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January 29, 2008

Western Canadian Masters Team Squash – Winnipeg

Winnipeg!! In January!! Who in their right minds would go to Winnipeg in January to enjoy -26° plus a wind chill (or to be more accurate, minus a wind chill)? Masters squash players, that’s who. For those who are not familiar with this event, it is a keeper and one you really should try to attend. Aside from the good squash, and there is certainly plenty of that, you have the chance to meet up with old foes and friends and make new ones during a fun-filled weekend.

Masters Team

The Masters Team consists of seven players, three women (who must be 35+, 40+ and 45+) and four men (40+, 45+, 50+ and 55+). There are normally eight teams, so two round robins followed by finals - maximum four matches over the three days. Once the teams are named, players are ranked in ability regardless of age group and you play your ranked counterpart from the other teams. BC normally sends two teams (recently a “Mainland” and an “Island” team), but this year we were able to only field one team. We were: Tessa Breukels (#1), Laura Ramsay (#2), Deidre Smith-Baker (#3), Terry Sunar (#1), Paul Stevenson (#2), Tim Bale (#3) and Gerry Poulton (#4). In spite of our vast years of experience (I do believe we had the highest average age among all teams), we were seeded third in our pool of three behind Alberta 2 and Manitoba 1. Ontario, Alberta 1, Manitoba 2 and Saskatchewan made up the other pool.

Lest you think this is a stroll in the park, you should know that many of the players attending are former or current national champions, former open players and some who have played for Canada. We knew we were in tough, so much so that my teammates were already on court practicing when I landed at the airport! Our first match was in the 7 pm draw that night against Alberta 2, and the playing order that day had Deidre and I going on first – by the time I came off court at one game all, she had polished off her opponent 3/0 to give us a 1-0 match lead. By the time I came off, having squared my match at two all, Tessa was off court, having done the same to her opponent and given us a 2-0 lead. I did manage to survive the 5th, and Laura soon made it 3/0 in her match to secure an unbeatable 4-0 start. Tim had a good match, finally succumbing 3/1 to another Tim; Paul, perhaps suffering from ‘tin’-itis, lost 3/0; and despite a spirited effort, Terry dropped a 3/1 match to Alberta’s #1. Never mind! One in the win column!!

Being in a pool of three, we only faced one match on Saturday, and as luck would have it, that was scheduled for mid-afternoon. A chance to sleep in, which was particularly nice since we had to have a team-building session later on Friday evening with some red water and amber water. In fact, some of the team were so keen to experience the fullness of the Winnipeg weather that they decided to walk to the club, rather than avail themselves of the extremely good transport system which accompanied the tourney. More power to them!! Let’s just say that Saturday afternoon went much as expected, facing the top seeded Manitoba team which boasted Gene Turk at #1 (Terry had a very comprehensive tour of the court!), current 60+ champ Rick Borland at #3 (it looked like Tim was coming alive, losing 9-6 in the second, but it was not to be). The women, as usual, came up trumps, with Deidre and Laura winning 3/0, and Tessa heading that way only to have to pull up when her back started acting up. Paul and Gerry both had a rough time with their opponents, going down 3/0. Still, 2-5 down to the top club is not bad!

The match of the afternoon was the semi-final between Ontario and Alberta 1, with the winner getting to sleep in on Sunday morning and not play at 9 am. It went right to the wire, 3 matches all, 2 games all in the decider, Ontario up 7-4 in the 5th when Alberta dug in to win 6 straight rallies and sneak it out 9-7. Excellent stuff!

Of course, Saturday night is the banquet and BC’s chance to show everyone who the party-team really is! Did we ever succeed!! A fabulous dinner was followed by several games of ‘crud’, which (if you don’t know it) features a pool table, but no cues, and a lot of running. I don’t believe we won any games, but the photos show very enthusiastic participation. I think it will be Alberta’s turn to try to top that next year, and that could be a tall order.

So, 9 am Sunday and the battle for third place. Tim and Laura led off, and it was much like Saturday – Laura won fairly handily 3/0, while Tim was in tough against a younger opponent, going down after a spirited fight 3/0. Gerry and Tessa followed, with Tessa again looking strong but unable to finish the match due to the sore back. Gerry again wanted to get the most out of the weekend, so went for nearly an hour before dropping the fifth. Deidre again showed no mercy, getting off the court rather quickly for a 3/0 win, while Terry once again toured the court (0/3) and Paul had to take second place to a very strong Ontario #2. Another 2-5 team result (really should have been 3-4) and fourth place for the team.

For the record, the home team did win, although again it was a very close-fought affair. Tom Brown at #2 defeated John deVries 3/1 to secure a victory for Manitoba by the narrowest of margins, 4-3. Super weekend! I would encourage all Masters players to think about going – BC has won this event a number of times, and it is time we did it again. So, keep your eyes on the newsletter near the start of the squash year and tell Kevin you are interested. I know that will probably mean that I won’t be able to go again, with so many younger Masters being interested, but then perhaps it is time to add two extra age groups so that we more experienced players can stay involved!

Thanks, team – a great effort!

Gerald Poulton