A PAINFUL CLOBBERING

Farris Cup - January 15, 2022

Simply put: No. Chance.

This wasn’t even close. Before the day started, I wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence, even on paper the matchups were not overly attractive for us. And as if the task ahead of us wasn’t almost insurmountable enough, we lost our number 1 player 24 hours before the start of the event due to Canadian Covid protocols. Not that it would have made a lick of difference on the overall result, it just would make the score line a smidgeon less disfigured.

Joe Sheena and Paul Gormley

Kicking the day off, we had Paul Gormley against Joe Sheena (BAC). Scuttlebutt on Joe is that he’s a respectable tennis player that can serve the ball at over 110 mph. His squash serve of course is a carbon copy and he did his utmost to drill the ball through our front wall and send it into the back pavilion. Now at the 2.5 level, serving at that pace is a tremendous weapon. It’s difficult to react and handle effectively. Paul did a reasonable job for the most part and once the rally was going, the two had some decent exchanges. However, brute power ruled the day. Joe got the BAC motor humming early and loudly and took the 3-0 win. The BAC never looked back.

While Paul was fending off the bullets on court 8, Josh Gershonowicz was giving himself every chance to even the deal on court 7 against John Giudici. A lot more controlled pace, Josh took one game to find his feet and rhythm, and the second and third were a lot more balanced. Josh was actually leading in those games and it’s so important to convert opportunities when they arise, but the business end of the sets belonged to John, and he squeezed out both of them in tie-breaks. Another 3-0 win for BAC.

It didn’t improve for the DAC. The next 2 singles matches were decided in even quicker fashion. We were now 4 results into the day, and we hadn’t made even a slight dent into the score board. 4 matches to zero. 12 games to zero. My foreshadowing was becoming a reality in a hurry. However, a brief moment of joy relieved the gloom momentarily - AJ Peleman and won his match 3-0! A notch in the DAC win column! Was there hope?

Logan, O'Connor, Mehta, Payne

For a while, it looked like the vortex of despair was creeping onto our doubles court as well. Peter Logan and Joe O’Connor were definitely one of my (few) favorites on the day, but to my bewilderment they were looking down at a straight sets loss after losing the first 2 games to Henry Payne and Mehul Mehta. The glimmer of optimism that AJ had set alight was fading fast. But all was not lost. The comeback was in full gear. Peter didn’t come all the way from Montana to go down in a screaming heap in three. A comprehensive third and fourth game turnaround, the fifth was closer until about 8-all when the DAC team started to string together some points and they finished off the match in fine style. It was now 2 matches to 4… could we make something of this after all?

Ummm… no. We could not.

The singles results were coming in thick and fast. It was complete one-way traffic. It was ugly. Of the 14 singles matches for the day, we lost eight of them 3-0. Plus add on 4 more losses that were 3-1 or 3-2, that’s 12 of the 14. To win the Farris Cup, 9 is the magic number. 

Wins for the DAC were scarce. Our third victory for the day also came via the doubles court. Robin Basil and Ryan Covell have turned themselves into rather proficient doubles players. Their racquetball background no doubt very helpful here, they recognize and execute angles that are unconventional but are also the base of what the doubles tactics should be. Effective being the operative word. They were unlucky not to take their match 3-0, I believe the game they lost (2nd), was 14-15. They deserved the ‘W’, they were the better team this day.

Some other diamonds amongst the rough here, special mention to Jordon Dean. Jordan was scheduled to play at 10am and his opponent was nowhere to be seen. After an exhaustive search by the BAC team, eventually the fellow was found, and he rocked up 2 hours late. Jordan was still very eager to play his match, so I commend his sportsmanship and effort for the day. We were unfortunate not to see the encounter, it was played upstairs, and probably one of the best matches of the day with an epic 5-setter. Jordan unluckily on the wrong end of the result.

Matt Paradiso and Jack Parks

Also, I would like to shout out Matt Paradiso. I am very impressed with his game. He took on a tough opponent in Jack Parks, who can run like a jack rabbit (pun intended). Matt stays very calm on court regardless of the situation, and even though he went down 3-1, I felt that he is more than capable of winning matches of this caliber. A little more experience is needed - it’s not just being more consistent with tightness and unforced errors, some shot choices at critical junctures also let him down. He’s a quick study however, and he’ll will be a better player after this.

All eyes at the end of the day were on the 2 club champions going head-to-head. Even though the Farris Cup was long ago decided, there was still interest amongst the clubs as to who has the top-dog overall. Vikram Chopra for the DAC versus Jess Berline for the BAC. It was a curious contrast. Jess is a smooth customer, flowing technique, clean striker. He knows how to finish a rally, hunts the volley well. However, his movement is suspect. Vikram on the other hand cracks the ball very hard with a whippy technique that can be difficult to read. 

Jess Berline and Vikram Chopra

He likes pace in the game but can be inconsistent with his hitting. He does, however, hold an important advantage in that he moves quicker than Jess. A telling factor at the end of this match. The players swapped games. Vik the first, Jess the second, Vik the third, Jess again in the fourth. But by this stage, going into that 5th, I knew Vik had him beat. Jess was struggling with the fitness and movement. He was hanging back off the ’T’, shoulders were starting to slump, he was becoming flat-footed. Vik’s key was to be steady and patient. He was also tired, but importantly he was less tired than Jess. He needed not to force the short ball but wait for that opportunity. He executed that game plan almost flawlessly and Vik took the 5th in comfortable fashion, and small victory for the DAC at the end of a day that needed some positiveness for us.

Brian Rassel...!

The overall result: 13-4. Ugh. Congratulations to the BAC, we will be licking our wounds here for some time. This being the 17th episode - we started way back in 2005 - the BAC now leads 9 wins to 8. At the end of the day, though, it’s all about getting together and celebrating what the Farris Cup is all about - honoring the late John Farris for who the Cup is named after, and the continued healthy relationship between the DAC and BAC. Breaking bread and clinking glasses after the matches is - in reality - more important than the games of squash itself.

Thank you to all that participated. I just have one more shout out before I leave you. I am very grateful to Brian Rassel for being able to fill in for us last moment after we lost Stefan in our lineup. It’s not always easy to jump in unprepared. So, I guess we can forgive Brian for forgetting to pack his collar and jacket for the luncheon and accidentally bringing his pajamas instead. Very fashionable, mate… very fashionable.

 

THE COULD’VE’S AND THE SHOULD’VE’S

Farris Cup 2020

The “would’ve’ s” “if-only ‘s”, the “what-about ’s”… the fumble in the end-zone on the end of the game winning touchdown… Okay, okay, it wasn’t quite as dramatic as that but this one did sting a little. Sometimes I feel we have a little of the Lions curse hanging over the DAC squash team as we get so close to winning matches but somehow find a way to let it slip. Is it our proximity to Ford Field? Has that black magic voodoo seeped through the outer walls of courts 7 and 8?

Last year, the BAC comprehensively spanked us 11 matches to 6 and at no stage were we anywhere close to making it a contest. This year was a different story. One of the most competitive days between the 2 clubs in recent memory, only 5 of the overall 17 matches ended up with a 3-0 score line. And - in all seriousness - that is the perfect spirit of the Farris Cup. When we have days like this, which club ends up winning is secondary. (It also eases the ‘sting’ considerably!)

The day kicked off at 9.15am with 2 singles matches. Mario Ferrini was tested early by not only Warwick Stirling but also by the BAC’s new glass side wall squash court, recently converted over the Xmas break. Taking a little to get used to the bounce and orientation, Mario eventually found his footing and the DAC struck first blood with a 3-1 victory.

Rick Paige and Robbie Biskup

Julie Vande Vusse was battling her opponent on a more conventional court and was finding it difficult to put him away. Bill Venner just kept hanging on, kept on hustling, kept on being enough of a nuisance to stretch the match not only to 5 games but all the way to a tie-break as well, saving 1 match-ball along the way. His persistence paid off and the 12-10 in the 5th win kicked off the BAC campaign.

An interesting matchup between Robbie Biskup and Rick Paige. Robbie has only a couple of seasons experience and is young, improving, athletic, tall… all the things us old folk are dreadfully jealous about. Rick is one of us in that sense - very experienced (!) but recently had to change from a right hander to a leftie because of a shoulder injury. Hats off to Rick for perseverance - I am not sure I could do that myself - and understandably he has dropped a couple of playing levels just so he can continuing playing. Even with his left arm, Rick gave Robbie a tough run for his money. Remarkable touch into the front corners, Robbie used every inch of his athleticism to chase down Rick’s drops. The longer rallies was the advantage Robbie needed and he took the win 3-1.

Matt Paradiso, Nathan Marsden

Matt Paradiso had a nervous start against Nathan Marsden losing the first game but he managed to calm down the jitters in the second with stronger hitting and less errors (always seems helpful). Matt was a lot more comfortable in games 3 and 4 and added to the DAC’s tally taking the match 3-1.

By the time the first doubles match was over… which was John Mann and birthday boy Scott Beals  - his b’day was the Friday and the lads were having joyous festivities in the DAC practicing their doubles play and practicing celebrating their upcoming doubles win with a few wobbly-pops - practice that clearly paid off since they won 3-1!… the DAC was enjoying a dream start to the day with a 4 match to 1 lead.

Then the cracks in the armor were starting to appear. Mike Petix had his chances against John Giudici but couldn’t maintain the consistency he needed and he lost in 4. Andy Adamo was always going to have a tough run against Brad Steel but with a little more fitness, Andy could have taken the match. Brad won 3-1 but Andy did have a game ball in the 4th.

Scott Beals, John Mann

In the tightest result of the day, Michael Wilson and Joe Bigelman gave themselves a ‘tour-de-court’ for over 60 minutes. Michael started off rather sketchy in the first, looking a little out of sorts having trouble finding his strings consistently and reading his opponent. But settling in, he pulled himself together and although it wasn’t easy, he did look in command with a 2 games to 1 lead. But Joe wasn’t about to roll over, he fought back hard taking the 4th and laying it all on the line in the 5th. The two went at it deep into the tie-break, both players having their chances to close out rallies, letting their opponents back into the point, hitting a couple of unforced errors, shanking a winner here and there… with eventually Joe walking off the 14-12 in the 5th victor… a body-blow to the DAC for sure.

Our second doubles match also did not go as planned. Bill Oddo and John Dunwoody started their mission positively winning the first game but it all unraveled after that. Their 1-3 result probably surprised them more than anyone else.

We did manage to steady the ship a little after Chris MacKenzie’s 3-0 win and David de la Torre getting through 3-1, but by the time the last round of matches were starting, the BAC had tied up the day and we were now 6 matches a piece. We had 4 singles and 1 doubles match to go.

Jess Berline, Stefan Houbtchev

On two of these singles matches, the BAC were clearly too strong. The quick 3-0 victories really put the pressure on us since now we had zero margin of error. We had to win all the remaining matches. Vikram Chopra kept us in the game taking care of business against Jack Parks 3-0, and then all eyes were on the last singles match of the day, Stefan Houbtchev v Jess Berline. My money was on Stefan here, and for 3 games I was feeling comfortable with that assessment. At 2-1 up, he did look the fitter of the two, and more in control of the rallies. But, Jess is hardly a slouch. His experience really started to show. It was relatively simple stuff… patience, minimal unforced errors, some clever angles that caught Stefan on his heels… Stefan got antsy under the heightened pressure and was now on the defensive, more scared to lose rather than looking to win. Jess was too mentally tough in the end and took a well deserved 5 set victory - the result that secured the Farris Cup for the BAC.

As it turned out, we also lost the last doubles match 3-1, so we ended up losing the day 10 matches to 7. The result felt like it was a lot closer than that though.

Congratulations to the BAC! They figured out a way to win those tight matches, it was the difference in the end. Once again our trophy cabinet will feel a little empty for the next 12 months, we will need to work harder net year if we wish to decorate that shelf again.

This was the 16th running of the Farris Cup, overall the BAC and the DAC have won the title 8 times each. Fitting.

NO MATCH FOR THE BAC

BAC team captain Derrick Glencer

Farris Cup 2019

It was ominous. After winning the Farris Cup the past 2 years, the BAC were hardly going to sit idly by and not add a little beef to their lineup. When I received their team, it was pretty much what I expected it to be: Impressively deep. We were going to be in for a punishingly difficult day. We would need our players to be at their absolute best, and we would need some luck on the way as well if we were to have any chance of retaining the coveted trophy.

Such is the relationship between the 2 clubs now, more and more players are members of both. It makes the atmosphere so much more amiable, and it was marvelous to see the social interactions as such that an outsider would not be able to tell which person represented which club. This was the 15th running of the event, and up until today, the DAC held a tight 8 to 6 advantage. It was noted today - thanks to the research of Walter Oerhlein - that 4 of the representatives also took to the court in the inaugural year of 2005: Peter Schmidt and John McRoberts from the BAC and John Roarty and John Dunwoody from the DAC. That’s longevity!

Julie Vande Vusse

I am all about inclusivity. Up until 2012, we only had 18 players per team and in 2013 it was expanded to 20 to include the 2.5 division. And up until 2018, every single player had been male. That changed this year when we introduced the first ever female competitor in the history of the Farris Cup: Julie Vande Vusse. Unfortunately, her match didn’t go as we had hoped, but I was extremely pleased to have her represent the club. I certainly hope more women will follow suit in future years.

Julie wasn’t alone in her performance. The cookie wasn’t exactly crumbling the way we wanted it to. John Roarty put up a valiant effort but the consistency of John McRoberts proved to be too much. It was a close 3-1 result, but ‘close’ doesn’t put a mark in our win column. And ‘close’ started to be a little bit of a recurring theme for the DAC.

David de la Torre was not someone I expected was going to win against Jordan Yellen. A quick leftie with a quality boast. David started off fantastically - 11-3 in 5 minutes, catching Jordan by surprise with his power and fine length to his backhand corner. As expected though, Jordan came out a different player in the 2nd game and the tide turned, Dave had to work a lot harder. Too hard? Those extra couple cheeseburgers were probably starting to cause some guilt as Dave struggled to keep pace, losing the next 2 games. But he dug in. He somehow found some energy reserves to take the 4th and force a decider. However, by that time, the milkshakes was screaming at him as well. Jordan held on to win 3-2. It was the best I had seen Dave play for quite a while, so it was a great effort. Now stop ordering pizza.

As all this was unfolding, the first doubles match was also finishing up. This one I thought we had a decent chance, but once again we failed at the finish line. Bill Oddo and John Dunwoody had a 2-1 lead on Tom Post and Nick Post and were looking healthy. But closing it out was a massive problem. It wasn’t to be, luck or otherwise, another 3-2 loss for the DAC. By this time, were now 5 matches to 0 down and it was on the verge of getting very ugly.

Hail our savior! (Temporarily at least!) Andrew Peleman stopped the rot and at last got the DAC on the right side of the board with a 3-0 victory over Nick Barker. However, my elation was short-lived. We were being out-gunned at every other turn… their fire power was coming at us from every angle… there was nothing we could do! Nowhere to turn! It was a slaughter I tell you! A slaughter!! … Meh, maybe a tad over-reaction, but it wasn’t pretty.

Another ‘close’ loss came from Riley English who really had his work cut out for him against Max Franklin. On paper, it should have been a comfortable 3-0 for Max - and it was 3-0 - but it was anything but comfortable. Riley blasted his way to a 9-1 lead in the first game but then somehow figured out a way to lose that game 12-10. I am not even sure how one can do that even if you wanted to. It takes effort to lose from that position: it must have stung. Good news though, Riley didn’t let that setback get him down and he attacked the second and third games with just as much vigor and effort as the first. In fact, Riley reached to 10 points in all three games before Max, and if he could only remember that in squash, to win a game, you need 11 points, he may have actually won 3-0 instead. Riley’s next lesson may have a mathematical component to it. He played very well though - so it was another exceptional effort!

We pulled a couple of matches back with wins from Mack Gembis and Mario Ferrini but it just for fluff. By now the Farris Cup was out of our reach. Another 5-set loss on the doubles court - which again, was a great effort from our lads Ryan Covell and George Kordas (team “Co-Ko”??) against veterans Peter Schmidt and Jon Uffelman but tight losses are exactly that: losses - and the BAC had reached the magic win number of 9. Now we had to save face.

Step up Stefan Houbtchev, our newest hot-shot as he took on the BAC club champion Seth Rogers. This was no contest, as Stefan showed and proved his superiority here, but I also commend Seth. His effort is always second to none, no matter the score, no matter how tired he may be, he never gives up. Very special quality.

Joey Gaylord and Kevin Thomas

Vikram Chopra also helped us look somewhat more respectable with his 3-0 win over Terry Barr, and we were down to watching the final match play out - another 5-setter on the doubles court. We all could witness a treat here, as our lads  - Joey Gaylord and Kevin Thomas - honoring the clothing rule of the BAC, presented themselves in an all-white ensemble from the “Bob Thibodeau” collection, silky long trousers, a button-up polo and a woolen vest picked up from theme of the 1938 English Test Cricket Team. Ahhh yes, a throwback to the good ol’ days, all that was missing were the wooden racquets (cricket bats?) and the comb-over hair styles. Traditional garb did not bring out traditional squash, in fact both teams produced a rather unorthodox style of doubles. Kevin couldn’t quite decide whether or not hitting the ball while sliding, diving or lying on the floor was more effective for him than standing up, and quite often the attacking shot (from all of them) of the half-soft-lob to the middle of the court straight on the opponents forehand volley, was a tactic one should be living by long term. It was though, Joey and Kevin making the DAC score board appear somewhat more honorable and we picked up that last match 3-2.

 

The final tally: BAC - 11 v DAC - 6

So we have to relinquish the Farris Cup for the next 12 months. Full credit to the BAC, they were - simply put - too good. We were gracious in defeat, thank to all of our players for their gallant endeavors. The BAC were distinguished in their victory, a big thank you to them as well for their sportsmanship, respect and achievement. But beware… we’ll be back in 2020 for ya!

EXCITING FARRIS CUP FINISH

Farris Cup 2018

Greatest wins of all time in sports are generally synonymous with last second heroics. Buzzer beaters in basketball, last play touchdowns in football, overtime goals in hockey, walk-off home runs in baseball… and of course in terms for squash and the Farris Cup, last match valiance, stepping up under the daunting pressure of win or send your entire team home.

The Birmingham Athletic Club hosted the 14th edition of the Farris Cup, a now established and most highly regarded event between the two clubs. As usual, we were treated with open arms and welcomed as if we were part of their membership. Of course, that didn’t stop us from wanting to kick their behinds and having me drag the awkwardly big trophy back to our court area cabinet, making its visit to the BAC halls as brief as possible.

My pre-event, soothsayer thoughts of this year’s outcome was one of uncertainty. Some matches I was fairly confident of the result, some were complete unknowns as I didn’t recognize the names, and some were certainly up for grabs. Most importantly - and I believe I speak for most of us - is that no matter which club wins, the score line is competitive. No one wants a one sided clobbering. We got what we wanted.

Gus Ploss and Brian Salkowski

Our quest started off in an encouraging fashion. John Rogers was simply too steady and quick for his counterpart to take all 3 games giving us the perfect start to the day. Gus Ploss was initially not as smooth, however. Recently coming back from a long term injury, Gus needed a game to find his feet a little. But he started to find his groove shortly thereafter, and was able to recognize his open court opportunities more regularly. As confidence grew, each game become a fraction easier and the 3-1 win was in the bag. The BAC, though, did pull one back early. Brad Steel tackled our Blake Ellis and although Blake has been playing well recently, he just wasn’t fit enough to outlast Brad’s consistency and endless good length. Blake got within reach in a couple of the games but Brad never looked too ruffled or worried. 3-0 BAC.

Bob Dodge and David Pontes

Our good form continued into the next round of matches. Han Peng had a nervous start to his campaign, considering this was the first time - ever - he had played squash outside the DAC! His opponent looked like he worked out fairly regularly and as it turned out he was a fitness trainer. Han was in for a hard time, especially since the jitters got the better of him in the first game and he hit some uncharacteristic wild unforced errors. He did calm down for the second thankfully and started to extend the rallies, finding the middle of the strings and worked himself back into contention. But it was a slog. In the end, Han proved the stronger of the two and walked off with a shirt drenched 3-1victory. Add on David Pontes’ 3-1 score and suddenly the DAC pushed ahead with a 4-1 lead.

That was as large as it was going to get.

Claude Mencotti is 65 years old, but you wouldn’t call him old. He certainly doesn’t play like he is as John Mann can attest to. No matter what John did, how hard he ran or hit it, Claude was lapping it up giving John a free tour of all four corners of court 2. As John was playing fetch, one court over, Mike Parker held a steadier hand for the first two games, squeaking them out by just a couple of points. That was enough to mentally ravage his opponent as the third became a train wreck for the BAC lad. Mike was 10-0 up before giving up the point and missing out on the bagel.

Our 3 match lead was currently still intact.

Let’s divert our attention for a moment to the doubles. On paper, our A team were the underdog. The BAC’s Jon Uffelman and Peter Schmidt are very experienced and quite frankly, very good at this game. Peter Logan and Robin Basil had an arduous mission ahead of them. And they almost pulled off the unlikely upset. They lost the first 2 games 15-14, won the third before succumbing in the 4th. It easily could have been ours. And we also could have had the next doubles result! John Dunwoody and Bob Burton made life difficult for themselves early giving up the first to games to Joe O’Connor and Nick Post. It is a monumental task at any level to come back from a 2-0 deficit, you give up any margin of error. John and Bob got their act together, however. It wasn’t quick, but it doesn’t have to be. They clawed their way back into the contest to even it up a 2 games apiece pushing the pressure squarely back onto Joe and Nick. But the BAC team responded in the 5th and proved to be a little more stubborn taking the last game 15-12.

The third and final doubles of the match went on, and we’ll get back to that in a minute. It was more meaningful that what all four players would realize.

Our lead was slowly eroding away. Mark Gregory gave us a little breathing room with his 3-0 win over Ryan MacVoy, but losses to Chris Van Tol (all 3 games were decided by 2 points), Andy Adamo, Robin Basil and James Van Dyke and the DAC were blindsided with a Bomb Cyclone. The tide had suddenly turned.

We were now trailing the BAC 7 matches to 8. Two results to come in. We had to win them both.

Jed Elley with the Farris Cup

Appropriately, both clubs played their Aces for the final singles match of the day. The respective club champions went head to head. Seth Rogers v Jed Elley. Seth is remarkably awkward to play, retrieves some of the most incredible balls and is as resolute gutsy and as they come. Jed had a specific game plan going in and he was a little wayward with that game plan in the first game finding himself 10-7 game ball down. The turning point could be traced back to this rally where Seth called for a ‘let’ and was wanting a stroke. I understand he wanted a stroke - he had game ball after all - but the correct call of ‘let’ was played. Maybe it hurt Seth psyche, maybe it didn’t, but Jed picked off the lead to snatch the first game away. I think the mental victory was bigger than the lead on the score board. Jed then went on to execute his game plan better in the second and third. And Seth worked hard as Jed moved him around the court, never giving up, never letting go. He at no time made it easy for Jed, but on this day it was Jed who was certainly the better player. Not by much, but just enough. 3-0 DAC.

8 matches each. It was all down to the final doubles match.

Jason Currie and JC Tibbitts

As Jed was trying to catch his breath, JC Tibbitts and Jason Currie were just completing their first game win against Jack Parks and Max Surnow. Obviously the start we needed and very helpful considering the players were keenly aware that the fate of the Farris Cup was now weighing squarely on their shoulders. All eyes on the match, JC and Jason got off to a strong start in the second game, but gave it up in ugly fashion with some poor unforced errors allowing the BAC team to get the score back to 13-all. Luck can definitely play a role at this stage of the game, but we didn’t really need it since our boys pulled their socks up and shrugged off the previous few lousy points and slotted a couple of committed winners to finish off the game and grab the 2-0 lead. One more game to go, once again JC and Jason started out with a convincing mentality and created a worrying lead for their opponents. This time, they held firm and did not allow any momentum change to materialize and won the third game comfortably.

 

And with that, the DAC would retain the title! 9 matches to 8. Wow.

It was our day. What a great effort from our team especially since it was played at the BAC. It is only the 3rd time we have won on their turf, the first time since 2010. Overall we now hold an 8 Farris Cup Titles to 6 advantage. A huge thank you to the BAC for their wonderful hospitality and sportsmanship and we look forward to defending the Cup next year!