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Illingworth, Wyant Make Bids
Rob Dinerman © 2002 SquashTalk; all rights of reproduction reserved.
June 28, 2003      

Julian Illingworth today took out Jamie Crombie in first day of trials play; Photo © Debra Tessier 2003

Major Upsets Mark Opening Day

Tim Wyant and Julian Illingworth are ranked Nos. 5 and 6 respectively entering the eight-man U. S. Men's Team trials and hence are on the outside looking in, given that only three spots are available on the men's squad that will represent America in the late-August Pan American Games. But each of them took a big step in their quest this evening when they earned unexpected but decisive victories over higher ranked opponents who appeared to have a lock on a team position.

Wyant rode the momentum of a pivotal third-game tiebreaker to record his first career victory over No. 1 ranked Damien Walker, who suddenly looked vulnerable when he never recovered from that narrow mid-match setback in going down to a 9-7 2-9 10-8 9-1 defeat.

And Illingworth was relentless in repeating his Westchester Squash mid-winter win over No. 2 ranked Jamie Crombie, who had won the U. S. Pro championship in Los Angeles just a few weeks ago but who had no answers to Illingworth's assault and the 9-3, 6 and 1 outcome that resulted.

As indicated by the stat line of these matches, both upset winners were running away from their much-older rivals by the end of their respective matches, which poses interesting questions both as to who will and who should carry the American torch into Santo Domingo seven weeks hence. Walker and Crombie, who met in both the Harvard Club Of New York Invitational (Walker in five) and U. S. Pro (Crombie in four) finals, are along with S. L Green winner Preston Quick prohibitive favorites to commandeer the three team positions, which will be determined based on a formula involving end-of-season ranking, S. L. Green ranking and performance in these four-day trials.

But both 30-something veterans have shown signs of slippage lately, even before tonight's fade-outs, and it may well be beneficial both for the upcoming Pan American Games and future international competitions for up-and-coming stars like the teenager Illingworth to get the intense experience the Games will provide. A better perspective on this issue will surely be available by the end of these Trials a few days from now, and it will be interesting as well to see if these decorated veterans can right themselves this weekend after the jolt they absorbed this evening.

In other men's action, No. 4 Richard Chin won in three over No. 8 Dylan Patterson, as did No. 3 Quick over No. 7 Beau River, whose bid for the first game fell short in a 10-8 tiebreaker and who never truly challenged thereafter.

The six women's matches required only 19 total games, one over the minimum, with No. 2 (of seven total entrants) Meredeth Quick dropping one game to No. 6
Michelle Quibell in reversing their five-month-old Harvard Club outcome. No. 7
Carlin Wing lost to both No. 4 Shabana Khan (who also defeated Quibell) and
Quick, and No. 5 Hope Prockop lost to both No. 1 Latasha Khan and No. 3 Louisa
Hall. With all three of the Nos. 5-7 players losing both their Friday matches,
and Latasha Khan almost certain to claim one of the women's three team slots,
the women's competition seems already, even after just one day, to have
evolved into a battle between Shabana, Hall and Quick for the two remaining
positions.

Men's Recap: R. Chin d D. Patterson, 3-0; P. Quick d B. River, 3-0; T. Wyant
d D. Walker, 3-1; J. Illingworth d J. Crombie, 3-0.

Women's Recap: First Session: L Khan d H. Prockop, 3-0; M. Quick d M.
Quibell, 3-1; S. Khan d C. Wing, 3-0; Second Session: Quick d Wing, 3-0; L. Hall d
H. Prockop, 3-0; S. Khan d Quibell, 3-0

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