At its regular meeting last week, the Chapel Hill Town Council requested that Rec Department staff bring additional information regarding proposals for two lighted synthetic fields at Cedar Falls Park and to renovate many of the existing amenities. Chapel Hill previously appropriated $500,000 in 2003 bond funds and $623,000 in Orange County Parks bond funds to install synthetic turf fields at Cedar Falls Park.

The Town Council also deferred a decision on using $937,550 to help pay for the construction of bicycle and pedestrian improvements on Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road from US 15-501 to Garrett Road and requested that staff provide additional information.

Griffin qualifies for U.S. Public Links field

Playing against the odds – and college players from N.C. State, Purdue and elsewhere – East Chapel Hill sophomore Ben Griffin qualified for the 87th United States Amateur Public Links Championship to be held in Utah July 9-14 this summer.

Griffin, who often seems to play his best in the biggest matches, fired a final-round five-under-par 67 in a USGA qualifier earlier this month at St. James Plantation’s Championship Course to finish among the top three golfers who get to move on to Utah.

Griffin is keeping busy between here and there. Last week, he played in the Foot Joy Junior in Greensboro, where he was competing for a chance to play in the PGA’s Wyndham Championship. This week, he’ll be in the Western Junior at the Country Club of Florida, the nation’s oldest junior golf tournament.

Local trio plays well in N.C. Women’s Amateur

Local golfers had some top finishes last week in the 63rd North Carolina Women’s State Amateur Championship at Mimosa Hills Country Club in Morganton. Former East Chapel Hill and Appalachian State golfer Kerri Dice led the first day with a one-under-par 71 and ended up tied for ninth place overall with Charlotte’s Patty Moore at 228 total.

Courtney McKim of Raleigh shot par or better in every round to win with a 215 total.

Chapel Hill High School alumna Emma Marlatt, now a rising sophomore on the Queens University varsity, carded a 250 total over three days and topped the championship’s second flight, finishing 28th overall.

In the State Tee division, which played a shorter layout, Carole Jones of Hillsborough shot a final-round 75 to tie Pinehurst’s Dianne Yelovich for first at 227 total. Yelovich won the first playoff hole to capture the overall division and the Super Senior trophy that has been held by Jones for quite some time.

“Carole is a fierce competitor but I’m excited to be taking this trophy home for myself. I had a great week,” Yelovich said.

Co-Rec finals this week

Second-seeded Ghost Riders defeated Milltown 16-8 last Thursday to emerge as the last unbeaten team in Carrboro’s Spring Co-Rec Softball double-elimination tournament.

No. 1-seeded Bread and Butter faces No. 3 Southern Rail at 7 p.m. Tuesday in an elimination game; the winner plays No. 4 Milltown at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Ghost Riders awaits the bracket survivor in the final at 7 p.m. Thursday at Anderson Park. If the Ghost Riders lose that game, that would force a second game at 8:10 p.m. Thursday.

Sparks win another Rec League basketball title

Bob Jenkins coached the Sparks to a second straight title this spring in the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department’s Girls 11-12 Basketball League, finishing the season at 10-2.

The Sparks notably have a strong UNC connection. Sarah Montross plays on the team, with her father, Carolina All-American Eric Montross, serving as an assistant coach. Other players include Olivia Kupec, daughter of former Tar Heels quarterback Matt Kupec, and Jillian Daly, daughter of 1982 UNC basketball head manager David Daly.

W.E. Warnock