Bob Tkachuk
This past weekend, 10 members of the Sunset Country Squash Club participated in a tournament at the Winnipeg Winter Club with mixed results.
There is a new rally point system where every point counts (serving or not) to 11, making you focus on both serving and receiving the ball.
In the Junior division, which featured a combined field of those 14 and under, 11-year-old Anika Alexander defeated all challengers en route to the championship.
After blanking Cobus Jacobs of Winnipeg 3-0 and edging Adrien Chamberland-Mike (also of Winnipeg) 3-2, Alexander nipped Nico Wiest of Winnipeg 3-2 in the final, using all four corners of the court to pull out the nail-biter.
Four other local players also participated in the junior event, including Angel McCormack (one win and two losses) and Ryan Brady, who reeled off two wins before losing to eventual finalist Nico Wiest.
Jordie McTavish had two wins before losing in the finals of the Junior Classic Plate to fellow player Kaitlyn DeGagne 3-2, who finished with two wins and a loss.
All the local junior players gave a true effort and played to the best of their capabilities.
There was a round-robin for ladies 35+ with Manami Alexander, who went 0-3 against seasoned ‘A’ players.
In the men’s ‘D/E’ division, Donny Brown had one win and a loss to the eventual finalist Richard Price. Manami Alexander won the ‘D/E’ consolation title with a pair of wins after opening with a loss.
The men’s ‘C’ division featured two local players—Al Christiansen, who sported an 0-2 record, and Bob Tkachuk, who dropped his opening match before winning the next two to capture the consolation crown.
In men’s ‘B’ division play, Mark Faragher suffered two losses, including with a real battle with Winnipeg junior Connor Turk, losing 3-2.
The next tournament for local players will be the Northwestern Ontario Open in Thunder Bay on Nov. 21-23 at the Canada Games complex.
