THE CREAM IS RISING

Boasters League round 6~~

Busy, busy, busy. Now, that was more like it. Courts were full, people were waiting, racquets were swinging, keg was in overdrive… this is the atmosphere that we remember and love. Certainly the highest number of matches that we have had completed this season on a league night, I hope this trend continues for the remainder of the season. As I always say, there is still room for more – you can never have enough squash players in the world – and if we need to sardine you into the courts, we will. Nice and snug. Or, give us more courts…?

The standout team for week 6… Butter Nutz. Most matches, most bonus points, most overall points. They picked up 45 points this week and extended their lead atop the standings to 15. Wardogs were the second best performers with a total of 39 points and must look like a speck on the horizon for the remaining chasing crowd. Two teams share third (overall bonus points separate them only) but are a massive 31 points back. Keep in mind though, that both Butter Nutz and Wardogs still have a bye week to endure so there is still a slim chance they could be caught.

Not surprisingly, if you ranked the teams in order of total bonus points after 6 weeks, the top 3 teams wouldn’t change. The lowest 4 teams would also be the lowest 4 teams although in a slightly different order. Additionally, if you ranked all the teams on how many matches they have played, order would be exactly the same. Something to chew over…

Let’s pick some memorable moments from last night… Matthew Peleman (Butter Nutz) and John Stelter (Winky-Dinks) proved beyond any reasonable doubt that running twice as much as necessary is absolutely unnecessary. However, for the casual observer (me, in this case) it was undeniably entertaining. Fittingly, the third game decided the winner here, both players doing their utmost not to spit out a lung. Matthew ended up with the spoils, and as he came off court quipped, “I’m so fat!” which he isn’t, but it didn’t stop him from making his way downstairs for a diet beer.

In another monumental effort not to spit out a lung, Greg Baker (Wardogs) forced himself through the hazy fog of exhaustion, taking the first 2 games against Mike Parker (Mongoose) but succumbing on wobbly knees in the third as chasing down Mike’s persistent boasts were a few hundred steps too many. And I take personal delight in shouting out Sam Quilter (Butter Nutz), who picked up her 5^th win of the season and is showing improvement every week, her hard practice work paying off.

Other noteworthy memories… John Roarty (Vivio’s) picked up one for the veterans as he took down his younger counterpart James Van Dyke (Nicker Ballers) 2-1; Steven Siegel (Wardogs) remains undefeated with his 2-1 victory over Dino Ricci (Mongoose), handing Dino his first loss of the half; and Tripp Kennedy (Nick at Night) improves to 4 and 1 overall after handing Spencer Eick (On the Rocks) his first defeat with a 2-1 score line.  

As we tiptoe into week 7, everybody needs to take a careful look at their match count. Time is running out for you to get your 5 matches up. Don’t be left scrambling last minute, that generally will end badly. Keep in mind that you do have a week off during Thanksgiving, so try your best to play, play, play. We have 34 players who have already reached that benchmark, only 119 to go. Speaking of Thanksgiving, which Detroit Lions team will turn up that Day against the Bears? Was it smart to trade Golden Tate so early in the season? Is that pencil stuck permanently in Matt Patricia’s ear? What’s he hiding under his Grizzly Adams beard? Who thought those hideous grey uniforms they wore against the Cowboys was a great idea? They are a mysterious team….