FENELTON — Horseshoes, anyone?

The Butler County Horseshoe League is alive, well and hungry to grow — and there's room for everyone.

The league just completed its 64th season, but with only six teams and declining roster numbers.

“We had eight teams two years ago,” league statistician Mike Neff said. “Our roster limit is 25, but a couple of teams only had 14 on their roster.

“You need 12 pitchers to complete a match. Otherwise, you have to forfeit and that's becoming a problem with some teams.”

While league participants range in age from teenagers through senior citizens in their 80's, Neff said the league's average age is around 55. Snuffy Covert, 81, is the only person to be in the league all 64 years of its existence.

“We need to advertise the league more,” Neff admitted. “A lot of people out there who might be interested don't even know Butler County has a horseshoe league.

“Our league members need to wear their team shirts around town more, we can advertise in the newspaper, have a car wash ... anything to get the word out.”

Neff said a misnomer about the league is that one has to be an exceptional horseshoe pitcher to participate.

“That's what I thought, at first,” said Ed Cypher, 84, a 19-year league veteran. “Chuck Neigh was after me to join for a long time, but I didn't think I was good enough.

“I always tossed shoes in the sand where they would scoot more. I started practicing with the clay pits and got to the point where I felt I could do it.”

Chuck Young, now 75, used to pitch ringers at a 70 percent clip. He says he's down around 40 percent now.

But he never misses a match.

“I averaged 73 percent 15 years ago,” he said. “Guys like Joe Weichey, Vince Sedlak, Everett Stepp, they were outstanding pitchers. A lot of the great ones have passed on.

“One thing that never changes about this league is the people. It's just a bunch of nice guys here. There's not a guy in this league I don't like.”

Neff said the league's overall ringer average has dropped in recent years. It was at 26.4 percent this season. It used to be well into the 30's.

“It takes a lot of practice to get good at this,” Neff said. “I don't have the natural ability. I practice four nights a week. You don't see many people that dedicated to it anymore.

“This is a fun, challenging sport that anyone can learn to do well.”

Women began coming into the league about 18 years ago. Vicki Brandt serves as secretary-treasurer of the league today and estimates 15 percent of the league members are female.

Men 70 and older and all women can pitch horseshoes from 30 feet away. Everyone else tosses from 40 feet out.

“We had 10 teams maybe four years ago,” Brandt said. “We've always had people of all ages, but we do need to get the younger people interested.”

That may be easier said than done.

Butch Neff, 72, has been in the Butler County league for 55 years. He still tosses from 40 feet away and has won the league's highest average award from 40 feet seven times in the past nine years.

“When I was a kid growing up, this is what we did,” Neff said of tossing horseshoes. “My dad was a horseshoe pitcher. I started getting into sanctioned tournaments when I was 50.

“Kids now have so many choices on what to do. There's soccer and so many other sports, and they play that bean-bag game (corn hole) instead of pitching shoes.”

The Butler County Horseshoe League is filled with history. There are more than 140 in the league's Hall of Fame, including 2017 inductees Nancy Rankin of Peter B's, Bob Wilson of East Butler and Phil Doyle of Runts Roadhouse. A few league members have won world championships.

Doyle won the league's high average award from 30 feet this season for the fourth consecutive year.

O'Donnell's defeated Peter B's, 9-7, in the league championship finals. Other team in the circuit this year were Runts, East Butler, West Sunbury and the Dew Drop Inn.