Massachusetts States Hardball Doubles Update: It’s Spahr/Lifford Against Tierney/Malloy In Men’s A Final Tonight
by Rob Dinerman, for DailySquashReport.com
Dateline May 7th, 2012 --- Top seeds and recently-crowned U. S. National 45-and-over champions Chris Spahr and Doug Lifford will attempt to defend their 2011 Massachusetts A Doubles title this evening at the University Club Of Boston when they face off against 2008 winners Sandy Tierney and Pat Malloy as the main event in a “Finals Night” by the end of which champions will be crowned in nine competitive categories. Spahr and Lifford defeated John Nimick and Scott Poirier in four games in their semifinal while Malloy and Tierney were doing the same to ISDA top-25 Dan Roberts and Max Montgelas.
Tierney, who will also be partnering Jamie Fagan in the 50’s final against Nimick and Andrew Slater (who are just three weeks removed from having won the Canadian Doubles in this age bracket), and Malloy --- who along with Margot Kearney will be attempting to defend the Mixed Doubles title they won a year ago against a challenge from host club pros Roberts and Fernanda Rocha --- are among several players who will be competing in multiple finals tonight. Included as well in this number are Rocha, who with partner Hope Crosier will try to retain their 2011 Women’s A title against Robin Silver-Grace and Harvard student Nirasha Guruge; Tom Poor, who with son Morgan, fresh off their win in the U. S. Father & Son Century division, will be attempting to win the Parent/Child competition against Spahr and his highly talented (No. 1 at Milton Academy this past winter as a freshman) son Carson; and, as noted, Chris Spahr. The senior Poor, who along with Len Bernheimer have won a bushel-full of U. S. National age-group doubles championships during the past several decades, will actually be opposing each other in the kick-off match of the lengthy schedule, the 60-and-over final at 3:00 between Poor and Malcolm Davidson against Bernheimer and John Brazilian.
There are also B and C Division draws, each with more than 35 teams, that will be finishing up, as well as a Siblings event, in addition to which the Massachusetts SRA will be having its annual one-hour business meeting at 7:00 during a break in the action. All in all, it will be a hectic seven hours at the University Club, with both of its glass-back-wall doubles courts in full operation as a hectic doubles season in New England barrels forward to its highly anticipated culmination.
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