WPTL 2010-11 Weeks 1-3

NOVEMBER 30, 2010
WASHINGTON PLATFORM TENNIS LEAGUE
WASHINGTON, DC

Subject: WPTL 2010-11 Weeks 1-3

Greetings members of WPTL nation and surrounding suburbs. Here’s one turkey who survived Thanksgiving and all its bacchanalia. Yes…that’s right it …rumor of the death of your intrepid WPTL reporter is premature. Actually I would have gotten this article started earlier but my captain benched me late in the third set of the first match because he said I didn’t understand the offense…or maybe he just said that my play was offensive.

For those of you new to the WPTL it is here that you will receive periodic reports (they used to be weekly but the present life circumstances of this member of the press corps makes them bi-weakly at best). We will not dwell too too much on the actual matches played on Tuesday and Thursday evenings because frankly this is neither the place nor the time to detail these events. We will focus more on the subtleties of the play on the platform and whatever else might be floating around a head that was last in good chemical balance shortly before a Kid Creole and the Coconuts concert at the Warner Theater in 1981.

The many faces of passion – Brian doesn’t love Derek THAT much, William and Kate are to wed, Zenyatta is not getting married but is just going to sleep around, we commemorate the first anniversary of the Escalade dent heard round the world…we are all better husbands from this event – ‘honey I know I was out a little late drinking beers after paddle but at least I ‘m not…and a new Dancing with the Stars champion is crowned (I’ve learned that Pasodoble is not a Spanish term for a double hit… and don’t get me started on this “reality show” concept. Reality is cutting the grass, refereeing a fight over the green Play-Doh, and figuring out if you can get away with wearing the same socks two days in a row NOT watching some Kardashian shaking her daisy dukes and figuring out whether she likes Cristal with her Beluga or people expressing their democratic rights by voting for some bad Alaskan cha cha dancer). The World Series is a distant memory, the Miami Heat are luke warm, everybody has finished downloading the Beatles onto their ipods and America can now focus its love on the excitement that is the WPTL

Let’s get right to the important stuff – the opening night chili remains very consistent…I think the quesadillas were a bit improved and there was a startling opportunity to actually drink beer right out of the bottle…a well established heresy down the way at that other paddle facility on Connecticut Ave but until now frowned upon at the more refined club with the red cups. The WPTL is also graced with the return of the legendary Nat Orme who joins fellow traditional paddle fashionplate J. Corrigan conjuring up in my mind a lot of serious thinking about what exactly is Khaki…is it just a Hindustani word? Is it a fabric? Is it a color? Is it something the true paddler wears? Is it a whole lifestyle? We do not have the space to fully explore these topics.

OK…so the teams have been very evenly drafted, wives are being reminded that Tuesday/Thursday is paddle night and we are well into the early season schedule. Thursday Night sees a constriction from the 6 team format of a year ago - 4 teams of thirteen amigos are mano a mano in a 5 match format and we’ll see some real marquee matches in both the #1 and # 2 courts throughout the year so long as the twin pariahs of paddle - travel and injury – do not rear their ugly heads. Tuesday Night is also fully subscribed, locked and loaded with 12 a side to make 4 matches. That makes a century of players in the WPTL and there are many more anxious to join. We have our legends but the greening of the league is apparent in the speed and quality of play. Build us another 10 paddle courts and we could really have some fun.

Matches – yes there have been quite a few and the results are below. We also extend a congratulation to WPTLers Huntley Montgomery and Tommy Croker who have already taken their show on the road and won the Delaware States.

WPTL Division I – Week 1 – all matches contested at Chevy Chase

Star Fleet beats The Situation 10-8

Court 1 - Garrett/Mitchell beat Freund/Meers in 2 sets
Court 2 - John Gardiner/Daniels lose to Kutko/Croker in 2 sets
Court 3 – V.Maddux/Jacobs lose to Fisher/Galiani in 3 sets
Court 4 - J.Gill/Barquin beat Jubb/Sullivan in 3 sets
Court 5 - Cunningham/Stroud lose to Cavanagh/Reardon in 3 sets

Old Balls beats Wisdom 13-4

Court 1- Jaysingh/Brown lose to Montgomery/Hume in 2 sets
Court 2- Moore/Flury lose to Steve Gordon/Yorke Allen in 3 sets
Court 3- Merrill/Martin lose to Jim Gardiner/Gilbert in 2 sets
Court 4- King/Nick Gill beat Manfuso/Orme in 3 sets
Court 5- Walsh/Brigati lose to Jeff Gordon/Tickner in 2 sets

WPTL D-I - week 2 results

The Situation loses to Old Balls 13-4 at Congressional

Court 1 - Mitchell/Packard lose to Montgomery/Hume in 3 sets
Court 2 - B.Hayes, Sr,/Daniels lose to Steve Gordon/Yorke Allen in 2 sets
Court 3 - V.Maddux/Vahaly lose to Kelley/Jim Gardiner won in 2 sets
Court 4 - Jacobs/J.Gill beat Manfuso/Tickner in 3 sets
Court 5 - Barquin/Stroud lose to T.Prince. Jr./Orme in 2 sets

Star Trek beats Wisdom 10-7 at Columbia

Court 1 – Jaysingh/Shafroth lose to Croker/Kutko in 3 sets
Court 2 – Moore/Merrill lose Freund/Cavanagh in 2 sets
Court 3 – Brown/Flury lose to Gumby/Galiani in 2 sets
Court 4 – Martin/McNair beat Reardon/Jubb in 2 sets
Court 5 – Walsh/King beat Farrell/Dolan in 3 sets

WPTL DI - Week 3 results

Old Balls lose to Star Trek 11-6 at Congressional

Court 1 - Hume/Montgomery beat Croker/Freund in 3 very tight sets
Court 2 - Y.Allen/Kelley lose to Kutko/Fisher in 2 sets
Court 3 - Jim Gardiner/Gilbert lose to Gumbinner/Meers in 2 sets
Court 4 - J.Gordon/Manfuso lose in 2 sets vs Galiani/C.Farrell in 2 sets
Court 5 - Orme/ T.Prince, Jr. beat Cavenaugh/Sullivan in 3 sets

Wisdom beats The Situation 12-3 at Chevy Chase

Court 1 - Spracklin/Brown lose to Mitchell/Packard in 2 sets
Court 2 - Jaysingh/Shafroth beat Hayes/Daniels in 2 sets
Court 3 - Moore/Merrill beat Maddux/Jacobs in 2 sets
Court 4 - Martin/McNair beat John Gardiner/Vahaly in 2 sets
Court 5 - Walsh/Flury beat Cunningham/Stroud in 2 sets

Third Week Standings

Old Balls 32
Star Trek 31
Wisdom 23
The Situation 15

WPTL D-II Week 1 all contested at Congressional

Big Foot v. Ravens
Big Foot wins 9-4

Court 1 Allen/Schaberg defeats Maddux/ P.Farrell in 3 sets
Court 2 Cowie/Bacso defeats Frekko/McGloon in 2 sets
Court 3 Malm/Dunlap loses to O'Donoghue/Baker in 2 sets
Court 4 Engler/Stoessel defeats Hyland/Hyland in 2 sets

Bullets v. Lightning
Bullets win 9-4

Court 1 Tennis/Dolan beat Cromelin/Sager in 3 sets
Court 2 Fritz/Heidenberger lose to Hartman/McIntyre in 2 sets
Court 3 Stifel/Nicholson beat Devries/Byrne in 2 sets
Court 4 Paleologogos/Banks beat Greer/Norton in 2 sets

WPTL D-II Week 2

Week 2: BigFoot v. Lightning at Congressional
Big Foot wins 10-4

Court 1 Corrigan/Decamp beat McIntyre/Sager in two sets
Court 2 Bacso/Cowie lose to Hartman/Cromelin in three sets
Court 3 Dunlap/Engler beat Norton/Byrne in two sets
Court 4 Raffo/Young beat S.Farrell/Tulacro in two sets

Ravens v. Bullets at Chevy Chase
Ravens and Bullets tie 7-7

Court 1 Maddux/P. Farrell lost to Tennis & Dolan in 2 sets
Court 2 Huke/Hayes lost to Heidenberger & Stifel in 3 sets
Court 3 McGloon / O’Donoghue won over Hoffman & Fritz in 2 sets
Court 4 Hyland/Hyland won over Paleologos & Onufer in 3 sets

Standings After Week 2

Big Foot 20
Bullets 16
Ravens 11
Lightning 8