The Sudbury squash contingent will enjoy bragging rights in these parts, at least in terms of opening 2020.
With a total of 24 athletes representing the Sudbury and North Bay squash communities going toe to toe just before Christmas, it was the Nickel City court folks who would lay claim to the first annual Hunt Club Sudbury Squash Showdown, taking nine of the 12 scheduled matches.
To be fair, only a handful of points came between the North Bay crew earning a 6-6 draw or not, with three of the matches going the distance (five sets), and all three of those decided by three points or less.
"It was an incredible event and all the Sudbury players showed tremendous grit, stamina, and character," said North Bay organizer and second seed, Stephen Hunt. "The Hunt Club has already started training for next year's battle."
Charles de la Riva Jr. (Sudbury) knocked off Madison Eggert (North Bay) in four sets in a battle of the numbers one, with Joel Clarke disposing of Stephen Hunt by a similar score in the penultimate match of the teams' No. 2 players.
The make-or-break five-set Sudbury victories came courtesy of Gerry Boudreault, Brad Clarke and Denis Gendron, while the North Bay trio of Kevin Wilton, Cam Graham and Wesley Patterson managed to hold serve on their home court, all three emerging victorious.
Following is a complete breakdown of the results from the fun-filled day of laughter and friendly competition:
#1 Madison Eggert (NB) 1
vs #1 Charles De La Riva Jr (SBY) 3
#2 Stephen Hunt (NB) 1
vs #2 Joel Clarke (SBY) 3
#3 Kevin Wilton (NB) 3
vs #3 Marc Chartrand (SBY) 0
#4 Matt Gingras (NB) 2
vs #4 Gerry Boudreault (SBY) 3
#5 Cam Graham (NB) 3
vs #5 Sam Cuomo (SBY) 2
#6 Rob Roy (NB) 1
vs #6 Rogan Harpur (SBY) 3
#7 Dan Rousseau (NB) 1
vs #7 Al Michel (SBY) 3
#8 Shawn Gallagher (NB) 2
vs #8 Brad Clarke (SBY) 3
#9 Dean Pauli (NB) 0
vs #9 Robert De La Riva (SBY) 3
#10 Mark Frederick (NB) 2
vs #10 Denis Gendron (SBY) 3
#11 Kenton Atkins (NB) 1
vs #11 Josh Cuomo (SBY) 3
12 Wesley Patterson (NB) 3
vs #12 Connie Sacchetto (SBY) 1
