Mary Frances Archer-Spooner (nee Semple) passed away quietly after a long illness at Scarborough General Hospital on
Sunday, November 30, 2008 in her 80th year. Known in our horseshoe circles as "Mary Archer",
Mary Semple was born on April 18, 1929 in Toronto. An early member of the Scarborough horseshoe club (1974),
her first tournament was the Ottawa Silver Shoe where she was invited in 1975. Later that year she took 3rd place at the Ontario provincials. Her rise as a top pitcher was extremely fast as in 1976 she
became the first Canadian woman to make the Championship Division at the 1976 World Tournament. There she nearly beat the eventual champion Debby Michaud and many-time champion Ruth Hangen.
A very exciting experience that certainly helped her in the 1977 Canadian title conquest. To become Canadian champion she defeated Myrna Kissick in a close playoff game: 55-47!
Five years later, the championships were back on Vancouver Island. Perhaps inspired by her prior success, she had one of her best run for the title but fell short when Marg Johns was the first woman to average over 70% at the Canadians.
Starting in 1984, Mary competed in the Intermediate or Senior Women's division where she won 7 consecutive titles. Though she had only been pitching for 3 years when she was crowned 1977 Canadian champion, "the rythm and co-ordination she picked-up in 14 years as a softball pitcher and a 225 average in 5-pin bowling have helped
in her accuracy in the pits" she said to a Scarborough reporter. She once competed in the women's world softball championships.
Mary was also 1976, 1979 and 1980 Ontario provincial champion.
She was inducted into the Horseshoe Ontario Hall of Fame in 1994.
Mary Archer-Spooner at the Canadian Championships
Year
1977 Women's A 1st 5-1 59.4%
1978 Women's A 2nd 5-2 53.6%
1979 Women's A 6th 2-5 52.1%
1980 Women's A 4th 8-3 57.6%
1981 Women's A 12th 2-5 51.3%
1982 Women's A 2nd 10-3 63.2%
1983 Women's A 15th 1-6 44.7%
1984 Sr Women's A 1st 6-1 51.4%
1985 Sr Women's A 1st 7-0 56.3%
1986 Sr Women's A 1st 5-0 60.0%
1987 Sr Women's A 1st 6-0 54.0%
1988 Sr Women's A 1st 7-1 52.6%
1989 Sr Women's A 1st 4-1 58.6%
1990 Sr Women's A 1st 11-1 56.6%
1991 Sr Women's A 2nd 8-3 47.7%
1992 did not enter
1993 Sr Women's A 2nd 8-4 49.4%
1994 Sr Women's A 3rd 6-4 57.7%
1995 Sr Women's A 2nd 5-4 43.5%
1996 Sr Women's A 4th 3-5 43.3%
1997 Sr Women's A 3rd 4-11 40.9%
1998 did not enter
1999 Sr Women's A 3rd 8-7 50.3%
Mary Archer at the World Tournament
Year
1976 Women's A 7th 1-6 65.43% 301/460
1977 Women's B 6th 1-6 63.8%
see the previous picture of the month.
