual that teams rise to their absolute best before a partisan crowd. At this event, the people from the townships of Ellice and South Easthope were equally represented and when the schedule got around to their teams coming together to do battle, the volume in the arena rose to a level that rivals anything that would be heard at a championship game in the N.H.L.

As has been the case ever since the first tug-of-war event in Stratford was held in 1962, the fight between these two teams was the highlight of the evening. During the first end, the teams were deadlocked for nearly 3 minutes, the centre marker hovering stubbornly over the ground marker . At about the 3 minute mark, the Ellice team put forth some heavy hits, forcing their opponents out of their mounds and giving their fans an opportunity to cheer wildly in anticipation of a win. With the pull within inches of making that dream a reality, and both teams cautioned twice for sitting, the South Easthope boys started their long recovery that took them nearly another 3 minutes to complete. In the end, the win went to South in 7 minutes, 13 seconds, the longest pull of the season and one of the longest on record at this venue. The second end was equally close and again it was South Easthope who emerged the winner in 4 minutes and 42 seconds.

The rest of the evening was full of surprises and upsets. South Easthope's perfect record for the evening was spoiled during the first end of their match with the Peel Police who won the pull in 2 minutes, 7 seconds. South recovered in the second end however, defeating the police in 2 minutes, 48 seconds. A very impressive Zorra team also scored an upset against South, taking the first end in 2 minutes, 51 seconds, and the second in 1 minute, 25 seconds.

After their loss to South Easthope in the first round, Ellice seemed to lose some of their spirit and were beaten by Nissouri in both ends of that match. That was the end of their faltering however and they went on to defeat every other team they met for the rest of the tournament enabling them to walk away with a 2nd place finish.

At the end of the competition, with Zorra and the Peel Police tied for third place, a sudden-death tie breaker had to be held which the police won in 27 seconds.

All in all this was an evening that will be long remembered as one of the best in many years. It can truly be said that the fans got their money's worth here tonight!

RESULTS:
Men's Catchweight
1. South Easthope | 2. Ellice | 3. Peel Regional Police | 4. Zorra | 5. Nissouri | 6. McKillop | 7. Toronto Highlanders


Peel Regional Police Ladies 2003 Champions at Stratford Fair	Murray Schlotzhauer coaching South Easthope Ladies at Stratford Fair

Women's Catchweight
1. Peel Regional Police | 2. South Easthope | 3. Nissouri | 4. Toronto Highlanders | 5. Zorra

The Embro Fair on September 14th was the only other sanctioned event held during the late summer. It was an afternoon of heavy slugging for the Ellice team who managed an almost perfect record through their first 5 matches, being challenged by a determined Bluewater team in round 6 but which they eventually won in 2 minutes, 16 seconds. Their only loss occurred in the last match with the Peel Regional Police of Mississauga. In that encounter, Ellice won the first end in 2 minutes, 22 seconds but were upset by the police on the second end in 39 seconds.

RESULTS:
Women's Catchweight
1. Peel Regional Police | 2. South Easthope | 3. Nissouri | 4. Toronto Highlanders | 5. Zorra

In keeping with a thrust by the Ontario Tug-of-War Association this season to promote Co-Ed competitions, the two non-sanctioned evening events on September 10th at the Wellesley Fair and September 12th at the New Hamburg Fair featured this type of team composition.

The most exciting pull at the Wellesley event was a battle between South Easthope and Nissouri which was won by South in 2 minutes, 28 seconds.

WELLESLEY FAIR RESULTS:
Co-Ed
1. South Easthope | 2. Nissouri | 3. Zorra | 4. Mixed (Nissouri, South, Zorra)

The competition in New Hamburg was held in front of the grandstand on a dirt track. As in the arena at Stratford, this type of surface allows teams to get a good foothold and makes for longer than average pulls. The closest and hardest fought match was between South Easthope and Bluewater with South winning both ends in 2 minutes, 34 seconds and 2 minutes, 35 seconds.

NEW HAMBURG FAIR RESULTS:
Co-Ed
1. South Easthope | 2. Bluewater | 3. Zorra (A) | 4. Zorra (B) | 4. Nissouri