North American Racquets Association
BOSTON
MONTREAL
TUXEDO
Philadelphia
NEW YORK
DETROIT
CHICAGO
Click on the above Logos for current Club News
|
North American Racquets Association
BOSTON
MONTREAL
TUXEDO
Philadelphia
NEW YORK
DETROIT
CHICAGO Click on the above Logos for current Club News
|
|
|
MONTREAL RACKET CLUB
Montreal, Mayhem and
Mjolnirs
Canadian Amateur Rackets
Championships-January 2008
The 2008 version of the Canadian Amateur Championships is complete as
the Montreal Racket Club was heaving with top flight players all
weekend. Over 50 gentlemen immersed themselves in the estrogen-free
competition that included 24 from the United Kingdom.
In
the top half bracket US Amateur titleholder, Mark Farmiloe, took on
local Bart Sambrook in one of the semifinals. Sambrook earned the
semifinalist slot by upsetting #1 seeded James Coyne (note to Mark
Agate: We suggest implementing bed checks next time! Two hours sleep
wasn’t helpful for Mr. Coyne). Farmiloe flogged Sambrook by winning 3
games to none, 15-4, 15-5 and 15-10 to enter Sunday’s final.
In
the other singles semifinal, Ben Bomford (defending doubles champion)
took on Rupert Owen-Browne (2nd seed and 8 time Canadian
champion). This match also failed to produce a 4th game as
Bomford took down Owen-Browne rather easily 15-9, 15-10 and 15-6.
Bommers used an extremely steady racket and let the popular Owen-Browne
make the mistakes. The singles final was set for the two Mjolnirs to
square off, Bomford versus Farmiloe.
In
the finals, Bommers and Farmiloe put on a fabulous 5 game match as Mark
bested the weary Bomford 3 games to 2. Farmiloe found himself down 10-5
in the 5th game and really needed to start playing like a
pardoned prisoner in order to win the hardware. Well, Warden Bomford
threw the keys to Farmiloe as Mark rallied with ten straight unanswered
points to win 15-10 and replaced Alex Coldicott as Canadian Amateur
Champion.
Because of the nature of the court, nuclear rackets winter was delayed
as Farmiloe held off serving up laser-guided serves until the third
game. Up 3-0 Farmiloe unfurled “The” serve that probably scrambled
Canadian Air Defense planes. Game scores were 15-4; 12-15; 15-11; 7-15;
15-10.
In
one doubles semifinals, Owen-Browne and Karel Nemec beat the team of
Mjolnir mother Mark Agate and Farmiloe in a match that saw Owen-Browne
and Nemec win the last three games with game scores being 13-15; 2-15;
15-8; 16-13; 15-9. Defending Canadian Doubles champs Bomford and Alistar
Gourlay also won in 5 games 15-7; 15-8; 16-18; 3-15; 15-6.
Owen-Browne and Nemec were seeking their fourth Canadian Doubles title
and took on the mighty Mjolnir team of Bomford and Gourlay. The Mjolnir
team took a 2 games to one lead but dropped the final two games and
snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Weekend Awards
Hospitality Award-
Goes to Jeff Usher-Jones for housing the traveling fellows. Matt
Walker/Detroit, Adam Maltz/Chicago, James Telling/Tuxedo and Chris
Trigg/Boston
Weather Award-
To Mother Nature herself for keeping the temperature to something just
above absolute zero
The What Were They Thinking Award?-
To Bryce for running out of draught Kilkenny on
FRIDAY (isn’t draught beer the high margin stuff?)
And finally……..
The Mike Keiser Award
(awarded to the person who most expertly places his face squarely in the
path of a locomotive-sized fist traveling at Mach 3) to Matt G. Note to
Matt: Firstly, fist was attached to a B-O-U-N-C-E-R and secondly it was
a biker bar. Congratulations, we hope the voices stop talking to you
after that dustup.
The Thursday stag highlight was the unveiling of the Tom Price trophy
(over 50s) and presentation to Tim Price. Thanks to E Denis Walsh
for his attention to this wonderful tribute to a great rackets man.
Introduced as new Mjolnirs were Nick James and Will Morse.
As the season comes to a close, the NARA Board would like
all members to consider attending the two remaining events, Tuxedo over
Presidents’ Weekend and the Western Open in Detroit, February 28th
to March 2nd. NARA also would also encourage attending the
T&RA Centenary celebration starting April 23- 27th. Go to
www.tennisandrackets.com
for up to the minute news of this event or contact your NARA club
representative.
Submitted on 1/29/08 by: Jeffrey L Durkes
January 23, 2007 The Canadian Amateur 2007 Update
Tim Bradley - MRC VP Canadian Amateur Doubles Champs
Scott Pritchard - MRC President
The 2007 version of the Canadian Amateur
Championship was a series of firsts. It was Scott Pritchard’s first as the
president. It was Ryan Tulley’s first as the MRC professional. I think it
was the first time the finals of both singles and doubles did not include a
player over 28. It was the first major title for Mark Agate’s Mjolnirs
group. I could go on, but I will leave that to television and their stat
fanatics.
Accounted By: Ace MacLellan November 2006
Gentlemen,
Photos During Renovation:
For the first time since World War II, there was no Canadian Amateur Championships played at the end of January. Because of the damage to the walls of the court, the event was forced from its regular January slot and pushed back to mid-March. Once again, the MRC and NARA would like to thank the Detroit Racquet Club and all their members for switching dates and allowing repairs to the Montreal court to be done to make it ready for play. The weekend also featured the Tom Price Cup, an event for players 50 and over. The draws were small, but those who were in Montreal enjoyed a great weekend that included some great matches, lots of fun and exquisite food. The following is a report of the weekend written by DRC member and bon vivant, Michael Goodell:
The turnout was more modest than that to which Montrealers have grown accustomed, but that didn't stop the competitors from having a fine time, on and off the court. Among those present were the intrepid trio of Chicagoans, Tim Merrill, Steve Moss and Jeff Durkes, and Richard Bernstein from Boston. Detroit sent its usual contingent of three players and six trainers, including rookie Tom "Oyster Bar" Brandel. Queen's Club contributed Alistair Gourlay and Fergie Miller to the cause. Lou Habina carried the flag for Philadelphia, and Kendrick de Konig represented Chicago, New York, Detroit and Colorado. In addition, Ted Molson, formerly of Montreal and Eton, appeared representing Princeton University. Molson was one of a quartet of young Brits, which also included three Amateur Racquets Fellows. Building on the successful program initiated eleven years ago in Detroit, this year saw four Clubs hosting English players enjoying their gap years. Olly Howick, (Detroit), Tom Floyd, (Tuxedo) and Chris Hammond, (Philadelphia), rounded out the field of out of towners. Montreal mustered some sixteen home-grown players for the tournament, including such stalwarts as Bart Sambrook, Ralph Difiore, Jamie Heward, Ron Kaulbach, Tim Bradley, Tim Price, Scott Pritchard, James Madon, Sterling Mawhinney, Blair Barwick, Doug Reynolds, Mike McLernon, Paul Beattie, Andrew Ness, Sean Faguy, Peter Johnson, Claude Perron, Hugh Blakely and Johan and Carl Bjurstrom. In addition to the Canadian Amateurs, Montreal also hosted, for the first time, the Tom Price 50 and over tournament. Thanks to James Madon's diligent tournament management, the weekend ran smoothly.
With a dearth of world class players at the top, and the inclusion of a second competition, several players enjoyed extensive time on the court. Included in this number were Tim Bradley and Ron Kaulbach, both of whom played eleven matches over the weekend. Doug Reynolds and James Madon were not far behind. Reynolds and Bradley squared off in the Tom Price Singles Finals, around noon on Saturday. It was pretty much a question of the last man standing winning. Reynolds won the first game 15-11, but faltered in the second. Bradley enjoyed leads of 11-6 and 14-9, but was visibly tiring as he struggled to claim the deciding point. As an observer in the gallery noted, AGive Reynolds the smallest opening, and he will ferret his way in.@ And so he did, closing the gap to 13-14 before Bradley managed to summon the strength to win. In the deciding game Bradley rode his serve to a 9-0 advantage before tiring again. Reynolds steadily narrowed the gap, closing to 12-13, but there wasn't enough left in the tank to get any closer.
Aside from Madon's first round victory, and Bradley's shocking upset of number three seed Miller, the early rounds of the Amateurs proceeded as expected. Although in another entertaining early match, Paul Beattie outfought, outplayed, and outshouted Gourlay to win in three games. Young Molson surprised observers with the strength of his game, setting up a much-anticipated quarterfinal showdown with second seeded Difiore. The Princetonian won a fiercely contested first game, 16-13, and seemed to be on cruise control in the second. Serving at 7-0, he reacted strongly to a fault call on a very close serve. It appeared to have broken his concentration, and in no time Difiore was ahead 12-7. The Montreal player took a bit off his serves, allowing them to die on the back wall. His serving prowess, combined with a series of unforced errors by Molson, allowed him to cruise to a 15-8 victory. Molson gamely attempted to rally in the third, serving to good effect. In fact, his first nine points came by way of ace or service winner. Unfortunately for him, when the ball was put in play, Difiore won the rallies. Molson led throughout the game, but when Difiore won a lengthy rally to reclaim the service box at 9-12, it seemed the writing was on the wall. At 10-12, Difiore left a ball high off the back wall, but Molson hit the kill into the telltale. Longish points ensued for the balance of the game, with Difiore winning them all, and the game, 15-12. In the semifinals, Sambrook faced off against Howick, who had earlier learned an important lesson about letting his opponent show him around town the night (and morning) before his match, barely outlasting the wily P.J. Johnson, 15-12, 16-13. Sambrook was his typically dominating self, moving easily to a 12-1 lead in the first. However, Howick regrouped at that point, matching Sambrook shot for shot before succumbing 15-6. In the second, Howick established himself as a player worth watching, unleashing service runs of five and four points, to take a 9-8 lead. Sambrook responded with five of his own to move ahead 13-9. Howick hung in there, closing to 12-13, but he couldn't take advantage when Sambrook faulted at 14-12. Having regained the box, Sambrook served an apparent second consecutive fault, but the marker called it good, and that was the game. Howick's concentration was broken, and before he knew it, he was down 10-0, and failed to put the next five serves in play, losing 15-0. But give the younger player credit, in the second game he moved Sambrook around the court, keeping him from dominating the rallies by making extraordinary retrievals, and hitting offensive shots from defensive postures. It seems the only way to beat Sambrook is to play him as if you intend to wear him out. Though that is seemingly impossible to do, if you can keep his feet moving, you can prevent him from dictating the rallies, leaving yourself a chance to hit a winner. As an indication of how solid his game is, though, once Sambrook escaped the second game, he changed his tactics, abandoning his angular shots for straight balls. This alteration seemed to catch his younger opponent off guard, contributing to the lopsided final score. On the other half of the draw, Difiore squared off against Hammond. Two huge men, they matched each other in power and intensity, though in the end, Difiore's experience and homecourt advantage proved too much for the younger player. He negated Hammonds awesome power shots with brilliant positioning and an impressive command of his strokes. The games were close, and competitive, but in the end, it was Difiore in three. Game scores were 16-13, 15-12, 15-9. In the Doubles semifinals, Sambrook and Price had an easy time of it against Molson and Beattie. Molson appeared to be trying to do too much, a not uncommon mistake for a younger player with a weaker partner. As a result he had too many unforced errors, trying to dictate points instead of allowing the play to come to him. Beattie competed gamely, but Sambrook's power and precision, and Price's flawless serves and impeccable positioning proved to be too much to overcome as the top seeds won in three. Pritchard and Mawhinney played well throughout the tournament, but they saved their best for the semifinals against second seeds Difiore and Heward. The latter pair won the first game, but lost the second. The third went to set, but they prevailed. Building on that advantage, they quickly built a 14-5 lead in the fourth and deciding game. Their opponents closed to within 12-14, primarily on the strength of Pritchard's serve, but that was as far as they would get as Difiore closed them out.
Play finished early Saturday, leaving everyone plenty of time to get changed for cocktails, hosted by Hugh Blakely and Richard Cooper. Then it was off to the Mount Royal Club for a dinner dance which was smaller than usual, though no less exuberant. Among the highlights of the evening, we were informed, was the sight of your correspondent attempting to do the hand motions to YMCA while holding a full glass of whiskey. Apparently it was the M that was his downfall.
In the Rolland Cup, Detroit's Peter Dawson made his international competitive debut as both player and captain. He remains undefeated. Solely due to his leadership, Dawson led the American team, consisting of himself, Tim Merrill, Michael Goodell, Ron Kaulbach, Carl Bjurstrom, Blair Barwick and Jamie McEntyre to a 3-2 tie against the Canadians.
The finals were anticlimactic, with Sambrook dissecting Difiore 15-6, 15-4, 15-0, though the second game featured numerous heroic rallies, especially a monster with Sambrook leading 2-1 which seemed to leave his opponent spent. Still, Difiore was game, winning a long rally at 2-6, and another at 3-13. But that was the last hurrah. He faulted upon regaining the service box, and though he did manage one more point, his match was clearly over. Sambrook's victory marked only the second time in thirty years that a Canadian had won the Canadian Amateurs. Sambrook also claimed the other victory, in 1993. Before then, it was David McLernon, who won his last in 1976. The Doubles were similar to the singles, though there were several crowd pleasing rallies and a number of displays of sheer athletic brilliance. The final scores were15-3, 15-5, 15-3, Sambrook/Price over Difiore/Heward. - Michael Goodell (13/03/06) The rest of the weekend was a typical Montreal rackets’ weekend affair; fine food, lots of fun and stories and the wonderful Montreal nightlife. Bryce, as usual, worked late hours, rose early in the mornings and made sure everything ran smoothly. Chuck and the rest of the staff worked hard to make the small turnout seemed as big as a normal, end-of-January one would have been. Thanks to Tim Beal for all the fine dining pleasures, to Derek Barrett for marking and to Gord Simpson who spent most of his time downstairs recovering the many balls used during the four draws.
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In the Tom Price doubles, Bradley
and Reynolds squared off again, this time with partners Kaulbach and Madon in
tow. Madon, having recently returned to competition sporting a bionic wrist,
had thus far enjoyed a remarkable weekend, featuring a first round upset
victory over Pritchard in the Amateurs. Despite the overwhelming number of
matches his partner had already played, Madon decided to climb on Reynolds
