A shorthanded boys’ thirds squash team took a ride to Taft on Saturday. Notably, this was (and will be) our first (and only) bus ride of the season, and both players and coaches were happy not to face any further trips of this length. Impact occurred with little initial resistance, as Coach Campbell guided us through the labyrinthine hallways of the Taft athletic facility. We dressed, warmed up, and started just a few minutes later than the 4:00 scheduled time. 100 miles from Deerfield, we inexplicably had our largest “home” crowd of the year, with spectators reaching the mid-single digits: Elliot’s parents, Ethan’s dad, and my own dad.
We were missing six players (including David “Secret Weapon” Chen) from our usual fourteen-man pool, giving numerous boys a chance to step up: Elliot, for instance, was thrust into the #6 spot after playing #11 just a few days ago, and Alex similarly moving up from #9 to #4. Unfortunately, Taft was strong across the board, and despite battling hard, we were over matched at the even-numbered positions (despite overtime games here and there). Despite Justin’s best effort, Taft clinched the match with a win at #1, and Matt’s opponent made it 0-5 shortly thereafter. We saved our best for last, however: Johnny was cool as a cucumber as he closed out his opponent in four, while Ethan held off the ambidextrous Proof in the #3 spot.
Our record stands at 4-2, as we get right back on court against Bement on Monday.
Taft 5, Deerfield 2
Justin Lui lost in 3
Matthew Wuyan lost in 4
Ethan Kelly won in 5
Alex Smith lost in 3
Johnny Glinton won in 4
Elliot Flagg lost in 3
Matt Wierzbicki lost in 3
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Protik Nandy lost in 3