When San Francisco was the center of the squash universe

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The fledgling San Francisco Bay Area squash community  came of age in 1983 when US Squash awarded the Northern Califonia Squash Racquets Association the honor and privilege of hosting the United States Men's Hardball Singles Championships.

NorCal, which was formed only 26 years before (by my college coach, Dick Crawford -JL) wasn’t seen as a serious player with gravitas by the rest of the country - by not having the number of courts required to host the preeminent amateur squash tournament in the United States.  But squash was steadily growing in the region and to meet the growing demand, more courts were built in short order.  With the newly constructed south of market Squash Club of San Francisco with it's 8 North American Hardball courts - built by a consortium of squash devotees,  designed by local squash devotee Bob Howell, and led by squash legend Alex Eichmann, the University Club of San Francisco constructing 2 additional singles courts in 1975 for a total of 4 courts, the Olympic Club with it's 2 courts, and the Peninsula Squash Club with its 4 courts, the region finally had the requisite number of courts to hold the annual National Championships. San Franciscans were burning to showcase to the rest of the North American squash community that they were more than able and more than willing to throw a grand party. A week’s worth of driving rain broke just in time for the revelry. 

John

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Twin tips of the iceberg, Co-chair Charlotte and Peter Gaynor accepting plaudits representing San Francisco's very large and capable Working Tournament Committee.

1983 National Squash Men's Singles Hardball Championships

from US Squash Annual Yearbook

NorCal Chairpersons, Charlotte and Peter Gaynor, gathered the support of a most enthusiastic, committed, and efficient group of San Franciscans to welcome a profusion of players from all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  Close to 400 players participated in San Francisco's first-ever hosting of the US National Men's Singles Championships with the four action-packed days free of the continuous seasonal rain that had descended on the region.   By all accounts, the Championship went marvelously well with nary a hitch.  First class all the way! (I can certainly vouch for this! - JL)

Tom Wrightson, past US Squash President, 

holds the President's Cup-awarded for service to squash

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Championship

Tournament Co-Chairman Peter Gaynor

hoists Champion Kenton Jernigan's hand in triumph 

before the admiring gaze of Co-chairman Charlotte Gaynor, 

US Squash President Jack Herrick (holding permanent trophy), 

David Boyum, Finalist, and Coca-Cola's Jack Carlin

Two players from Harvard dominated the tournament and reached the finals, with an awesome Kenton Jernigan simply overpowering teammate, David Boyum (11, 18-15, 7) to take the title which had eluded Jernigan the previous year in Washington, D.C. During the match, it seemed that whenever the number one seed Boyum put the number two seed Jernigan under pressure, Jernigan rose to the occasion by hitting winner upon winner.

Men's Championship-Semi-final loser Gil Mateer jumped ahead of 
Jernigan and had a solid lead in the 5th game,but Kenton Jernigan 
failed to crumble and repelled the challenge successfully

In the semi-finals, Philadelphia's Gilbert Mateer tested Jernigan to the utmost, building a 10-4 in the fifth game.  (I lost to Mateer (11, 12, 6) in the 3rd round - JL).  Mateer made his first error of the game (I recall that it was a tinned forehand 3-wall boast - JL) to let Jernigan catch up to 9-10. From 10-all, Mateer moved ahead 12-10, but Jernigan pulled his power and his wide-range of shots to take the final point with a blasted unretrievable double boast ((13), 10, (8) 10, 13).  In the other semi-finals, Boyum handled the former U.S. Champion from Toronto, Jay Gillespie, which was extended to four games, as Boyum failed to take a match point in the third (8, 11, (15-16), 6).

(The Bay Area's favorite sons Paul Gessling and John Lau played to the quarter-finals and 3rd round, respectively. By season’s end, as a result of their fine showing, Gessling earned a #4 National ranking while Lau earned a #7 National ranking.)

Men's Finals-Jernigan dominated Boyum throughout 

with an awesome display of power and finesse.

(Look at the crowd!  The large gallery at the Squash Club of San Francisco 
was able to accommodate more than 300 enthusiasts.)

35's

35+ Champion Kevan Pickens stayed out in front of Rick Sterne in the finals

Defending champion and top seed Tom Poor fell victim to injury at 5-all in the second game, having lost the first game to (Portland's) Allen McKeown throwing the competition wide open,  (Poor received McKeown's racquet to the face swung at full force which was accompanied with Poor's anguished cries reverberating throughout the club with piercing resonance.  Eyeguards were not yet mandatory for tournament play, and Poor was lucky to get away with only stitches above his eyebrow.) New York's Kevan Pickens ousted McKeown in the semis. while another New Yorker, Rick Sterne, eliminated unseeded Tom Genoni from West Point. Pickens proved too strong and steady for Sterne in the four game final.

40's

40+ Bob Hetherington and Lenny Bernheimer tangled, but Bernheimer ended on top.

A large number of entries.  Bob Hetherington eliminated defending champion Ian Dowdeswell in the semis, reversing last year's finals, but failed to gain the title from a lean and hungry Lenny Bernheimer, admitting to his age and moving up from the 35's where he had been defending titlist the year before.  Lenny repelled the efforts of Toronto's Andy Pastor in the semis.

Prizes galore: (left to right) 40+ Finalist Ted Simmons, 40+ Champion Gerry Shugar, 
Peter Wolf (donor of the 45+ permanent trophy), 

Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Uren (part of Host Committee), 
US Squash President Jack Herrick, 45+ Champion Lenny Bernheimer, 
45+ Finalist Bob Hetherington

45's

A repeat victory for Toronto's Jerry Shugar who did not lose a game in the tournament and not permitting his opponents to get out of single digits in any single game.  A talented but "aging" Ted Simmons was Shugar's victim in the finals, while Bill Miller and (Seattle's) Les Harding were the semi-finalists.

50's

50's Finals-For one magic game, Charlie Ufford had Henri Salaun on the ropes, 

but Salaun bounced back to take the game and the title.

Henri who?  Salaun? Why, he should be in the 55's! And indeed he should, or so state all the others in the 50's.  Be that as it may, Henri Salaun yielded no more than 8 points in any one game in reaching the finals (defeating San Franciscans Jack Bickel in the 2nd round 6,7,8, and Murray Smith 6, 5, 2 in the quarters) and he seemed destined to offer Charlie Ufford a similar fate.  Ufford, recovered from major back surgery a year ago, almost caused Salaun to miss his flight home when he moved ahead 13-10 in the first game.  "No Set!" called Salaun at 14-14 which turned out to be the right call for the multi-titled champion.   A thus aroused Salaun reverted back into the "routine" pattern, as Ufford was limited to 6 and 8 points in the final two games. To gain the semis, San Francisco's Eddie Marr posted a fine win over Bostonian Don Boyko only to face Salaun, while Toronto's Jim Bentley dominated Sidney "Tote" Davis from Charleston, West Virginia before falling before Ufford.

55's

Jim Carrington, the Men's National Singles 55+ Champion

With Salaun playing with the youngsters and a perennial favorite Charlie Butt unable to enter, the title was up for grabs,  A surprising Jim Carrington bulled his way into the finals with a hard-fought victory over Newt Meade and a semi-final win over Southern Californian Ed Helfeld where he met Chicago's Del Fuller.  Fuller had eliminated Salt Lake City's John Bennett in the semis.  But in the finals, top-seeded Fuller never found his rhythm and Carrington confounded all by taking this national title.

60's

60+ Seattle's tireless Dick Daly measured former champion Floyd Svensson 

carefully and proved convincingly that he was the best in the field.

In the semi's, defending titlist Hasting Griffin showed his lack of play due to injury in losing quickly to the Bay Area's Floyd Svensson, while unseeded (how come?) Seattle's Dick Daly had little trouble with Met New York Prexy Mike Solin.  The first game of the finals was competitive, but then the very fit Daly showed his edge as a result of playing in younger age divisions in Seattle, as he reclaimed this title, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind as to who was the class of the field.

65's

65+ Ed Hobler takes the championship match from Taft Toribara

as they demonstrate how valuable they feel their eyes are.

Ed Hobler dominated former National Champion Taft Toribara in the Finals and was taken to extra points only by Dr. Frank Smith in the field of 10.  Cincinnati's Jack Blossom was the other semi-finalist.

70's

Charlotte Gaynor congratulates Canada's Bob Wade 

while American Finalist Ashton Crosby also poses for the camera.

An expanded field of 10 enthusiastic players found Vancouver's Bob Wade, now with pace-maker, handling early round matches with ease.  In the finals, he met New Hampshire's Ashton Crosby, who extended Bob but failed to take a game.  After the (completion of the) tournament, Washington, D.C.'s Franklin Gould was heard to proclaim that it was now the time for a 75+ Division.

Good Luck next year, Frank!

Teams 

(competed alongside the National Singles as was the practice at the time.)

Powerful Harvard took the Team-of-Five title from Princeton

Harvard dominated the Men's Championship, and so did Harvard dominate the National Team-of-Five Championship.  Facing the second-seeded team, Princeton, in the finals, Harvard took five-game duals at positions 2 and 4 to gain the title 4-1.  Neither finalist had much difficulty gaining the ultimate round, as (the teams from) Philadelphia and New York squeezed to the semis with 3-2 victories over Yale and Penn respectively.  Defending champions, Mexico, did not field a team, as the players competed in the singles tournament.

Women's Championship

The 1983 Women's National Singles Championship was held in Boston, Massachusetts and won by Hall of Famer, Alicia McConnell.

Alicia - charging to the Championship

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