August 15, Championship

The undefeated run of Potomac Squash Club ended in the final round, but they still retained their title, with a 2-1 win over visiting Sports Club/LA.

Potomac 2, Sports Club/LA 1 (at Potomac)
- #1, Terry Hindermann (SCL) def. Vikram Bakshi (PSC), 3-0 (9-7, 9-2, 9-2)
- #2, Rajeev Gupta (PSC) def. Hunt Richardson (SCL), 3-1 (10-8, 4-9, 9-3, 9-6)
- #3, Ross Campbell (PSC) def. Naveed Ashraf (SCL), 3-1 (6-9, 10-8, 9-7, 9-7)

(Report by Hunt Richardson) - Congratulations to Potomac on winning another Division 1 final. That makes four season titles in a row for their Division 1 Team. Depth in the ladder was key, as Potomac managed the 2-1 win over the downtown Sports Club/LA despite the absence of Potomac's number one, Shahid Khan. Terry Hindermann, at number one for SCLA, was the only player to beat any of the Potomac Players this season. Clearly, the strength and depth of the latchkey clubbers is here to stay, a fact further stressed by the performance of the Division 2 team, which has also won four straight championships.

At #3 for Potomac, league veteran Ross Campbell's fitness was the decisive factor in a very close contest with a resurgent Naveed Ashraf. The visitor from SCLA burned off a 5-0 lead in the 1st game before Campbell woke up and clawed up to 6-all, where they traded service four times. Ashraf pressed back, Campbell faded, and SCLA took the first game, 9-6. The 2nd game saw the score knotted at 5-5, before Ashraf broke away. He reached 8-5 and served for the game three times, but Campbell toughened and took a 10-8 win, to even the match. Neither player had more than a two-point advantage in game three. The service changed hands 17 times and the players locked up again at 6-all, Campbell eventually getting the win at 9-7. In game four, it took a dozen service changes before Ashraf got the first point. Then Ashraf pushed the lead to 6-1 with a series of brilliant volleys by Ashraf, catching Campbell too far behind the T, but Ashraf tired, while Campbell dug deep and ran off 5 straight points to level again at 6-all. Five more desperate exchanges got Campbell to 7-6. At this point, Campbell's superior fitness started to take its toll, pushing him to match ball at 8-6. It was all Ashraf could do to keep the game going. With Ashraf serving at 7-8, a super long rally that stretched both players all over the court ended when Campbell nicked a deep forehand cross-court from the short line into the right quarterbox. Ashraf let the ball go, visibly spent and shaking his head. He buttoned it up for Campbell with a tin at match ball number three.

While the #3 players were running each other ragged in game two, the #1 match got underway between Terry Hindermann, for SCLA, and Vikram Bakshi, for Potomac. Hindermann is a gifted volleyer with quick eyes and hands and a competitive temperament to match his hands. Bakshi is just the opposite – cool and enigmatic – but he strikes the ball with a very fast, smooth and pretty stroke. Off the squash courts for over a week, Hindermann started out looking rusty. Bakshi raced to a 6-0 lead, but Hindermann's touch returned. He fought his way to 5-7, then rattled off four straight, to win the game at 9-7. Game two started off tight, but four straight by Hindermann made it 6-2. At this point, Bakshi's fitness looked suspect, so Hindermann tortured him with straight drives and volleys front and back, and got a 9-2 win. Bakshi collected himself valiantly in game three, in which the service traded hands 13 times before the score reached 2-1. Again, more dashing up and back in pursuit of Hindermann's shots, which got more and more distant from him as the game wore on. Hinderman got to 4-2, then Bakshi's wall crumbled and Hindermann rammed five points in quick succession to make it 9-2, 3-love SCLA.

That left it up to rivals Rajeev Gupta, for Potomac, and Hunt Richardson, for SCLA, to decide which team would take the title. The pace of the first game was furious, both players getting everything and conceding nothing. However, Richardson wasted four game balls, two at 8-6 and two at 8-7, and Gupta took the opener, 10-8, for which Richardson paid a heavy psychological price in later games. Game two was even at 4-all, then Richardson played some tight drops that forced Gupta's shots into the tin, and he got the game at 9-4. In game three, Richardson could not catch his breath and Gupta used the openings to hit a few unanswered drops from the back for a 9-3 win. Game four saw the longest points of the night. Richardson got back his wind and it looked like a repeat of game one, with the players even at 5-all.

Play was interrupted twice to inspect the ball following some seemingly inexplicable bounces. During the 2nd inspection, with Gupta serving at 8-6, the ball was found to be defective, and the rally was replayed. Richardson appealed for the invocation of Rules Guideline 13, which says, "If the Referee considers that the ball broke in the previous rally, the Referee shall allow a let for the previous rally." This would have put the score back to 7-6, but Richardson's plea was unsuccessful. Appeals referee Meherji Madan ruled that the let would be played at 8-6, match ball. Both players were able to use the rest to recover their legs, and the next rally was one of the longest of the match, with each player pushed to the wall several times. It was 35-40 shots and multiple tours of the court, before Gupta managed to hit a drive that Richardson was unable to reach, giving the game, match and summer championship to Potomac.

August 8, semi-final playoffs

Sports Club/LA 3, Regency (Sports Club/LA)
- #1, Terry Hindermann (SCL) won by default
- #2, Naveed Ashraf (SCL) won by default
- #3, Jeremy Feinstein (SCL) won by default

Potomac 3, University Club 0 (at Potomac)
- #1, Vikram Bakshi (PSC) won by default
- #2, Rajeev Gupta (PSC) won by default
- #3, Ross Campbell (PSC) won by default

Final Summer Standings

August 1

Potomac 2, Sports Club/LA 1 (at Potomac)
- #1, Jeremy Feinstein (SCL) won by default
- #2, Rajeev Gupta (PSC) won by default
- #3, Vikram Bakshi (PSC) won by default

Regency 3, University Club 0 (at Regency)
- #1, Steve Hufford (REG) won by default
- #2, Pascal Leinard (REG) won by default
- #3, Kenny Mendez (REG) won by default

July 25

Sports Club/LA 2, University Club 1 (at University Club)
- #1, Hunt Richardson (SCL) def. Chuck Miller (UNI), 3-0 (10-8, 9-1, withdrew - injury)
- #2, David Conroy (UNI) def. Naveed Ashraf (SCL), 3-2 (9-6, 3-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-4)
- #3, Jeremy Feinstein (SCL) def. Greg McGillivary (UNI), 3-0 (9-4, 9-2, 9-2)

Potomac 3, Regency 0 (at Regency)
- #1, Shahid Khan (PSC) def. Steve Hufford (REG), 3-0
- #2, Ross Campbell (PSC) def. Pascal Leinard (REG), 3-1
- #3, Rajeev Gupta (PSC) def. Josh Wolman (REG), 3-0

July 18

Potomac 2, University Club 0 (at University Club)
- #1, Shahid Khan (PSC) def. Chip Lindquist (UNI), 3-0
- #2, Rajeev Gupta (PSC) def. David Conroy (UNI), 3-0
- #3, default by University Club, no result pending membership of Vikram Bakshi (PSC)

Sports Club/LA 2, Regency 1 (at Sports Club/LA)
- #1, Hunt Richardson (SCL) def. Steve Hufford (REG), 3-2 (9-10, 9-5, 9-3, 4-9, 9-0)
- #2, Pascal Leinard (REG) def. Ron del Sesto (SCL), 3-1 (5-9, 9-5, 9-2, 9-0)
- #3, Naveed Ashraf (SCL) def. Josh Wolman (REG), 3-1 (3-9, 9-3, 10-8, 9-6)

July 11

Potomac 3, Regency 0 (at Potomac)
- #1, Shahid Khan (PSC) def. Pascal Leinard (REG), 3-0
- #2, Ross Campbell (PSC) def. Steve Hufford (REG), 3-2
- #3, default by Regency, no result pending membership of Mike Keegan (PSC)

Sports Club/LA 3, University Club 0 (at Sports Club/LA)
- #1, Terry Hindermann (SCL) def. Chip Lindquist (UNI), 3-0 (9-4, 9-3, 9-1)
- #2, Hunt Richardson (SCL) def. Dave Conroy (UNI), 3-0 (9-1, 9-0, 9-0)
- #3, Ron del Sesto (SCL) def. Andrew Crosby (UNI), 3-0 (10-8, 9-5, 9-0)

June 27

Potomac Squash Club 3, University Club 0 (at Potomac)
- #1, Shahid Khan (PSC) def. Chip Lindquist (UNI), 3-0
- #2, Rajeev Gupta (PSC) def. Chuck Miller (UNI), 3-0
- #3, Ross Campbell (PSC) def. Dave Conroy (UNI), 3-0

Sports Club/LA 3, Regency 0 (at Regency)
- #1, Terry Hindermann (SCL) def. Pascal Leinard (REG), 3-0
- #2, Hunt Richardson (SCL) def. Steve Hufford (REG), 3-2
- #3, Naveed Ashraf (SCL) def. Adolfo Barajas (REG), 3-1

June 20, Opening Week

Potomac Squash Club 3, Sports Club/LA 0 (at Sports Club/LA)
- #1, Shahid Khan (PSC) def. Terry Hindermann (SCL), 3-2
- #2, Rajeev Gupta (PSC) def. Hunt Richardson (SCL), 3-2
- #3, Ross Campbell (PSC) def. Richard Scott (SCL), 3-1

Regency 2, University Club 1 (at University Club)
- #1, Pascal Leinard (REG) def. Chuck Miller (UNI), 3-0
- #2, Steve Hufford (REG) def. Dan Nichols (UNI), 3-0
- #3, Dave Conroy (UNI) def. Josh Wolman (REG), 3-2

Copyright 2000 National Capital Squash Racquets Association