What a weekend it was for SQUASH TIGERS!
Awesome performances from the Squash Tigers team up and down the country - at the Gold in Virginia, Silver in PA and Bronze in NJ - members of the team competed hard, won, lost, learned and made us proud! Off the court we had the huge announcement of Colin White as our new Squash Tigers Head Professional! Wow… and it’s still only June! Read on for the breakdown…
The Virginia Summer Gold, conducted at the rather salubrious Boars Head Resort, was its usual auspicious self. A Summer Gold staple since coffee with a friend was still a dime, (or pre-COVID as we called it), the event ran to time and boasted high quality fields throughout the ten divisions. We had a dozen Squash Tigers and another half dozen “friends of the program”, and they all showed us the benefit of hard work - with the big statistic being 8 QUARTER FINALISTS!
Chronologically we’ll kick off in the BU17. The headline is that Parth and Alex made the quarter finals, which is a fine headline. A more in depth analysis of their performances reveals that Alex was 1 point away from beating a player rated 0.5 above him, and impressed everyone beyond belief. As if that wasn’t enough Parth was in the same boat, nearly putting together a 0.3 upset before going down in 5 games in his quarter. Awesome, and even more impressive when you consider Parth has just aged up and Alex is still eligible for BU15! Well done gentlemen!
We go to the ladies and the GU17 with Claire and Anya. Claire’s 10th place doesn’t tell the tale of six matches, each of high quality and another “almost” with a five game down to the wire loss depriving her of a deserved 0.35 rating upset. Anya was also in good form, played some exceptional squash, won a pressure match and acquitted herself well.
BU15 saw Eric almost, but not quite able to convert his second round with match balls on a 0.48 ratings upset, before he was forced to withdraw after another strong win. The God of draws conspired against us to have him and Arjun play in the first round. No-one likes playing a team mate, but well done to both on their sportsmanship and efforts…
BU13 saw Tyler march to a quarter final! Fit, strong, fast, determined and perhaps showing the most relaxed demeanor possible from a highly motivated young man, Tyler had it all! Tyler was fighting it out for the mythical “most improved player” distinction from the coaches this weekend and did nothing to dissuade anyone’s opinion. Similarly Lily, our GU15 stalwart, ran through to the quarter finals of the draw and gave 100%!
GU13 saw Madeleine make a quarter final in impressive fashion. Always athletic, Madeleine showed some composure and additional accuracy for the big win. In the GU11 Mimi pulled into 8th place, with never a dull moment and some big five game matches. I frequently say “bigger things ahead”, but in this case for both of them it's definite!
In Philadelphia, the Merion Cricket Club hosted a Silver event with their normal warm welcoming demeanor. Henry and George both searched their wardrobe, found their best whites and went to work, performing well above seeding in a most impressive fashion. Statistically Henry did the near impossible to make a quarter final - he defeated a player rated 0.34 above him. Well done mate, brought big smiles to the whole club! And for those fond of “in jokes” - George still owes me 100 push-ups. :)
Finally, the LT Summer Bronze, in Florham Park, New Jersey saw Adam finish in a solid 3rd position. Also a conversation as to most improved Squash Tiger player, Adam drove his opponents off the court and picked up his second trophy in the past few weeks! Silvers on the horizon!
What a weekend it was, well done everyone. A reminder that camps kick off every week day of summer and if you haven’t already signed up, you can do so via the website. Tomorrow sees the first day of our new Head Professional, let’s all make Coach Colin welcome to our world, never a better time to be a Squash Tiger. See you all tomorrow!