Essex Wins Third Big Paddle

GEOFF CARTIER
MARCH 1, 2011
WEST HARTFORD, CT

The Essex Platform Tennis Club won its third straight Big Paddle on Saturday. The interclub competition pits Essex against Shelter Harbor, Longmeadow, and the day’s host, the Hartford Golf Club. Each club fields five teams who face off against each other in round robin play.

Essex was led by its top three teams of Mike Fried and Ross Smith, Matt Holmes and Geoff Cartier, and Rob Caserta and Phil Johnson (one of only three teams that went undefeated on the day). The four and five teams for Essex, made up by John Cunningham and John Bauman and Roddy Diotalevi and Ryan McGetrick, also supplied important wins in what many observers said was the most exciting and talented Big Paddle competition in recent memory. It all came down to the day’s final match between Shelter Harbor’s Marc Porter and Peter Harvey and Longmeadow’s Alex Seiler and Naren Dhamodharan. Longmeadow needed the win to take the Paddle but Porter and Harvey’s inspired play enabled Essex to hold on to it for another year.

Thanks to Courtia Worth and Gil Keegan for a great day. Everyone involved would like to wish Charlie Short a speedy recovery; we look forward to seeing you next year, Charlie.