Back in the early ’60s, Attleboro Sun sportswriter Lou Rushlow penned a column entitled “Sports Tales,” which dealt with issues and news in the local athletic scene. Mr. Rushlow was not only prolific, but also quite a gifted writer. The following is a sampling from May 1964 to provide our Memory Lane fix for this week.

Stuff and things

Neil (Buck) Cassidy halted a 13- game hitting streak of Ronnie Knowe, the great Durfee shortstop last Tuesday. Cassidy (the fella I’ve always called “the fastest pitcher I never saw”) didn’t have any luck in two games pitched against the Hilltoppers but did manage to stop Knowe... Durfee High now has two games to make up... The softball team of Johnny’s Lounge in the proposed “tea shop” league, is seeking exhibition games... Bob Sanford is the boy to contact and may be seen either at Johnny’s or Morin’s diner... Hope that the boys at Leach & Garner can coax Don Brinard to return to the fold or the team will be as bad as the L & G unit that Harvey Barton Sr. had some years back... One player won’t make the difference between a contender for the top or a cellar candidate, but the caliber of Brinard’s ball playing will stir up the team...

City champs?

Should Attleboro High take the measure of Bishop Feehan in their baseball game at Hayward Field tomorrow morning, the Bombardiers will have swept the two-game series and will become city champs. In the 10:30 game, Coach Dick Joyce will go with either Tom Fagnand or Al Zito while Chet Hanewich will counter with portsider Mike Walsh. The Bombardiers took the Shamrocks 14-6 last Saturday in one of those knock-’em-down, drag-’em-out comedy of errors in nine acts and 54 scenes.

Many of the youngsters at the YMCA have been working out at Hayward Field to make a track squad that will be in Providence this Saturday for a big meet that will include these events: 50-, 75- and 100-yard dashes, high jump, broad jump, softball throw and shotput, along with the 220-yard dash for junior high boys and 220- and 440-yard relays. The lesser events will be for the boys in the Indian and Gray Y classes. All preparations and tryouts have been under the supervision of Bob Lepper and other leaders at the Y.

Going great

Ray Charron’s Attleboro High track team is going great guns. It now has won six in a row and upended Coyle, which had been undefeated for two years. In that meet with the Warriors last Friday, Attleboro came close to breaking several school records. Johnny Shockro nearly pulled the trick in the high jump when he tied John Gunn at 5 feet, 10 inches. Dave Thornhill came within 3/8 of an inch of tying the AHS record mark with his broad jump. He was taped at 21 feet, 8 1/2 inches.

Lyman Goding is continuing his rapid fire going in the sprints, and also showing well in the individual events are the Gross boys, Al and Bob, Larry DeSantos, Dave Hardt, Bob Aussant, Ned Thomas and miler Franny Doyle.

Getting back to that Coyle meet which was one of the closest of the year, all hinged on the 880-yard relay. The winner of this event would give the final outcome for the day. Attleboro had the guns to do it, and Coyle was nearly equal. The torrid battle was on, and Dick Bajnoci (fastest kid in our old neighborhood!) led off and ran a scorching 220 to build up a five-yard lead. Frankie Marcoccio ran second and held the lead, with Thornhill losing that margin in an extremely close handoff to Aussant.

But Big Bob had the bacon in his hands and was running on even terms against Bob Friary. Aussant appeared as though sprinting for a 99-yard touchdown return in a football game as he emerged victorious and a huge 40-37 win for the Bombardiers. The relay event was run in 1:36.7, one second shy of the record.

Attleboro has another tough one Wednesday afternoon at Hayward Field when Fairhaven will be the opposition. The Tacktowners’s did well in the state relays this past weekend and boast some of the state’s top-notch cindermen.

Coach Charron (a gifted coach and good man) has his eyes set for the Bristol County League championship and he has the tools with which to work...

Closing thoughts

Sincere condolences to the families of two longtime friends, Ray Titus and Hugh Buchanan (especially to his sister, my dear friends Jean Yeo and her daughter, Kendra). We also take note of the passing of a major artist for our times, the creative and talented David Bowie. Rest in peace, all.

And now my friends, I’m going to shut down the PC and settle in to (hopefully) watch our Patriots puzzle and dazzle that bunch from Kansas City. Until next week, peace.

Thomas McAvoy looks back at the past each Tuesday. Contact him at [email protected].