THE ROUND TWO HULLABALLOO

Boasters League round 2~~

Not much action on the standings this week which is rather unusual considering it’s very early in the season and you’d expect a lot of movement as teams find their way back to the courts. In fact, of the 8 teams in action, 7 of them all picked up between 21 and 26 points this week, making the ladder nice and tight and without a runaway squad for a change. Still, Butter Nutz (!!) remain on top, but only by the slimmest of margins.

The outstanding team this week was Winky-Dinks. After a round 1 bye, they scored 33 points (so far) for round 2 and had 14 of their 17 players here for the bonus point. That’s a dangerous sign for the rest of the league if they keep this type of presence going forward. On the other hand, if Vivio’s continue on their current bonus point path, they will unquestionably be a stretch to reach the finals. Just 5 of their players were here yesterday, and only 13 so far in the first two rounds combined. (Less than the Winky-Dinks from last night alone!)

Competitive matches were abound, so let’s cherry pick some highlights… Andy Adamo (Nicker Ballers) looked absolutely stunning going into the match against JC Tibbitts (Butter Nutz) wearing his new hot lava colored Salmings. A first game blitz that was everything to do with the shoes, he dominated the court, never has he been so quick. Unfortunately though, the shoes cooled off and JC was no longer blinded by the flash of orange-y~red-ish streaks assaulting all his short shots. Through the smell of burning rubber, JC accomplished the comeback for a 2-1 win.

Max Franklin (Wardogs) upset the bookies this week taking down Robin Basil (Vivio’s) 2-1. Now I use the word ‘upset’ a little lightly here as Max is more than capable of beating almost anyone in the club, but his current record hasn’t really reflected that… yet. Never underestimate. Also, the fact that Robin was wearing a racquetball shirt on a squash league night… he kinda bought the loss on himself…

Tom Fabbri (Winky-Dinks) could not have it any closer. Splitting the first 2 games against Mike Parker (Mongoose), the 3^rd went down to the wire. Yes, I am talking a 14-14, sudden-death, winner takes all, no more prisoners, no more mercy. Tom, who is not known for his mercy, didn’t hand out any. He escaped with the win!

Other results that are worth a splash of daylight include… Paul Van Tol’s (Winky-Dinks) 2-1 by-the-skin-of-his-teeth victory over Paul Huth (Mongoose); David de la Torre’s (Nicker Ballers) comeback from 0-1 down to overpower the in-form Ryan MacVoy (Butter Nutz) 2-1; and a cough-free Rich Stimson (Vivio’s), happy to be able to fill his lungs to capacity for a change, taking advantage of that misplaced skill and winning 2-1 over John Perkins (Wardogs).

The Wednesday night crowds have so far been pretty decent, but there is always room for improvement. I am of course hoping for a continuing trend. Even though plenty of members are utilizing the courts on league night, I would like to see a few more matches completed, not just pick-up friendlies. Speaking of friendly, I wonder how many more weeks Paul Huth will yell at me for moving Helen French off his team for the second half… ?