by Dawson Lane
The carriages and holsters on the 3:10 to Tuxedo were fully loaded with passengers from near and far for Hadden Tomes 2022. Cowboy Chisholm kicked off a jam-packed schedule of tennis on Friday, complete with unique orange and yellow balls designed to give everyone vertigo even before the bourbon was opened. Off the court, Rich Mueller once again delighted the evening crowd with his musical talents – accompanied on the mic by some of his favourite saloon girls. On the court, duels were battled (with racquets and witty barbs only), and excellent play continued throughout the weekend.
On Saturday evening, over 120 people flocked to the Wild West Saloon (previously known as The Tuxedo Club), where they indulged in axe throwing, whisky tasting, and boot scootin’ until the early hours. The mechanical bull tempted those in high spirits (of which there were many), and we hear that large ransom sums were being demanded on Sunday morning to destroy damning video footage of spectacular rides and falls.
Sunday saw the top 12 most successful players in the round-robin progress to three finals. It was wonderful to see some new faces in the mix this year and some truly exciting tennis. To the victors go the spoils, and this year the Flight III gold went to Megan Hayes (Tux) and Brittany Wakim (Phil), who defeated Scott Ulrey and Jeff Greenbaum (Tux). The Flight II trophy went to the young upstarts Hazel Christensen and Calliope Yannuzzi (Tux), who got the better of Dan Rifkin and Paul Van Nieuwerburgh (Tux). Flight I saw Doug Ewing and Steve Klepper (Tux) race to a first-set win against Rich Mueller and Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh (Tux). However, the underdogs fought back to level at 5 all, 40 all in the second set. The crowd was hoping to see more great tennis with a decider set; however, Ewing and Klepper were too strong and eeked out a victory 6-5 to claim the title.
Thank you to all for such a fantastic event – in particular, The Tuxedo Club staff led by Randy St. John, Dan Britts, Maura Lennon, Alexis Heuer, and Ulysses Rivera for embracing this year’s theme so wonderfully and ensuring Saturday night went off without a hitch (or a wayward axe). Special thanks to Tim Chisholm, Dawson Chisholm, and Adrian Kemp for patiently marking and keeping the tennis on schedule.
Until next year…
Flight I
Champions – Doug Ewing & Steve Klepper
Finalists – Rich Mueller & Stign Van Nieuwerburgh
Flight II
Champions – Calliope Yannuzzi & Hazel Christensen
Finalists – Paul Van Nieuwerburgh & Dan Rifkin
Flight III
Champions – Brittany Wakin & Megan Hayes
Finalists – Scott Ulrey & Jeff Greenbaum
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Scott Ulrey, Jeff Greenbaum, Brittany WAkim & Megan Hayes
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Paul Van Nieuwerburgh, Dan Rifkin, Calliope Yannuzzi & Hazel Christensen
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Doug Ewing, Steve Klepper, Rich Mueller & Stijn Van Niieuwerburgh
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