SOMETHING ABOUT WINDSOR

Windsor Tournament March 25-27

Could be something in their water. Could be the beer. Could be their courts even though they are exactly the same size as ours. Whatever it is, there seems to be something about Windsor that has us chasing our tails all the way back through the tunnel.

Six DAC members jumped into the fray knowing the gruesome battles that lay ahead. It’s sort of like the in the Middle Ages when the two opposing armies ran towards each other with swords and axes flailing everywhere and being fully aware that the chances of survival where infinitesimal to none. The lone ranger that actually lived on until Sunday morning was Alan Howard [pictured left]. Alan is a new DAC member and of course being a newbie isn’t aware of the vicious curse the Windsor Club has hung over us. Not to worry, he’ll learn. Alan played the C and D draws, and I’m not sure how accustomed he is to playing so many matches in a short span of time. He reached the semi final of the D draw – a very fine effort – and no doubt his sore muscles were screaming at him with every step by Sunday morning. He lost that match and although it is never satisfying to lose, his body was probably thanking him. His after match beer almost certainly never tasted so good.

Between the other 5 members (John Rakolta, Paul Ward, Andy Adamo, Ted Mabley, and James Van Dyke), we did pick up a couple of wins but none of them got too far into the draws. Traditionally, the Windsor tournament has very tough draws mainly due to the fact that there are less of them. Having only 4 categories to choose from as opposed to the 7 we run at the DAC Classic, condenses the players. Many players may find themselves ‘between’ levels – meaning for example, they won’t get too far in the B level, but could do very well in the C - so will choose to play the lower one. Nothing wrong with that, it just makes the competition all the more difficult. Looking at the positive side, entering this tournament will guarantee you some very challenging matches and we could all use that!

On a very quiet note, barely above a whisper, for the first time I did not win the Open category. I lost the final to Chris Hanebury in 5 games. I think the match took 80 minutes, and today my body feels a little tender. Even though it was not a match for me to remember, full credit must go to Chris. He was too good on the day, moving very quickly on the ball and minimized the unforced errors. I guess the Windsor voodoo has finally caught up with me too!

Once again, the Windsor Team is to be heartily thanked for their hospitality and effort. The beer apparently never stopped flowing which is always a good sign, and it’s an easy place to relax and enjoy. Do your squash game a favor and make sure you enter next time!