by Wells Ross
Photos by Barney Tanfield
A great time was had by all at the 2020 edition of the Etchebaster Trophy & Kendrick Cup. Throughout the weekend, the galleries and stand were full of the 30 players that came into New York for the weekend, plus many local supporters. Representatives from the clubs in Boston, Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, Tuxedo, Montreal and of course New York were all present with trophies on their minds.
On the Tennis side, the #1 seed Tolly Krusen made things look easy, marching to the finals with a victory over Tyler Sloan in the semis. On the other side of the draw, George Wheatley made a fantastic run to finals, saving match points in his round of 16 and quarter-final matches, before besting Daniel Barrus in the semis. In the final, Wheatley was looking to overcome the odds, and handicap difference of 15 points against Tolly Krusen. Despite some superb shot-making, and precise volleying, Wheatley was under constant pressure from Krusen who was serving his railroad expertly and finding targets from both ends of the court. In the end, Krusen ran out a comfortable and deserved winner in two straight sets.
On the Racquets court, Ben Lawrence evidenced his hard work leading up to the Kendrick with some dominating wins leading into the final, despite a hard-fought match against Drew Olivera in the semis. Will Winmill fought through the other side of the draw, wowing the crowd with his impressive retrieval skills, particularly in a closely fought semi-final encounter with Jaren Isenthal. In the final it was Lawrence who was able to dictate the play, testing fellow R&T member Winmill’s defensive skills to the maximum. Lawrence was striking the ball with authority and was able to take home the trophy in 3 games, topping it all off with a fist pump to celebrate.
Players thanked the organizing committee of Phil Stockton & Wells Ross, and the games committee and staff of the Racquet & Tennis Club for hosting and coordinating the event. The players also used their acceptance speeches to show their appreciation to a group of R&T patrons who had supported a Saturday evening dinner which was attended by 25 players and patrons. The future health of both Tennis & Racquets looks to be strong with this group of talented and enthusiastic newcomers.
George Wheatley, Christopher Scott, Phil Stockton, Ted Goneos & Tolly Krusen
