2016 DAC Singles Club
Championships
“Lights, cameras, beer, squash, and… Action!” You know it must be an important night on the Blackballer
calendar because it’s one of very few that forces me to wear a suit. Even
though I feel smothered and awkward, wondering why knotting some cloth around
one’s neck is considered fashionable, the Club Championships night is one of
the best of the year: It’s the one opportunity to witness the best players of
each category in the one evening. It is also the perfect ending to what has
been a cracker 2015-2016 season, best ever numbers on court and the highest
participation level in this event on record. As we act like the Hollywood mega-famous
and uber-privileged and take this occasion to stroke our oversized chutzpah,
let’s celebrate the accomplishments of the 2016 DAC Club Champions!
2.5 – Olé! Señor de la
Torre!
Well, this category couldn’t have been any more
unpredictable. We had 37 hopefuls lining up, many well-known faces mixed in
with plenty of first-timers that really had little idea of what to expect. One
of those fledglings was non-other that the “Boo-Yah!”
chiming, Batman promoting, perpetual smiling Dewey Steffen. Dewey is 1 year into his squash career, and
certainly though no lack of effort – or talking – has performed quite soundly
as his stats show he wins 76% of the time. Keeping up that appearance, Dewey
went on to win his first 3 matches of the event – all in 4 games – only to lose
his 4th. It was the semifinal and it also went 4 games. It was a
little strange however, since Dewey won the first game of that match 11-0 only to lose the next 3. Maybe his
opponent stopped listening to him? His opponent was David de la Torre… who?
David is very new to squash, in fact his first official matches
ever were in the box ladders last month. But he has a racquetball background,
and it didn’t take him long to figure things out. To get to the final, David
had to win 5 matches – the toughest being against one of my (secret) picks for
the title, Han Peng. Even David
himself was surprised to get past Han as he won that encounter 3-2. Certainly a
surprise finalist, and even though David didn’t know it, he would be playing
that match against another, even more unanticipated opponent.
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| David de la Torre and David Zack |
David Zack has
been quite the silent achiever. Just like David d-l-T, David Z also had to battle
through 5 matches just to reach the final. But it wasn’t easy by any stretch.
The first 2 results were 3-0, but then a 3-1 win against Fred Minturn grabbed my attention a little, and the 3-2 victory
against one of my other ‘secret’ choices to take it all – Pat Hughes – violently rattled my senses somewhat. So surely the
semifinal would halt his dream run? That was against Julie Vande Vusse and although I always remain neutral for these
events, (and no offense to David) I thought it would be rather neat to have a
woman for a change in the final of the Club Championships. But David Z. didn’t
see it that way and again, defying the book-makers, he took the match 3-2 and
made his way to the final.
It was a very interesting final between the two Davids. The
hard hitting Señor against the careful placement of Mr. Zack. At this level however,
power is a huge asset and it is difficult to control the ball when it comes at
you faster than what you can prepare your racquet! David d-l-T took control
early and established the tone, pressuring David Z well. It was an all-round
solid showing, and the 3-0 result was really never in doubt. Congratulations to
David d-l-T, I’m sure he never expected to be crowned club champion if you
asked him that 2 months ago!
3.0 – Brotherly Frenemies
Not since the famous McEnroe brothers of Patrick and John
have we witnessed such a sibling rivalry in the sports arena. Or is this more
like the sisterly arm-wrestle of Serena and Venus? Or maybe the
I-make-funnier-commercials-than-you contest between Eli and Peyton Manning?
Well, so long as this doesn’t end like Cain and Abel, what happens between Ryan and Zac MacVoy will only enhance the fierceness or their ever-mounting
warfare.
There were 19 other players in this draw desperate to avoid
a MacVoy v MacVoy final but the Squash Gods were too stubborn to let anything
else evolve. Chuck Doyle did,
however, almost upset the Deities which no doubt would have caused indescribable
havoc and plagues across the lands, as he stretched Zac to 5 games in the
quarter finals. Zac escaped the frightening close episode and then made sure of
his advancement to the final winning the semi 3-0 against the top seeded Mike Rock, and thus appeasing the
angered Creators and avoiding untold horribleness.
Ryan MacVoy’s
biggest challenge would be his semifinal opponent against John Rogers. It wasn’t too long ago that John handed Ryan a 3-1
beat down during the Farris Cup event at the BAC. Evidently, the Squash Gods
did not look favorably towards Ryan for representing our most ominous
adversary! In fear of eternal damnation, Ryan served up John as a human
sacrifice and carved him up 3-0, setting up the most anticipated 3.0 final in
the history of club squash anywhere on the planet.
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| Zac and Ryan MacVoy |
When these 2 stepped on court, Zac actually had the higher
club ranking than Ryan – by 2 spots. And although they have ‘practiced’
together many times, only 2 scores have counted and both times Ryan was the
victor by the slimmest of margins. We all waited for the cruel twists and turns
the Squash Gods would dish out. We were not left disappointed. In the best and
closest final of the night, the two brothers went at each other like republican
presidential candidates on the campaign trail. Gloves were off. 1-game all...
2-games all… the sweat was flowing, the exhaustion was kicking in, the thoughts
of uninviting the other from the Thanksgiving dinner was crossing their minds…
10-all in the 5th… it wasn’t letting up. And maybe Zac prayed to the
Gods just a little harder, as he was
rewarded for his servitude with the final 2 rallies and the freedom of being
able to remind Ryan for the at least the next 12 months who is actually the
superior squash player. Fantastic match, fellas!
3.5 – John the
Show-Mann
Finally, John Mann
decided enough was enough. Rather than just talk about how he should be beating
“these guys”, he actually went out with the clear intention of doing just that
and proving it. His timing for this epiphany was spot on – the first match of
the Club Championships. John won the 2.5 category back in 2014 where he beat JC Tibbitts. Since then JC has risen
through the levels and this year played the 4.0 category, with John feeling
somewhat left behind. But no more.
Strong first couple of matches, he took care of business 3-1
in round one and then eliminated the number 1 seed Paul Van Tol 3-0 in round two. His greatest challenge came next in
the form of Tom Fabbri. Tom had also
dropped only 1 game up to this point and was riding a confidence wave that if
he could remain consistent enough with, would spell trouble for John. Tom was
close. And John had to work hard to fend him off. It wasn’t so much as luck but
successful grinding that got John through the match 3-2, and maybe that
touch-and-go win made him feel more relaxed for the semi. Bob Rogers was the next threat, but John was more than up for the
contest. Probably his most impressive win to date, he defeated the human
pinball 3-1 to earn his finals spot.
Standing in John’s path to glory was Brian Bartes. Like a good wine, Brian was getting better the longer
the tournament took. Starts off a little bitter and offensive, but the more you
indulge the more pleasant the relationship becomes. It was a rocky start to his
campaign and Brian almost didn’t make it out of the starting blocks. Marc Lakin gave him all that he could
handle and Brian grappled with himself to find any harmony in the game at all. Finally
though, through grit and stubbornness, Brian weathered the storm for the 3-2
win. And now Brian was off and running. James
Van Dyke did offer some resistance in the next round by snatching a game,
but certainly not enough to derail the Bartes Express and then in the semifinal
there was no stopping the momentum as Justin
Jacobs found out, when the 3 games zipped passed him before he could barely
react.
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| Brian Bartes and John Mann |
It was a tough final to predict a winner. On paper, Brian
would be favorite, but John has demonstrated he is more than capable of pulling
it off. And it was another down to the wire result. John wasted no time in the
first game and pounded himself to a quick lead which he held onto for a
comfortable win. But Brian wasn’t fazed. It’s tough to ruffle his feathers, and
he started game 2 with his head down and a renewed focus. It was strenuous work
though, Brian covered a lot of court to take the next 2 games and that effort
would take its toll. John was also tired, but on this occasion even though he
could hustle just as much as Brian, he would miss the tin more often. Steadiness
was the telling factor and John would end up taking the 5th game,
picking up his second club championship title and advancing himself to the 4.0’s
and above.
4.0 – No Worries, It’s
Jason Currie!
We could easily have been talking about 2 different
finalists for this category. All 10 players in this bracket were ranked between
30 – 44 on the club listing. Being so closely bunched together meant that
anybody beating anybody wouldn’t really be considered a terrible upset, and
only 3 of the 8 matches leading up to the final had a 3-0 score line. The only
player that did not win 3-0 in the
quarter final was Matt DiDio – the
number one seed.
Matt is a walking medical surgical encyclopedia. He has gone
under the knife more times than Kim Kardashian and has more scars on his body
than Freddy Kruger, but keeps on chugging along like an Arnold Schwarzenegger
Terminator machine. Dane Fosse was
not able to stop his Judgement Day as Matt hunted him down with a 3-1 victory to
move to the semifinal where he then did bump into a leader of resistance. Jason Currie (who also happens to have
the same initials of ‘John Connor’ … coincidence…?!) earned his way to the semi
by winning 3-0 over JC Tibbitts, and
he and Matt battled it out with an epic 5-setter. It’s not easy to wear down
the DiDio cyborg, but Jason is pretty well known for his scrambling abilities.
It was a tough 3-2 win for Currie, but I’m sure – at some time – Matt will be
back…
On the opposite side of the draw, Josh Slominski was looking at following up his 2015 success of
winning the 3.5 club championship title with the 4.0 one. His first step to the
goal was a solid one as he took down the wily Paul Huth 3-0. His second step, though, proved to be a lot more
wobbly. Colin Bayer is one awkward
customer, and can provide his opponents with a lot of unpredictability, many
times even confusing himself. It can be either effective or inept. Josh has
beaten Colin the last two times they had played – but never easily – and this
one wasn’t either. For the first 2 games against Josh, Colin’s style was
working. He took a commanding 2-0 lead and looked like he was about to turn the
tables on Josh’s win streak against him. But suddenly, what was productive
before, stopped being so. Colin slightly opened the door for Josh to get his
foot stuck and he started to push his way through it. Clawing back, Josh took
the next 3 games leaving Colin wondering how he let the cat out of the bag.
Josh v Jason for the final. Three results on the books for
this match up, with Jason winning the most recent one 3-0, but Josh the
previous two. These two also played off for the 3.5 final in 2015 where Josh
won that 3-1, would this be Jason’s revenge? Two contrasting styles were on
display, one technique smooth and straight, the other a little more chaotic and
full of weird angles. And, often enough, that can be the trick to wining as it
can keep your opponent off balance. Jason started the match strongly taking the
first game only to have Josh bounce back and steady the ship with a well-adjusted
second. But Josh’s consistency would be the death of him. Jason wasn’t going to
slow down, or speed up, or change his approach. He kept to the script, and was
able to control the front part of the court better. A reversal of last year’s
result, Jason picked up his first title with a richly deserved 3-1 victory.
4.5 – Blake’s Big Break
Going in as the number 1 seed for this category, Blake Ellis certainly held the
advantage over his opposition. He has a winning record against everyone in the
draw with the exception of Tom
MacEachern and that is simply because they haven’t played each other in a
league, ladder or tournament before. That isn’t to say he hasn’t lost to any these people before, he
just wins more often than he loses. As fate would have it, Blake would have to
play Tom in the semifinal for their first ever meeting.
Tom earned his way through with a confident 3-0 win over Mike Counsman. He would have to be very
much on his game to give himself a chance to overcome Blake Ellis as well, as Blake is typically a steady and patient
player and will not be outrun by too many opponents. The constant and steady
play was too much for Tom to handle and Blake got through 3-0.
Getting through from the other side of the draw was Chris Van Tol. Chris has actually hit
form just at the right time it appears, as he has recently been recording some
impressive results in the box ladder with some wins over players ranked well
above him. If the 4.5 draw was done after
those ladder results, Chris would have been number 1 seed! A healthy start to
his tournament, Chris won his first match 3-0 before taking out Mike LoVasco 3-1 in the semifinal.
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| Blake Ellis and Chris Van Tol |
The Blake Ellis v
Chris Van Tol match-up for the final
does have a little history. These two are no strangers to playing each other,
in fact it has been 6 times since last summer with Blake holding a 4-2 lead.
They have also played each other in a club championship final before – way back
in 2012 where again it was Blake getting the edge 3-1 in the 4.0 final. It is –
for now – Blake’s sole title in this tournament. Chris also has a club championship
win under his belt – he won the 2.5 level in 2007. The match was a tale of 2
halves. Chris dictated the first half, carrying on the form that got him to
this position in the first place. It was difficult to see how Blake was going
to get himself back in the match, and for the second half, he really didn’t anything
much different. But Chris did. Not much, but just enough to let the momentum slip
away. All it takes is a few ill-timed unforced errors, the doubt creeps into
the mind, and suddenly the battle ground changes. Blake fought his way back to
2-games all, and the do-or-die 5th was up for grabs. Desperation,
pressure, it all makes a difference. Blake would be steadier of the two when
the final few points were on the line and he would take the game 11-8, earning
his second club championship.
5.0 – Big Day for
Sante
This would be another final that many people would be
looking forward to. Of course, whenever Sante
Fratarcangeli is involved, we all really have no choice but to take notice
since he does make sure the word gets out. And even more so when the final is
against the one opponent he plays more than anybody else: Andy Adamo.
Both Sante and Andy reached the final with relative ease.
Between them they only dropped one game which although is not a shocking
result, I did think they would have a little more resistance along the way.
Since last summer, Sante and Andy have recorded 17 results, many of those
simply challenge matches. Sante was won 11 of those, the most recent win
recorded just 3 days before the final with Sante taking that one 3-1. No doubt
a clever tactic to gain the mental edge. Another interesting statistic, is that
of those 17 matches, only 2 of them ended up 3-0 (both to Sante). The final has
a very good chance of being a close result. Motivation for Andy though – he has
yet to win a club championship, and this would be an excellent time to grab
one. Sante already has 3 singles titles and was going for his 4th.
Simply put, this was not Andy Adamo’s day. But, I really have to give Sante credit. He steps
up well on big occasions. The pressure appears to lift him, and he frequently finds
the extra gear to push himself through difficult situations. From the first
rally, Sante was the alpha male on the court. Andy was really only reacting to
Sante’s game which is too defensive to make any inroads towards victory. Sante
can place another notch on his belt with his 4th club championship title,
this one, a 3-0 assault. Next year, he will have to play on the Open, a
challenge I am sure Sante is quietly relishing.
Open - Chopra’s
Winning Opera
And the one where the winners get to have their name forever
displayed on the walls of the DAC, revered for all eternity, another addition
to the treasured and exalted history. A history that Jed Elley is already a part of – twice. A history that Vikram Chopra has yet to make his name
a permanent etching in these consecrated halls. Would that change this year?
Vikram was denied his chance of such accomplishment in 2015 when
he went down to Jed 3-0 in the final. Determined not to let that happen a
second time, Vikram powered his way through the draw taking no prisoners,
showing no mercy, wanting to prove that he would be the man to beat, and
pounded his opponents 3-0. Jed on the other hand had a little more trouble
reaching the final as he had to contend with multiple club championship winner Peter Logan in the semifinal. The
shrewd veteran gave Jed all he could handle taking the first game 15-13 before
succumbing in the next three.
Setting up a repeat of the 2015 final, Jed and Vikram only
have 1 recorded match since that date. It was back in December in the boasters
league and it was Vikram taking that one 2-1. Both hard hitters, both players move
well. The first game was more the two 'feeling” themselves out. “Establish
length first” is what I tell people, groove your line, get your timing. I’m not
terribly sure Jed and Vikram were all that concerned about any of that, it
looked like they were more interested in scoring quick points. It was a little
scrappy, not particularly tight squash to begin the game, but the score-line
did stay close. Vikram kept his nose in front just enough to take it 11-8. The second
game was pretty much all Vikram. He started to get his rhythm, move the ball around
the corners more effectively, which set up his short game a lot better. Jed
struggled with the movement a little, and before he knew it, had lost that game
11-3.
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| Vikram Chopra and Jed Elley |
Jed had a deep hole to climb out of. One rally at a time is
the only way to get there though, and he started the 3rd game with a
more aggressive attitude. Better lines, straighter, not overly fancy. The
tighter squash threw Vikram off a little and some unforced errors were slithering
themselves in. Jed raced off to a 4-1 lead and although Vikram came back to 8-all,
Jed still gave the impression he was still in charge and had the higher
motivation. And with that, Jed clawed back a game, taking the third 11-8.
It was now Vikram’s turn to shake things up. And he did. A
more offensive mindset, Vikram was now more on his toes and taking that extra step
up to the 'T', injecting a bit more pace into the game. It worked. Quickly,
Vikram had the 7-3 lead. Jed wasn’t giving up though, and the final few
exchanges became noticeably intense, neither player willing to give up position
on the court. However, the advantage was too great and Vikram managed to keep
Jed at bay, taking the 4th game 11-6 and with it his first DAC Club
Champion title!
It was an outstanding night of finals matches – remember,
all of these competitors have earned their right to represent the DAC at the
2017 Farris Cup, we should be in good shape! This season has been nothing short
of sensational, once again court usage totals are at an all-time high. The summer
leagues are kicking off and we also have record numbers in those as well, and
if you haven’t signed up for them make sure you still come down at least a few
times to swing your racquet – don’t be left behind!
