I have to admit, I was a startled to see only 56 registrations in the Summer League this season. That’s down from the 64 in 2010, and well off the record of 72 back in 2007. Since court usage has been very good this year, I thought 64 players would have been a cinch. On the positive side, I am happy to see the handful of new faces entering into the arena. Nine members are rookies to the summer league and two are back from a long hiatus.When the teams were released a week ago, I received a couple of questioning remarks regarding placing Robin Basil in the number 1 position. Robin, as you know, just won the 3.0 club championships division and looked pretty dominating throughout the whole draw. However, it was a little risky since I had very few results to back my decision up and I know it is still only one match, but so far Robin has proved me right. He beat Paul Huth 3-0 last night and continues to impress.
Someone else off to a good start (and newbie) was Jeff Jardine. Even though he joined the club in late March this year, he is already a self confessed squash addict. He took the more experienced Tom Bergh 3-0 and could be one to watch out for amongst the number 6’s. Manny Tancer is definitely not new to the game, but it has been at least a couple of years since he has played in the leagues. He was still active on the squash court during that time, so no rust had developed as Sean Fossee found out after losing all 3 games. Manny will be tough to beat at number 2.
It is too early in the season to predict which 4 teams will be making the finals and which 4 teams won’t. One thing for sure though is that playing your matches – especially in the Summer League – is an absolute must to give your team even the slightest hint of a chance. Playing catch-up in a 7-week season can be virtually impossible so you do not under any circumstances want to fall too far behind.
