Hyder Trophy Event Stands Tall
May 9, 2005, by Ron Beck
SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2005 all Rights Reserved;

Oldest USA Softball Tourney in the USA reaches 36

Dr. Quentin Hyder, creator of the Hyder Trophy Event (photo © 2005 Debra Tessier)

The Hyder Trophy Tournament, the creation of Dr. Quentin Hyder, is the longest running softball tourney in North America, dating back to its origins at the New York Atlhetic Club in 1969.

Dr. Hyder was the first evangelist for the international game in the USA, and besides this signature event, he was the driving force behind the first international court built in the Eastern USA, at the Uptown Racquet Club on East 86th St., and was the organizer of a US contingent who traveled yearly to the Pan Am Cup in Bermuda (now the Bermuda Masters).

In its early days, the Hyder Trophy was an amateur event, with its regular combatants including Americans such as Frank Satterthwaite, Dinny Adams, Kevin Pickens, Denis Bourke, and Pete Bostwick; and a few women such as Alicia McConnell and Diana Nyad, who battled it out with the many international imports living in New York. The inaugural winner was Graham Sharman from England.

The event evolved into a prize-money event in the mid nineties and this prestigious tournament now offers New Yorkers the opportunity to see their local pros battle it out on a squash court for the Hyder title. Last years winner, Mark Heather, joined the champions list that includes Jonathan Power, Martin Heath, Shahier Razik, Ned Edwards, Mo Khan, Richard Chin, Soli Mehta and John Musto.

The women’s event was introduced in 1980, and for the past two years included a hotly-contested WISPA women's pro event.

But with reduced sponsorship available to the Metropolitan New York MSRA this year, both events, though offering prize money, are not sanctioned professional events.

On the women's side, the women’s open draw, will serve as one of the USSRA US women’s team selection events for the Pan Federation Cup in the Summer of 2005. The women's draw is small, having only attracted one more player than the recently concluded Merion Event, namely Meredeth Quick, Louisa Hall, Dana Betts and Julie Lillien. The event will be a round robin and take place at the Sports Club/LA beginning Friday, May 13th.

The men's pro event is unfortunately on a very busy USA men's pro weekend, with the USA Men's Team Final Trials in San Diego taking place in conjunction with an inaugural tournament at that new club, and the annual PSA Satellite Atlanta Open also on the same weekend. Further depleting the candidate pros is the Father-Son National doubles on the same weekend, in which Preston Quick is entered with his father.

The Hyder still features an entertaining and interesting pro draw of 16, with the top two spots going to two Canadians - Graham Ryding and Shahier Razik. The other players in the event are Karim Yehia, Damian Mudge, Michael Weston, Francis Odeh, Daniel Ezra, Clive Leach, Mohammed Ali, Ben Oliner, Dylan Patterson, David Heath, Ahmed Hamza, Michael Ferreira, Segun Maku and Ben DeSombre.

First round of the men's event will take place on Thursday May 12th at the Yale Club in conjunction with the MSRA league finals night. The event will then move to the Sports Club/LA for the remaining rounds Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

The draws are in the process of being finalised, along with the plethora of amateur draws that are also taking place over the weekend....over 120 players in 12 draws taking place at the Sports Club/LA and NYSC Uptown.

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