Crimson Squash Team Tops Army, 8-1, Exhibits Depth

With the departure of Ben Heckscher and Cal Place from the varsity ranks and three years of brilliant match play, the Crimson squash team doesn't seem quite the same.

Appearances, however, can be deceiving, and in this case they probably are. Jack Barnaby's squad survived a long trip to West Point, the very fast Army courts, and a well-conditioned Cadet team, and defeated Army, 8 to 1, Saturday. In doing so, the Crimson gave every indication that it is still a squash power to be reckoned with in intercollegiate competition.

Army is always a well-coached, well-practiced team which is very dangerous on its own courts, where a fast bounce and a higher court temperature than is found at most colleges make adjustment very difficult. However, not a single Harvard winner was forced past four games, and Gerry Emmet, who lost at third singles, was not in top physical shape for the match.

The varsity was especially strong at the bottom five singles positions, with Pete Lund, Charlie Poletti, Ed Wads-worth, John Davis, and Fred Vinton all winning in three quick games. This show of depth provides encouragement for the coming season, since the Crimson may not be strong enough at the top to win every match at the first two singles positions as it has done for the past few years.

Yale and Dartmouth, with Sonny Howe and Dick Hoehn at their first singles spots, will provide very strong opposition for the varsity's captain, Larry Sears, and Yale and Princeton should be quite strong well down the ladder this winter. Depth may be the deciding factor in the Ivy League race this year, and it looks as though the Crimson might have the depth to regain the titles which it lost last winter in a stunning weekend of losses to Navy and Princeton.

The main block to the championship and possibly to an undefeated season will be the excellent Yale varsity. With Sonny Howe holding down the top position, followed by last year's number one man, Charlie Kingsley, the Bulldogs will definitely pose a major threat to Crimson squash hopes.

Most of the players from last year's Eli team, including Mait Jones, Bill Barhite, and John Oettinger will be back, bolstered by several players up from the '60 freshman team.

The Crimson varsity will count even more heavily on its sophomores to give it the extra depth needed to win the Ivy race. Gerry Emmet, Charlie Poletti and Fred Vinton at third, sixth, and ninth singles are all excellent sophomores but need the seasoning of a few varsity matches before they can realize their full potential.

If they can develop in the first few matches of the year and combine with the experience of Sears (who looked good in defeating Army's Dave Williams in three straight on Saturday), Hamm, Cortesi, and Lund, the Crimson may return to the position of preeminence which it held in 1956.

It may be the varsity's last chance for some time, as Yale's team is composed mainly of sophomores and juniors, and Princeton will be bolstered next year by the brilliant Steve Vehslage, who as a freshman is certainly among the top five to ten players in the country.