Eliot and Mather Houses whitewashed Winthrop and Lowell respectively yesterday afternoon, assuring themselves the chance to travel to New Haven for the traditional Yale weekend intermural gridiron competition.

Eliot House overcame some unconventional Winthrop tactics to post a 14-0 victory. On the second play of the game, the whole Winthrop squad lined up 10 yards to the right of quarterback Greg Stevens. Designed to catch Eliot defenders off guard, the strategy backfired when defensive end Marty "Stone" Fitzpatrick picked off a lateral pass and ran 20 yards for the score.

Even the 'Throp's use of the rare "free-kick rule" didn't help Stevens and co. Under the rule, any fair catch may be followed by a free kick, in this case an unsuccessful field goal attempt. "I haven't seen that rule invoked in 18 years," Referee Bait Newman said.

The New Orleans Saints used this rule to set up Tom Dempsey's record-setting 63-yd. field goal.

In the long run, penalties beat the Winthrop squad. Their offsides infraction gave Eliot another chance following a missed field goal attempt from the nine. The penalty moved the ball to the four, and Fitzpatrick scored on the next play on a four yard sweep.

Earlier in the afternoon a half yard quarterback sneak by Jim Whitehead in the opening minute of the first quarter lifted Mather to its 7-0 victory over still winless Lowell. Bert Rankin's interception and some clutch running by halfback Mark Rosen set up Whitehead's scoring plunge.

Mather's defense, particularly the pass rush, did the job for the rest of the contest.

Led by Keith Brandt, the Mather "D" tallied ten sacks and kept Lowell to under 50 yards total offense for the afternoon.