BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Clandestine operations and verbal sparring have created a uniquely charged environment before the annual Crispin’s House charity softball tournament.

The event, which begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10, at Goffstown’s Villa Augustina Field, features teams from Goffstown Fire and Police Departments, Granite State Plumbing and Heating, the Main Street Program/Ace Hardware, the Goffstown Rotary Club and, of course, the perennial doormat, The Goffstown News.

Laurie Hambleton, who organizes the tournament for Crispin’s House, said Goffstown Public Works hasn’t enlisted yet, though she expects them to in the near future.

“They’re obviously doing some top-secret training behind the scenes to try to psych the other teams out,” said Hambleton, who added at least one team has been renting batting cages in Hooksett to hone its players’ skills.

Lt. Bill Connor of the Goffstown Fire Department shrugged off his opponents’ training with a guarantee.

“We hate beating up on the service organizations, but we’ll do it again this year anyway,” said the fire fighter.

Hambleton agreed with the spirit of Connor’s message.

“This is really an awesome fundraiser to help kids stay out of trouble, and hopefully the teams will stay out of trouble, too,” she said. “But in all seriousness, it really is fun to watch people enjoy themselves as much as they do every year.”