Defending champions
dominate second round

Defending Quicksilver Masters champion Gary Elkerton and 2000 Grand Masters winner Michael Ho yesterday stamped their authority on the 2001 event in Ireland, posting the highest total scores of their divisions.

Round two of both the Masters (ages 35-43), and then the Grand Masters (44 and over) were completed this afternoon, following the World Champion expression sessions.

Elkerton, 37, actually started his campaign slowly against Mike Parsons, Glen Rawlings and Carwyn Williams. Despite opening with an 8.25, the highest score of the clash, he trailed Parsons until midway.

Ho continued his dominance of the division with a commanding victory. The 44-year-old began strong against 1998 event winner Buzzy Kerbox, wild card Grant Robinson and Terry Fitzgerald, and then capitalized on this with a further 8.0, firmly closing the door on his rivals.

"I felt a little pressure coming into this," admitted Ho. "But right now the contest is on and I'm just trying to get through heat by heat. If I live for another day I'm happy, but right now I'm going to go have one (indicating a Guinness)."

BYU-Hawaii beats Chaminade in water polo

Brigham Young University--Hawaii launched a new era of athletic competition Saturday by winning the school's first-ever water polo match 16-13 over Chaminade.

The Seasiders, with 13 freshmen on the roster, got five goals from Vanja Kalabic and three each from Derek Anderson and Steven Pace to down the Silverswords at Kaimuki.

Chaminade's Petar Samac, who led all scorers with six goals, tallied the first two of the match in the opening period, but the Seasiders stormed back with four of their own.

Final pairings set for tennis' Kapalua Open

Ryan Ideta and Erik Sandblom advanced to the finals of the open division yesterday in the Kapalua Open.

Ideta defeated Richard Kepler 6-4, 7-5 in the seminfinals of the annual Labor Day event. Sandblom knocked off Stuart Duncan 7-5, 6-3.

On the women's side of the draw, Nishi Wyrembak needed three sets to subdue Pamela Cooke 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. She will face So'onalole Tagifano, who also struggled to win --5-7, 7-5, 6-4 over Erin Hoe.

Host club wins long distance canoe races

Kai Opua 5 captured the Iron Open Female division of the Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Canoe races yesterday in a time of 2 hours, seven minutes, 15 seconds.

The host canoe club easily outdistanced Hawaiian Eyecatcher, which finished second at 2:13:04. Hanohano 1 placed third at 2:13:18.

Outrigger 1 Honolulu won the Iron Open Koa female division in a time of 2:12:33, beating Surfers Paradise 1.

A team from New Zealand took home the first-place prize in the Iron Open Male division in a solid time of 1:58:38. Lanikai 1 was a distant second at 2:01:06.

In the Iron Open Koa Male division, Kai Opua 6 won by almost eight minutes in a time of 2:09:22.

Ontai goal lifts Wahine over Alumnae team

Krystalynn Ontai swerved a corner kick into the goal with her left foot at 70:02 to lift Hawaii to a 1-0 victory over the Alumnae in women's soccer last night at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

The Wahine leave Wednesday for a three-match road trip that begins Friday at the University of Idaho. Hawaii plays at Gonzaga on Sunday.

Agbayani may miss the rest of the season

New York Mets' outfielder Benny Agbayani will have surgery Friday to repair the broken hamate bone in his right hand.

Agbayani broke the bone while checking his swing Saturday against the Marlins, and expects the injury to keep him out for the rest of the year.

He suffered the same injury in 1994 in the minors and "it took the whole winter to get it ready for the next season," he said. He injured the same hand in April, missing 10 games.

Agbayani hit .277 in 91 games for the Mets this year with a career-low six home runs and 27 RBIs.

Mets acquire pitcher: The Mets acquired left-handed reliever C.J. Nitkowski from the Detroit Tigers yesterday for a player to be named.

The Mets also received cash with Nitkowski, who was 0-3 with a 5.56 ERA in 56 games with the Tigers this year.

Nitkowski grew up in the New York area.

Hawaii's Own

Benny Agbayani, Mets: The St. Louis and Hawaii Pacific alumnus will have surgery Friday on the broken hamate bone in his right hand and he is expected to miss the last month of the season.

If Agbayani is done for the season, he will miss out on the chance to improve on his September numbers. Agbayani's .255 average in 37 September games is his lowest in any month, but it is his second most productive month for hitting home runs.

Chris Truby, Astros: The Damien alumnus has not played in the past seven games, but he has had an impact on the big club in other ways.

Houston has won six of those seven games, partly due to the output of Jeff Bagwell, who starts at first base ahead of Truby. Bagwell went 0-for-3 Friday before Truby presented him with a bowl of Lucky Charms, promising it would be the slump buster he needed.

"Truby told me to eat these, and I got on base all four times (Saturday)," Bagwell said. "So I'll probably have an 0-for-something, and you'll never see me eat this (stuff) again. It's Lucky Charms, so I'll eat this stuff again until I go 0-for-something."

Mike Fetters, Pirates: The Iolani graduate did not pitch in Pittsburgh's 8-6 loss to Cincinnati, his fourth straight day off.

September is historically Fetters' worst month of the regular season, as he has been knocked around for a 4.36 earned run average in 86.8 career innings in the month.