NYSquash Draws First Blood in Royal Army Series by Andy Garr September 5, 2014
- Last night a combined team from the Princeton Club of New York and
the Harvard Club of New York defeated a team from the Royal Army
Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) 8-2 in the opening match of a
six-match series. The series will decide whether the British team
retains the War of 1812 Redux Trophy won by another British team two
years ago.
Like the earlier
series the competition was intense both on and off the court. The
British team, like the team of two year’s ago, employs a secret
training facility in New York called “The Junction.” NYSquash
which hosts this event (at great cost) is in dire need of courts due to
several recent closings wishes access to The Junction. Several
NYSquash board members who played last night asked their opponents the
location of The Junction. The replies, obviously rehearsed, were “I
have signed the ‘Official Secrets Act’ and cannot discuss this.”
The British team
members, all of who are very physically fit as their corps name
implies, attempted to intimidate the local players by performing many
difficult floor exercises during a group warm-up. Undaunted, the
NYSquash players performed a group beer chug.
The match of the night
involved the number one players from each team. The Princeton Club pro,
veteran John Musto took on Cpl Simon Robinson, less than half his age.
Robinson displayed a dazzling selection of impressive shots and
incredible deception. Musto held his own and found enough small
openings with which he was able to set up sufficient winners to prevail
14-12, 13-11 and 11-5.
They will play again
next Wednesday in the series finale at the Union League Club.
Word of this match-up has quickly spread and the Union League Club has
announced that admission to the matches next week will require a
mandatory $1,000 donation to the fund for the completion of the
Tiffany-designed $500,000 permanent trophy. New york players are
raising this sum by subscription. The fund balance now stands at $106.
Most of the NYSquash
players and knowledgeable members of the audience were surprised,
perhaps shocked, by the appearance of exPvt Gabriella Sarah in the
number 2 spot on the home team. Last we encountered her she
defaulted for the NY team in a key spot two years ago after winning a
match for the Brits when “impressed into the Royal Army, probably
costing the New Yorkers the trophy. John Musto apparently
convinced the NYSquash tour coordinator to have her play believing that
her appearance might throw the Brits off guard. She informed Musto that
she studied the War of 1812 in her history class at the small,
convent-like college she attends in New Jersey and is no longer an
Anglophile. Knowing that her father, a squash aficionado, would
be upset at her playing and fearful of his legendary overreactions, she
arrived quietly, prevailed in a hard-fought match 3-1 and left
unnoticed.
Here are the results:
John Musto (NY) defeated Cpl Simon Robinson 3-0
Ex Pvt Gabriella Sarah (NY) defeated Maj Jason Hughes 3-1
Peter Vale (NY) defeated WO2 Shaun Carey 3-0
Cpt. William Young (RAPTC) defeated Robert Lampetti 3-2
Cpt Richard Windald (RAPTC) defeated Joe Eisner 3-0
Andrew Scott (NY) defeated WO2 Stuart Mann 3-0
Jan Larsen (NY) defeated Sgt Ashley Stobey 3-0
Dov Kleinman (NY) defeated SSgt David Reid 3-0
Philip Heckler (NY) defeated Sgt James Peters 3-0
Ryan Goldenberg (NY) defeated Sgt Alan Wilson
The numbers 3, 5, 7 and 9 matches were played at the Harvard Club
