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Westchester coaches, current and former, make the 2004 Hyder Cup final.
With the amateur matches over for the day, the crowd gathered to watch three Englishmen and a Kiwi battle it out for their place in the final. And sure enough Dr. Hyder was front and center keeping a close eye on things.
Mark Heather, PSA ranked 57, and Clive Leach, former top 30 PSA player, took the stage first. Leach took an early 4-1 lead with some hard winners at the front of the court but Heather equaled things out and the scores stayed level for the next few points. Heather then finished off a couple of rallies with low cross-court drops taking the scoreline to 10-7. Mistakes by Leach in the latter part of the game gave Heather the first game 15-8.
The second game started off as the first game began, Leach made a number of mistakes, trying to hit the ball hard and low but finding the tin each time. As Heather moved the ball around it was becoming clear that Leach wasn't used to playing at such a pace as he started to give up when Heather took the ball short. Heather's deft touch was working well as he took the game 15-5.
Leach picked up the pace at the beginning of the third game, but Heather equally matched it. There were flashes of brilliance from Leach as he gave one last effort, but Heather was too steady and confident and romped to a 10-5 lead. “This is such a frustrating game,” Leach told the crowd after a long rally that saw both players move around the four corners of the court but ended with a tin from Leach. At this point Leach started shooting at every opportunity while Heather's calm and confident composure kept the ball in play waiting for Leach to make the mistake. And that's how it ended, on a tin from Leach, giving the third and final game to Heather 15-8.
For the die-hard squash fans (that includes Dr. Hyder!) that stuck around for the whole of the second semi-final, they were treated to a great battle from two experienced players. Kiwi Daniel Sharplin, 2002 New Zealand champion, took on Damian Walker, the Englishman who currently holds the US number one spot.
Both players took a slow and careful start to the first game, and it was Walker who edged ahead first to 10-4 as his backhand drops clung to the side-wall forcing mistakes from Sharplin. A mixture of good length and tight drops from Walker took him to 13-5, and a stroke against Sharplin gave Walker game ball 14-6. But Sharplin wasn't going to give up easily and played some attacking squash for the next five points before finding the tin and giving the first game to Walker 15-11.
The athleticism of both players was challenged in the second. But it was mistakes from Walker and trickle boast winners from Sharplin that gave him the upper hand and the second game 15-10. Sharplin started the third game with a number of mistakes and gave the early lead 4-2 to Walker. However Sharplin fought back as Walker found the tin to change the scoreline to his favor 8-6. From there Sharplin maintained his slight advantage and took the third game 15-11. As the players walked off court, the announcement came over the speaker system that the club was now closed. Sharplin jokingly went to shake Walker 's hand, as the organizers told them the match could be completed.
The fourth game saw the players fully challenge each other with an all-court game. As the players took their time to recover after one long rally, they were asked to play on by the referee. “Do you realize how tough that was?” responded Walker. Sharplin added, “Do you know our combined age?” At 11-11, a long rally ensued and as Walker 's boast hit the tin, the lights went out on court. It was Alex Berger, assistant pro at the club, that came to the rescue and after a 15-minute reprieve the players were back on court with the scoreline of 12-11 to Sharplin. A tinned trickle boast from Sharplin gave Walker game ball, who only needed one chance to convert with a tight drop, game score 15-13.
So with everything to play for, the battle was really on. It was Walker who streaked to an early 10-4 lead. But once again Sharplin wasn't going to give in easily, and slowly he clawed his way back into the match, pushing Walker deep into the corners before playing a winning drop. At 10-10 Walker suffered a cramp in his tricep. “Never had that before,” he commented after the match, “and it felt really odd”. Sharplin took advantage of Walker 's cramp and a tinned return of serve from Walker gave Sharplin match ball at 14-12. Sharplin only needed one try to convert as he played the winning drop.
Post match Sharplin said he thought Walker appeared tired on court but he couldn't find a way to break the Walker armor. “At 10-4 down in the fifth I felt really negative,” said Sharplin. “I just focused on keeping the speed on the ball and not making any mistakes.”
So the scene is set for the final, it will be between Mark Heather and Daniel Sharplin, who used to be co-workers at Westchester Squash in Mamaroneck, NY before Sharplin took a coaching position in Boston.
Results
Mark Heather (1) def. Clive Leach (4) 15-8, 15-6, 15-7
Daniel Sharplin (3) def. Damian Walker (2) 11-15, 15-10, 15-11, 13-15, 15-12
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