New
England Open 2010 Cross Courts Club, Boston, 10-13 May
3/4
Playoff:
Wael El Hindi bt Daniel Sharplin 12-10, 11-8, 11-4 (41m)
Final:
Shahier Razik bt John White 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (39m)
Stormy end in New England Sarah Cortes reports Players
breathed a collective sigh of relief and spectators wondered
if they had got their money’s worth as the NE Open ended
with not a single player arrested. However, conduct
warnings, point penalties and stern talkings-to from the ref
abounded on this, the final night of the tournament.
The 5-let rule sustained a number of the oft-mentioned “tweakings,”
emerging like Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront” black,
blue and bloodied but still hanging in there and capable of
meatpacking or whatever it is they do on waterfronts.
Cutting a wider berth around Arizona and its new “papers,
please” law which incarcerates individuals not carrying some
mysterious papers who “seem” like they “might be” illegal
aliens and give “probable suspicion” for such, our loyal and
by now much-loved band of players navigated into the Cross
Courts club well before 6:30pm and started warming up.
Referee Mike Riley was seen “checking” quite a few “papers”
during the night, and apparently all checked out as there
were no further incarceration repercussions.
Local favorite Sharplin succumbs in 3/4 playoff
First up were Egyptian Wael el Hindi and ever-fit and really
trim New Zealander Daniel Sharplin for the 3/4 playoff.
Spectators were prepared with their Ray-ban sunglasses as el
Hindi disrobed after the warmup, but there was no need as he
limited his fashion strategy to a sleeveless but
form-fitting non-fluorescent blue kit. After checking each
other out with a good deal of probable suspicion, our
players got underway.
It was unclear if either el Hindi or Sharplin carried
“papers” during the warmup, but everyone was on the sharp
lookout for anyone who “seemed” like they might be an
“illegal alien.” Tonight Sharplin did not hesitate to
question referee Riley’s calls as he challenged the towering
el Hindi, while giving him a run for his money.
El Hindi needed 15 minutes to close out the first game,
barely squeaking by Sharplin 12-10. Sharplin used up three
lets and el Hindi two as the Egyptian, tonight on his best
behaviour, prevailed 11-8 in the second after another 15
explosive minutes of play. The third game proved the final
as el Hindi clinched the match 11-4.
Penalty strokes and warnings clutter the final
After el Hindi’s nonstop fashion assaults of the past week,
Razik and White provided relief, demonstrating their similar
subtle counter-fashion strategies, reminiscent of Peter
Nicol’s “fished-crumpled-from-the-bottom-of the squash bag”
look.
Our popular finalists got underway as tournament director
Joe Mcmanus announced raffle winners in a week that has been
filled with such tournament amenities, including an
incomparable afternoon at the Red Sox with players, sponsors
and invited guests.
It was hard to say who had more probable suspicion, and who
fewer papers, but White, after zinging a winning cross-court
drop at the outset, promptly called a let at 1-4 and
received just as promptly a “no-let, Mr. White” decision.
“Thank you, Mr. Ref,” was White’s clever rejoinder, setting
a polite initial tone. At 6-2 Razik received a stroke and
White’s frustration grew. He pulled the game back and won
11-7, after 8 minutes.
In the second, the no-let rule once again leapt out of
seeming acceptance into controversy, as at 3-8 for White
Riley did not see a questionable Razik pickup and announced
a “referee let.” How many do you get? queried a shocked
Razik. White announced Riley would get five lets of his own,
whereupon Razik refocused his probable suspicion onto Riley
and used Indian sign language to let him know his eyes would
be glued to the foreign-born ref henceforth.
Shortly thereafter with a 9-3 lead, White hypothetically
queried the potential outcome of a possible let he was
taking under consideration, and announced he was awarding
himself a let. Shahier hit a fantastic drop which proved the
turning point of the game and match, as an increasingly
frustrated John White saw his 9-3 lead turn into an 11-9
loss in the second game.
White’s frustrated mutterings as he flew from the court
yielded him a point penalty from referee mike Riley at the
outset of game three, and later ball abuse garnered him a
conduct warning. Concerned where such abuse could lead,
Riley also frowned on White’s treatment of the rubber ball.
White, exasperated, gave up the third game 11-9 after only 7
minutes.
In the fourth, lets were no longer an issue as Razik quickly
mounted an 8-2 lead. Briefly stopping Razik’s juggernaut,
White finessed a lovely drop at 10-4. However, after 39
minutes of play, White conceded the final point, 11-5 and
match 3-1.
Mike Riley
Sparks
fly at NE Open semis By @Sarah Cortes Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war.
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Sparks flew at Cross Courts club last night in the men’s
semi-finals of the NE Open. The 5-let rule underwent its
most severe trial yet and emerged still standing as
Shahier Razik, Daniel Sharplin, John White and Wael el Hindi,
some of the tour’s more physical players, put it to the
test.
It was reported in some quarters that the World Squash
Federation was to discuss five-let rule in bid to keep game
'dynamic'.
Razik defies home advantage
Against this propitious backdrop, the Canadian Razik took to
the court against the remarkably fit New Zealander Sharplin
in the first semi-final match. Razik, known for his staying
power in 2-hour matches, parsimoniously used up only three
of his 5 alloted lets in the match, a sharp increase from
the single let he required against Irishman Dan Roberts the
previous night. Local favorite Sharplin, for his part used
all 5 of his lets, possibly a statement about his notably
sharp mental fitness, in addition to his oft-remarked fine
form.
The score itself seemed to take a backseat to the audience’s
growing fascination with referee Mike Riley’s precisely
announced let count, reminiscent of the Vietnam-era
fascination in the US with newscaster Walter Cronkhite’s
nightly “body count.” Razik took the first game 11-7 after
many protracted and exciting points which sent both players
running to all four corners. The second saw Sharplin
wandering around the court a good bit between points looking
for his lost wind, but otherwise continuing to look fit and
in-form. The result was also similar, 11-7 to Razik, who was
now up 2-0.
At this point the match tone took on a bit of an edge, with
each player beginning to invoke lets. As the third game
unfolded, Sharplin wasted no time calling a let at 1-0, and
was awarded a stroke for his trouble. Razik, in retort,
promptly called some lets of his own, and was awarded
no-lets, to which he responded with stunned equanimity.
Politely querying the referee’s rationale, he complimented
referee Mike Riley, noting graciously, “your explanations
are getting better. I can’t think of anything to argue about
right now.” A brilliant save from the back court by Sharplin
brought the score to 3-1 and a Razik tin saw Sharplin serve
at 4-1. The crowd went wild as the Sharplin comeback
materialized point after point.
Razik grew suspicious and after Sharplin announced he was
“not ready” for a serve Razik had flashed his way, demanding
triumphantly of Riley to know if that was not a LET? The
audience promptly sorted itself into pro- and anti- let
camps and shouted suitable suggestions at the referee.
Sharplin offered helpfully that his hair had been in his
eyes, and a little girl provided a pony-tail holder to get
his hair situation back under control. But Riley introduced
the concept of a “do-over” and play proceeded let-less.
Sharplin took the third game 14-12.
In the fourth, the super-fit New Zealander seemed to have
lost a contact lens, for he was often to be found crawling
around the court on his hands and knees between points,
staring blankly at the floor and breathing heavily. Razik
took the fourth game 11-8 and the match 3-1after 56 grueling
minutes, and but 4 lets overall. Querying Razik about his 34
tour finals, 20 titles, and 4 times as Canadian national
champ, an exhuberant Razik declared to the
historically-inclined tournament director Joe McManus, “All
that doesn’t matter, I’ve just beaten Daniel Sharplin on his
home court!”
In a post-match interview, Razik conceded sensibly, “I’m
trying to cut down on those 2-hour matches.”
White & El Hindi test five lets to the limit
The most contentious match of the night soon got underway,
with Wael el Hindi facing off against John White. Revealing
his aggressively physical fashion strategy, Wael unzipped a
powder blue warmup outfit to reveal another blindingly
bright fluorescent blue and green kit. Unfortunately the
impact seemed lost on the towering John White; Wael possibly
needs to take greater care to select shorter opponents who
are forced to stare directly into the blinding rays of his
stunning colors.
The match provided 70 minutes of nonstop action, to say the
least, anyone who missed this match should be kicking
themselves. At 2-1 in the first game, el Hindi flicked a
remarkable forehand cross-court drop which found White
wrong-footed. At 9-10 el Hindi served and then used up the
first of his lets. In seemingly pointless fashion quickly
ran through 3 marginal lets which were quickly overruled by
Riley. An exchange of lackadaisical left-sidewall lob drives
left the crowd in stitches, and ended with a flick of
Whitey’s wristy shot to win the first game11-9 for the
Franklin & Marshall coach.
In the second, el Hindi tried to lengthen the rallies. At
4-2 Riley awarded a stroke to el Hindi, who eventually took
the second game 11-4.
In the third game at 7-all, White used up his first let of
the tournament. Showing a bit of impatience at 9-8, he
flicked the ball into the tin. “Greedy as a pig!” scolded el
Hindi sensibly, who had by this time used up all of his own
lets. After White drove a winner down the sidewall from
directly in front of the tin, el Hindi, seeking a stroke,
looked pleadingly at the ref, inquiring, “in this let rule,
is there an option to call a friend?” Stroke-less and
luck-less, el Hindi managed to take the third game 12-10 and
led 2 games to 1.
Remarkably, el Hindi managed to let that lead slip away when
White took the fourth 11-8. White quickly invoked the rest
of his lets at the outset of the fifth game and the players
soon found themselves in the exact situation everyone had
been wondering about- what happens when both players are out
of lets? We found out that hand-wringing did not work, and
White eventually took the fourth and fifth games, 11-8 and
12-10.
Some on-court tussling reminded the crowd that there are
still a few kinks to work out in the “5-let” rule, but it
emerged relatively unscathed at the end of the night.
Quarter-Finals let rip in
Boston Sarah Cortes reports
Unseasonably
chilly weather did not deter lilacs from blooming all over
New England this week, nor did it deter the Boston crowd
from packing the Cross Courts club for the New England Open
tonight.
Quarterfinal action continued after extremely in-form local
pro and US #1 Daniel Sharplin, formerly World #76 and
New Zealand national champion, had prevailed in the first
quarterfinal Monday night. Lilacs and spring flowers may
have been blooming, but “let” calls were withering inside
the club as the new and mysterious “5-let” rule worked its
magic on the event.
First up of the evening: Shahier Razik from Canada
vs. Dan Roberts from Ireland. Roberts, originally
from Belfast, is currently a local teaching pro. The former
Northen Ireland National Champion and Ireland #3 also played
for Nottingham when at university. Razik, currently world
#26 and who has reached as high as #20, introduced his
charming wife at the club at last year’s tournament. Razik
and Roberts used up matching single lets each of the paltry
5 lets now allowed under the new enigmatically-named “5-let”
rule. Mutterings of pre-game collusion regarding the
symmetric pair of lets rumbled through the crowd. Nothing
could be proven, however, and so after 23 minutes Razik
concluded 3 winning games, with Roberts taking a respectable
17 points overall.
As spectators loudly puzzled over whether the new rule
should be called “10-lets” or “5-apiece,” John White
and Vijay Chitnis took to the court. White, former
British National champion, shocked the audience by declining
even a single let, much less a stroke, throughout the match.
Chitnis, the Rhode Island Champion and former US Squash
uber-mensch, did not hesitate to teach White the error of
his ways by invoking his entire allocation of 5 lets in the
first 3 minutes of the match. Despite this aggressive
display on Chitnis’s part, White managed to recover from the
stress and prevail in 17 grueling minutes, 14 of which were
entirely free from the anxiety, boredom and inherent
fairness of “let” calls.
With the audience left to ponder the possibility that the
new rule was more aptly named “5 lets and an unlimited
number of strokes, no-lets, and withering glances,” Scott
Arnold and Wael el Hindi lost no time scrambling
onto the sweat-drenched court. El Hindi, a charming if
rather tall Egyptian and currently world-ranked #12 player,
immediately attempted to blind his opponent with a
startlingly bright yellow kit. This gave rise to rumors of
an impending “5-yellow” kit rule. Arnold hails originally
from Sydney, Australia and has risen to the world #61
position. He has recently taken up residence in Rye,
Connecticut, to study the “5-let” rule proposal in its
native habitat.
Fortunately, Arnold was too tall to stare directly into el
Hindi’s blinding yellow kit, and so play proceeded. El
Hindi, who has always been a bit timid about lets to begin
with, employed instead a strategy of amazing drops from the
far back of the court, including one at 10-7 which wrapped
up the first game. Arnold answered with his own high
backhand drop in the second but, alas, was facing the
audience and the back wall at the time and the tin rang out,
prematurely ending the second game at 11-7 as well.
World certified referee Mike Riley sternly reminded
the players they had used up a let apiece as they entered
the third game. The crowd was treated to an excellent
display of length to all four corners and many more
breathtaking drop shots by both players, but Arnold
eventually “let” el Hindi wrap up the match at 11-9 after 32
minutes.
12-May, Semi-Finals:
John White
11-9, 11-4, 12-10, 11-8, 12-10 70m
Wael El Hindi
Shahier Razik
11-7, 11-7, 12-14, 11-8 57m
Dan Sharplin
Players
breathed a collective sigh of relief and spectators wondered
if they had got their money’s worth as the NE Open ended
with not a single player arrested. However, conduct
warnings, point penalties and stern talkings-to from the ref
abounded on this, the final night of the tournament. 
