North Captures Annual Mason Dixon Cup

TIM McAVOY & JEFF LYON
NOVEMBER 22, 2009
WILMINGTON, DE

The 9th Annual Mason Dixon Cup took place on Saturday, October 24th at Greenville Country Club just north of Wilmington, Delaware. With two washouts prior to this year, the two intra-regional teams were deadlocked, 3 wins apiece, so 2009 was the year for one side to take the lead in this season opening Region III invitational event.

Created in 2001 by Mark Holtschneider, this event was created to pit the top PCQ point achievers from the North (Lehigh, Philly and Delaware) against the top achievers in the South (Baltimore, Washington, Northern VA), in an annual event of competition and camaraderie within Region III. By selecting those individuals with the highest PCQ point count, Marks’ goal was to encourage players to participate in PCQ events and thus qualify to be a part of the annual competition for The Cup.

The South won the first two years and the North has come back strong, leading to a 3-3 deadlock as the North squared off with the South in 2009.

Crowds started tailgating at 6 am for the North/South Mason Dixon Cup matches... and while rain was on the minds of many, the coaches had their men ready to play! Mark Holtschneider, perennial coach of the South led his team on this away match against Jeff Lyon, a first year coach, stepping in for Tim McAvoy, perennial coach of the North.

All arrived on time, with plenty of wet weather gear and in good spirits. The North broke out to a fast 4-0 start dropping only one set. Some rain started to fall in round two and the South got their one and only victory as Mike Cobb and Art Garrett pulled a come from behind win over Andrew Hocker and Steve Reiniger. The rains really kicked in during lunchtime, but the coaches spotted a gap in the clouds and had their men back on the court for the last two matches with little to no rain in the afternoon! Greenville's special chili worked its magic as the North was able to shut out the south in the afternoon matches. At the end of the day, the scoreboard read 15-1 in favor of the home team. The MVP award goes to Scott Falatek who did not lose a set and carried his partner (and Coach of the North), Jeff Lyon, around all day. The future of the team looks quite bright as the new rookie team of Steve Beers and Bruce Sopko emerged as a force to be reckoned with for years to come! Especially heartwarming was the great sportsmanship and the camaraderie of both teams at the conclusion of the matches as many of the southern boys stayed around for a couple of hours enjoying the hospitality and cozy confines of Greenville CC.

Members of the winning North squad include, Scott Falatek, Jeff Lyon, Steve Reiniger, Andrew Hocker, Peter Redpath, Simon Peppiatt, Bruce Sopko and Steve Beers. Members of the South included Mark Holtschneider, Mike Daniels, Mike Cobb, Art Garrett, Frank Holtschneider, Wayne Holtschneider, Gillete Boyce and Fred Gumbinner.