1993 Rittenhouse Doubles Champs

Lau/Lanphier Rittenhouse Doubles Champs 

by Michael O'Neill

from Squash News 1994

Ed Lanphier's willingness to study the record books stood him in good stead as he thought about entering the seventh annual Rittenhouse Doubles tournament. How could he assure success? How about asking John Lau, who had accumulated five Rittenhouse Doubles titles with three different players, to be his partner. Smart move. 

Lau extended his record to six titles with four partners as he and Lanphier upended Kris Surano and Will Fratt in a (16-18), 15-12, (11-15), 15-13, 15-10 final. Some wondered whether Lanphier, the chief operating officer of Somatix Gene Therapy, had isolated and been implanted with a special gene since he started making reverse corners and three walls that nicked at will in the final; the shot was new to his repertoire. Lanphier indicated after the match that he would try to clone Fratt's diving gene in his next experiment. During the match, Fratt made at least five all-out, spread-eagle dives and recoveries, electrifying the crowd in the final. Surano also hit a number of his trade-mark brilliant shots, but in the end, they proved not quite enough. 

The Men's A flight was one of four draws offered in the Rittenhouse event which was started back in 1987 by the company's irrepressible president, Simon Blattner. The tournament this year drew 35 teams from Denver, Vancouver, and Chicago, as well as from the host city, San Francisco. In addition to the A division, flights for B, 40+, and 50+, players insured that the courts at the host University Club stayed busy throughout the weekend. 

The Men's B crown was won by the father-son team of Loren and Sean Campbell. The Campbells made the final exciting by dropping the first two games to the fast starting Glen Millman/Bruce Callandar team, but they used their considerable racquet skills to come from way back to claim the championship (16-17), (9-15), 15-10, 15-9, 15-9. Papa Loren, now 52, was captain of his tennis team at Kalamazoo College and Sean, 27, captained the tennis team at the University of Oregon. The racquet skills these two developed playing tennis were obvious in the final and played a key role in their victory. 

The 50+ title went to San Franciscans John Campodonico and Jim Feutz, who edged Canadians Mike Jackson and John Osburn in a hotly contested final. Jackson is spectacular shot maker and former rugby player, while Osburn is a lean, tall, and tireless retriever. But all their skills were not enough against the guile and speed of their opponents. Play was halted briefly during the final when a cup of scalding hot coffee came cascading down on the players from the gallery. Referee Loren Campbell alertly called a Let for "interference by a sloppy spectator” and, after a crack cleaning crew was called in, the match was played without further incident. 

The eventual champions knocked off University Club members Bob Tyndall and Bob Miller in four games while Jackson and Osburn dispatched tournament founder Blattner and his partner, Hank Bruce, 3-0 in the semi-final round. 

For the fourth year in a row, the 40+ crown went to Jim Marver and Jim Gibbons of the host club. They overwhelmed an exhausted Campodonico/Feutz team 15-8, 15-9, 15-13 in the final which immediately followed the 50+ trophy round. Although Marver and Gibbons played wonderfully to take the crown, Campodonico and Feutz were definitely not at their peak. Each semi-final lasted four games as the eventual champions beat Blattner and Bruce while Campodonico/Feutz ousted John Starbuck and Stuart Boynton.

All who competed in the Rittenhouse tournament love doubles, but perhaps none more so than Campodonico, who played in the A flight with Ted Ward as well as in both age group draws. The Campodonico/Ward team pulled off the upset of the weekend when they beat current U.S. National 30+ soft ball champion David Levy and his partner, Steve Heath of Santa Barbara, (12-15), 15-13, 15-10, (12-15), 15-7. The prospects seemed bleak for Campodonico and Ward at the outset since they, collectively, are more than three decades older than their opponents. But their familiarity with the doubles game was very much in their favor and ultimately proved the difference. New to doubles, Levy and Heath left the court shaking their heads, while the wily veterans wore broad smiles. Their joy was short-lived, however, as their next adversaries were Lau and Lanphier, the eventual champions. 

The players and their guests had a great time throughout the week end with amenities provided by Rittenhouse, a manufacturer of business machine consumables. Black Knight provided prizes for a raffle and Slazenger donated the tournament balls. The University Club and its squash pro and tournament director, John Lau, were joined by volunteers Ted Ward, Tom Austin, Mark Rosenstein, Betsy England, Jim Gibbons, Emmanuel Uren, and John Starbuck who made sure the event was a special one for all who participated.

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