Squash Magazine

See You Next Year The doubles season comes to an end, ferreting out the best of the bunch in national tournaments By Mike McGorry Photograph courtesy of the ISDA and Harrow Sports

As I write this article, the 2002 North American Doubles season is coming to a close with only the Marianne Caldwell Memorial Invitational event in Toronto remaining. Here is a season recap in anticipation of the final North American rankings. The open events were once again dominated by New York City’s team of Eric Vlcek and Morris Clothier. I caught a lot of flak last year when I ranked Toronto’s wonderkid Tyler Millard as the No. 1 right-waller in North America. Clothier was clearly out to prove me wrong, and he did. Starting out the season by winning the Ray Chauncey doubles over Anders and Rick Wahlstedt, Vlcek/Clothier never looked back. After winning the McRory-Tully, the Canadian Nationals, and the Baltimore Invitational, they capped an undefeated amateur event season by winning their fourth consecutive US title over Denver’s Eric Eiteljorg and David Rosen. Clothier, now with seven US National championships under his belt, clearly ranks up there with all-time greats such as Diehl Mateer, Sam Howe, and Hunter Lott, Jr., as one of the greatest amateur doubles players of all time. With a partner like Vlcek, only an opening of the US Nationals to professionals would seem to prevent their streak from continuing for many years to come. The Veterans (40+) events saw a new team to the age group, Greg Finn (NYC) and Rich Shepard (Philadelphia), also dominate. Finn, a two-time open finalist, and Shepard, a three-time open winner, went undefeated in the 40+ category. They won the McRory-Tully, Baltimore, as well as the US Nationals, all over last year’s No. 1 ranked US team of Andy Nehrbas/Doug Rice. In what may have been the most exciting match of the year, two-time defending Canadian 40+ champs Patrick Miller and Jamie Heldring came back from a two game deficit to take a 10-1 lead in the fifth against 40+ champs Phil Barth (Buffalo) and Jeff McKay (Hamilton). McKay/Barth put on an unbelievable display of shot making and retrieving to tie the match at 13-all and ultimately won their first Canadian National title 18-14. In the Seniors category, last year’s World Champions (but only US finalists) Michael Pierce (Philly) and Buffalo’s Gordon Anderson faced reigning Canadian National 50+ Champs Victor Harding (Toronto) and Sean McDonough (Hamilton) in the US National finals. Both teams were undefeated in their age group with Pierce/Anderson having won the McRory-Tully whilst Harding/McDonough had beaten Anderson and partner (Jim Young of Boston in the Buffalo Invitational and Malcolm Davidson of Boston in the Canadian Nationals) in two earlier finals. The last time these two teams met, Harding/McDonough throttled Pierce/ Anderson 3-0 in the 1998 World Doubles 45+ finals. Pierce/Anderson got their revenge, however, coming back from 1-2 to win their first National title together. Boston’s Tom Poor and Lenny Bernheimer ruled the 55+ group. For the second straight year they won both the US and Canadian Nationals. But for Poor having missed the 1998-99 season due to a serious knee injury, the duo might be seeking their sixth straight US and Canadian National titles in the spring of 2002. The only other two-time 55+ winners were Rochester’s Dick Rice and Denver’s Taylor Quick who won both the Kiva Classic and the Baltimore Invitational. A number of different teams hotly contested in the 60+. Philly great Sam Howe paired with Montreal’s Chris Pickwood to win the Canadian over Detroit’s Gene Perle and Burlington’s Jim Evel. Perle then joined Philadelphian Fred Bracher to defeat San Francisco’s team of Hank Bruce and Ted Trevor Smith in the US Nationals. Earlier, Evel/Perle clinched the Buffalo Invitational. Jim Quarles and Trevor Bishop, both of Montreal, won the 65+ Canadian Nationals over Philly’s Dick Will and Toronto’s John Fuller. Will/Fuller also came up one win short in the US finals losing to Philadelphia’s Alan Deutermann and Charles Stehle. Deutermann/Stehle previously lost to Quarles/Bishop in the Canadian semis. Will did not go unvanquished, however, teaming with Stehle to win the Kiva Classic. Toronto’s David Brown/Sam Nisenboim and Boston’s Don Boyko/Joel Kozol were clearly the class of the 70+ category, facing each other in both the US and Canadian finals. Fittingly, each team won their respective National title. And what has happened to the women? With only four teams traveling to Portland for the Nationals (Demer Holleran/Alicia McConnell d Jessie Chai/Karen Jerome), women’s doubles in the US seems to be on a rapid decline. Presumably the Philly and Baltimore women refuse to travel out of their enclave to support the game elsewhere. In Canada, however, the women’s game is flourishing, with women’s events held at almost every tournament. Eight teams competed in the open in Montreal where Chai/Jerome defeated Annette White and Leslie Freeman to win the Canadian title. An additional nine teams played in the 40+ event (Barbara Cooper/Lollie Gillen d Joanne Berger/Vaughan Schmidt) and yet another four teams competed in a round-robin 50+ draw (Carol Douglas and Carolyn Roper were the victors). Only two Americans played in the Canadian Nationals. Why? Overall, it was a good doubles season. We need help in getting players to compete in the open events, but the age groups seem strong. Without support in the open, however, the age groups will clearly diminish and eventually die. Play events!