SEPTEMBER 15--A dispute on a Florida shuffleboard court turned violent yesterday when an 81-year-old man allegedly punched a fellow pensioner and struck him with his shuffleboard cue, according to court records.

The confrontation Wednesday afternoon occurred at the Pinellas Park Senior Center, which includes an open-air pavilion with 16 shuffleboard courts (as seen below).

Police charge that octogenarian Herbert Hayden “had a verbal argument that escalated into a physical altercation.” Hayden allegedly punched the victim, James Sutton, in the face and “hit him with his shuffleboard cue causing damage to both cues.”

Sutton, cops noted, sustained a pair of four-inch scratches “on the right cheek of his face.” Sutton’s age is not included in court filings.

Hayden, seen above, was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge and booked into the county jail, where he is being held on $250 bond. A judge today issued an order barring Hayden, who lives in a St. Petersburg mobile home park, from having any contact with Sutton.

A criminal complaint does not indicate what prompted the reported argument between Hayden and Sutton. The confrontation came at the close of the senior center’s Black & White Shuffleboard League, which competes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

“Shuffleboard is a popular sport for the ‘Seniors’ in Pinellas Park,” according to the senior center’s web site. (1 page)