Radnor

Mary Bessborough, 98, of Center City, a native of Radnor who married a British aristocrat and later started the successful effort in London to preserve Benjamin Franklin's last existing home, died Saturday, April 13, at her home. Lady Bessborough raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the restoration of Franklin's London residence. In the 1950s she learned about the house at 36 Craven St. in London when her husband showed her a plaque marking Franklin's residence. Over the years, the home had been damaged and fallen into disrepair.

The Radnor Hunt races are scheduled for Saturday at the race course, which is about 45 minutes from Philadelphia at 826 Providence Rd., Malvern. There are six steeplechase races, starting about 1:30 p.m., with about a half hour between races. The course is roughly a mile around, and the horses run clockwise around the circuit two or three laps, depending on the race.   Tickets may be ordered online at www.radnorhuntraces.org or by phone at 610-388-8383.

Lancaster Pollard, an investment and mortgage banking firm that helps hospitals and retirement communities raise money for capital projects, opened an office in Radnor as part of an effort to expand in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The Radnor office has four bankers and one support person. Lancaster Pollard is based in Columbus, Ohio.    -Harold Brubaker

Melina Avery knew what people were saying about the Harriton girls' lacrosse team entering its rematch with Radnor: The Rams couldn't beat the top-seeded Red Raiders, not again. On Tuesday at West Chester Henderson, however, the Rams quieted the doubters, rolling over the Red Raiders, 15-6, in the semifinals of the District 1 tournament. "I think we really just showed today that we are the better team," said Avery, a junior goalie. "It's always good to come out and play games like that.

Northwestern Mutual, a Milwaukee insurance company, is opening a new office in Radnor on Tuesday, expanding the presence of its Philadelphia Group, which has been in the region for more than a century, the company said. The Philadelphia Group, which already had offices in Center City, Mount Laurel, and Montchanin, Del., employs 85 financial representatives and 20 financial representative interns. Northwestern said it planned to add 50 financial representatives and 30 interns over the next 14 months.

After claiming state championships in 2009 and 2010, the Radnor girls' lacrosse team experienced some rebuilding pains last season. "It was kind of expected," senior midfielder Kristen Norden said. "We didn't go as far in the playoffs as we had in the past. That gave us a bigger hunger to do well this year. " On Thursday evening, with senior Natalie Miller producing four goals, the Red Raiders doubled up Central League rival Conestoga, 14-7, in the PIAA District 1 final at West Chester East's Harold I. Zimmerman Stadium.

Radnor reeled off a 15-2 run in the final three minutes without its leading scorer in the lineup and stunned visiting Marple Newtown, 48-47, in Central League girls' basketball on Friday night. Hannah Rose Nussbaum left the game with a season-ending ankle injury just two minutes into the contest, but Myonie Williamson (17 points), Shannon Quinn (11), and Hannah Schug (10) picked up the Red Raiders offense. Williamson, a sophomore who had nine fourth-quarter points, scored off a pass from Quinn for the game-winning layup with 10 seconds left.

Christy Von Pusch remembers May 31, 2011 as "unbearably hot. " The Radnor softball ace pitched well that day, well enough to strike out 11 and limit Pottsgrove to two hits. But not well enough to prevent postgame tears. All it took was one pitch. In the third inning of the Red Raiders' District 1 Class AAA semifinal, her scorching fastball got away from the catcher. The passed ball allowed the only run of the game to score. During the 2011 season, Von Pusch recorded 14 of her team's 15 wins, posted an ERA of 0.80, struck out 248 batters, and threw seven no-hitters.

Harriton coach George Dick vividly remembers the first time his girls' lacrosse team played Radnor. How could he forget? Harriton lost, 24-2, and managed to get the ball past midfield just twice in the first half. Five years later, the neighboring Central League programs will meet Saturday as rivals and equals in the PIAA state championship game at noon at HersheyPark Stadium (4:30 p.m., Pennsylvania Cable Network). Radnor will be going for its third title and first since 2010.

HERSHEY, Pa. - They gave the teams a five-minute break before overtime commenced at Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Harriton hardly needed it. It took only a few moments for coach George Dick to look across the huddle at Caleigh Foust and tell her to go and win it. She needed all of 28 seconds to do just that. Foust's overtime goal lifted Harriton to an 8-7 win over Radnor and the school's first PIAA girls' lacrosse championship. Battling a stubborn face-guard, the two-time all-American Foust scored five goals, giving her 95 for her senior season.

It will be an all-Central League state girls' lacrosse final on Saturday, after Harriton closed out Manheim Township, 15-8, Tuesday night in a semifinal at Exeter Township. Katie Melvin, a junior, led the Rams with seven goals, and sophomore Jane Henderson added five more. Junior Melina Avery posted eight saves to earn the win in goal. Henderson's fifth goal came with 14 minutes, 44 seconds left in the second half and gave Harriton a 13-7 lead. The Rams led by 10-6 at halftime. Melvin scored four of Harriton's first seven goals to help build a quick five-goal lead.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. - It's not that Reilly Masterson hasn't done these kinds of things on the lacrosse field before. It's just that she never before had done them so well and so often in a game, let alone one such as this. Masterson scored a career-high seven goals Tuesday, helping Radnor fend off a second-half rally and defeat Peters Township, 19-9, in the PIAA state girls' semifinals at Cumberland Valley. Radnor, the third seed from District 1, will play Central League foe Harriton in the state final at noon Saturday at HersheyPark Stadium.

Sara Curley's four goals Saturday night helped propel Radnor past Springfield (Delco), 15-8, in a PIAA state girls' lacrosse quarterfinal at West Chester East. The junior attack, who is headed to Dartmouth, scored twice in each half. The Red Raiders defense held Springfield scoreless in the first half. Brooke Pancoast, a senior defender, headed for Michigan, chipped in with three goals. Alex Poplawski led Springfield with four goals and two assists. Springfield (D) 0 8 - 8 Radnor 7 8 - 15 Goals: S-Cailyn Gormley, Alex Poplawski 4, Kate Ryan, Emily Santana 2; R: Sydney Cowles 3, Sara Curley 4, Brooke Pancoast 3, Hannah Proctor 2, Shannon Quinn 2, Taylor Quinn.

Memorial Day triggers a range of memories for people, from neighborhood parades, family barbecues, and baseball tournaments to somber military services. To Frank Chiacchio, a retired Navy veteran now involved with the Battleship New Jersey moored on the Camden waterfront, Memorial Day brings faint recollections of two men he barely knew. They are his uncle Samuel Chiacchio, who died in the Allied landing at Anzio, Italy, in early 1944, and his godfather, Guy Gaufetti, who was killed the following October when a Japanese kamikaze pilot struck his troop ship in the Gulf of Leyte in the Philippines.

The 72d United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/LaxWorld North-South all-star games for Division I, II, and III seniors are scheduled to be played on Friday at Edith Robb Dixon Field at Cabrini College in Radnor. The Division III game is set for 3 p.m. and the Division I/II game for 5:30. Tickets may be purchased at the field. The Rosters       South Team Division I/II No. Player      Position   School 1 David DiMaria    Attack   Lehigh    2 Jack Rice       Attack   Villanova    3 Tim Schwalje      Midfield   Penn    4 T. Timmerberg   SS Middie   Bellarmine    5 Brennan Bicknese   Defense   Georgetown    6 Brett Schmidt   Attack   Mt.

Thanks to Jon Vandenberg's late goal in regulation and Matt Taulane's sudden-death tally, Garnet Valley is returning to the PIAA District 1 boys' lacrosse final. After Vandenberg scored with just seven seconds left in regulation, Taulane's tally early in overtime lifted the No. 5-seeded Jaguars to a 7-6 triumph over top-seeded and host Radnor in a semifinal Tuesday night. "I just saw everybody working the ball around," Taulane said. "The defense must have lost me. I found an open gap and took advantage of it. " Vandenberg assisted on Taulane's winner.

Melina Avery knew what people were saying about the Harriton girls' lacrosse team entering its rematch with Radnor: The Rams couldn't beat the top-seeded Red Raiders, not again. On Tuesday at West Chester Henderson, however, the Rams quieted the doubters, rolling over the Red Raiders, 15-6, in the semifinals of the District 1 tournament. "I think we really just showed today that we are the better team," said Avery, a junior goalie. "It's always good to come out and play games like that.

When Avon Grove was handed the No. 10 seed in the PIAA District 1 boys' lacrosse tournament, the Red Devils were less than thrilled with their position. "We came in with a chip on our shoulder," Red Devils captain Tanner Peck said. "We were ready to go, for sure. " Continuing their impressive postseason run, Avon Grove surprised No. 3 Conestoga, the three-time defending state champion, 6-5, in a semifinal on Tuesday at Radnor. The difference in a tightly played contest was Eric Russo's tally with 1 minute, 4 seconds remaining in the fourth period.