OCEAN CITY- The Ocean City Marlin Club will seek to stop a run by old rival Cape May when the two clubs compete for the annual Challenge Cup for the 36th time.
The Challenge Cup, which pits teams of boats from the Ocean City Marlin Club against teams of boats from the Cape May Marlin and Tuna Club, officially began in 1979 as formal competition between the friendly rivals which share the same canyons off the coast of the resort. The two rival clubs meet each September to compete for the Challenge Cup and bragging rights until next year.
Last year, Cape May edged Ocean City in one of the closest tournaments ever to take a 16-14 lead in the series. If either team wins the tournament three years in a row, that cup is retired and remains in the possession of the victors, while the losing club bucks up for a new cup. After the series was tied at 14-14 three years ago, Cape May has now won two in a row. The tournament officially gets started next Thursday with registration and a captain’s meeting, but the action offshore gets going next Friday with the first of two fishing days. The Challenge Cup concludes next Saturday with an awards ceremony and banquet at the Ocean City Marlin Club.