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Butch/Leach Get Revenge Win
By Rob Dinerman, Oct 4, 2006    
Squashtalk Independent News; © 2006 SquashTalk LLC

Big Apple Open Quarterfinal Update

Playing with verve, confidence and ruthless efficiency, Scott Butcher and Clive Leach dominated this afternoon's quarterfinal action in the Big Apple Open, the second ISDA pro doubles tour event of the 2006-07 season, which is held at the New York Athletic Club. In posting a decisive 15-8, 11 and 13 win over fourth seeds Preston Quick and John Russell, Butcher and Leach avenged their first-round 3-0 loss to this same pair in the season-opening Maryland Club Open four weeks ago and earned a berth in tomorrow afternoon's semifinals, where they will face top seeds Gary Waite and Damien Mudge, who also won 3-0 in their quarter with Jamie Bentley and Willie Hosey. This will be the third time in just over seven months that Waite/Mudge and Butcher/Leach will meet in a New York-area ISDA semifinal, the two prior clashes (in Brooklyn in late February and at the Kellner Cup two months later) both having gone the five-game limit before Waite and Mudge eventually prevailed.

Leach and Butcher were both extremely sharp in the single-figure first game, but the second seesawed until 9-all when Russell top-of-the-tinned two backhand rails with such force that they sailed above the glass and into the packed gallery. Leach followed with an improvised backhand reverse-corner that froze both of his opponents and created enough of a margin to seal a two-games-to-love lead. Again in the third, Leach and Butcher broke away in mid-game to get to 14-10, at which point two well-concealed drop shots to the front-left and a brilliant look-away Russell backhand rail that fooled Butcher suddenly made it very interesting at 13-14. But on the ensuing point, Quick tinned a forehand reverse-corner and Butcher/Leach were free to the semis.

Today's outcome represented the second win in barely three hours for Butcher, who earlier in the day had combined with Addison West in a four-game conquest of Philadelphians Rob Whitehouse and Greg Park in the quarters of the Silver Racquet Invitational, a strong USSRA tourney that is being hosted this weekend several blocks southeast of the NYAC at the Racquet & Tennis Club. It also denied Quick, who won this event last year with Ben Gould at the final-round expense of Waite and Mudge, the possibility of a return trip to the winner's circle. Gould, on the other hand, remained in contention for this feat when he and current partner Paul Price (straight-set winners in Baltimore last month over Russell and Quick) out-played Michael Pirnak and Martin Heath in the match that followed the Butcher/Leach victory.

In the final match of the day, James Hewitt and Tyler Millard, understandably spent by their comeback victory from a two-game deficit late Friday night against Doug Lifford and Pat Milloy, were unable to repel the superior firepower directed at them by second seeds Viktor Berg and Chris Walker. Price/Gould won handily over Walker/Berg at the Maryland Club, so there will be rematches of recent battles in both semifinals tomorrow afternoon (at 2:00 and 3:00 respectively), with a final that is slated for Monday evening at 6:00.

Quarters Recap
Gary Waite/Damien Mudge d Willie Hosey/Jamie Bentley, 3-0;
Scott Butcher/Clive Leach d John Russell/Preston Quick, 3-0;
Paul Price/Ben Gould d Michael Pirnak/Martin Heath, 3-0;
Chris Walker/Viktor Berg d James Hewitt/Tyler Millard, 3-0.

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