The players from Chapel Hill Realty Group were there. The umpires were there. But only eight players from Farrell’s Self Storage were there.

That meant Chapel Hill Realty Group (16-1) won the Carrboro 2008 Spring Co-Rec Softball championship by forfeit.

It was the first time anyone present had seen a championship game decided in such a manner.

“I cannot recall a similar situation in the past,” said Carrboro Recreation supervisor Charles Harrington.

Carrboro league officials Thursday waited about 10 minutes after the scheduled 7 p.m. start of the double-elimination tournament’s final game, with Farrell’s players impatiently scanning the parking lot at Anderson Community Park in search of a needed ninth teammate, to no avail. The officials called off the game and handed the trophy to Chapel Hill Realty captain Dave Shaw.

Two players from Farrell’s drove up moments after the forfeit had been declared. One was late arriving from work, while another had suffered car trouble.

“We would have rather played the game,” CHRG member Tim Costner said.

Costner, with just three seasons on the team, is one of the few CHRG players with less than five years on the veteran roster. Several of them have 10-plus years with the team.

That experience has helped them claim both the spring regular-season and post-season championships two years running.

Chapel Hill Realty Group comprises: Ted Busby, Teena Caps, Costner, Cristy Draper, Natalie Dunn, Andy Fisher, Joseph Garcia, Kim Grooms, Gerry Gurevich, Dale Herman, Jody Hite, Evelyn Houtz, Carrie Johnson, Pete Johnson, Angela Mitchell, Anthony Moses, Carole Robinette, Dave Shaw, Natalie Shaw and Stacy Tantum.

CHRG dominated the standings of the Spring Co-Rec League since the first week, yet not always with big wins. Farrell’s gave CHRG its lone loss of the year, a 7-4 decision back on April 29. The last regular-season game for both teams was even closer, a 14-12 win for CHRG.

Farrell’s, captained by Steve Barnes, finished 13-5. Including the final forfeit, Farrell’s lost three of its final six games, each loss coming against CHRG.

Top-seeded CHRG sent No. 2-seeded Farrell’s into the tournament’s elimination bracket with a pivotal 15-14 decision on June 5. Farrell’s fought its way back into the championship round with a 13-11 win over No. 3 seed Milltown (13-4) last Tuesday night, and it would have needed to sweep CHRG in two games Thursday night to have won the championship.

Jeff Hamlin contributed to this report. Contact Sports Editor William Elliott Warnock at chnsports@nando.com.