Racketmen Beat McGill As Nayar Edges Martin

"When McGill comes to Harvard," said one of the Canadian squash players Saturday afternoon, "we have to win at the top. We just don't have the depth."

In demolishing McGill's racketmen, 9-0 Saturday, the Crimson showed its strength at both the bottom of the order. But Harvard's first man, Anil Nayar, did have trouble.

Nayar was paced by the hard-hitting southpaw from McGill, Peter Martin, in a match that was decided 3-2. The Crimson's first man lost his first game to Martin, 15-17, as both players tensed notably before the packed galaries in Hemenway gym.

Quick Victory

The Indian champion cut down his errors and laced into Martin for the next two games, 15-8, 15-12. Quick victory for Nayar seemed inevitable, as Nayar sped away to a 12-8 lead in the fourth game.

Then the Canadian revealed his punch by cleverly alternating hard and soft shots, retrieving innumerable backhands, and clambering back to give Nayar a loss, 16-18. In the fourth game the Crimson's top man failed to wear down his opponent, and missed a number of drop shots off volleys. But his relentless speed tamed the Canadian, 15-12.

Rick Sterne, Jose Gonzales, and Matt Hall cut down their opposition at second through fourth matches, 3-0. Harvard's Sterne met Peter Martin's older and heavier brother Kerry at number two. The Crimson's lefty used the corners and out-ran the overweight Canadian for a 15-7, 15-10, 15-10 win.

Gonzales at number three sped through his match with a remarkable 15-3, 15-6, 15-1 score.

Fifth man Gordie Black dropped his first game, before winning 3-1. Sixth for the Crimson, John Harwood had to run to squeeze out his first two games, 17-16, 17-16, before sweeping through the third, 15-12.

Clean-up men Yoshi Akabane, John Whitbeck, and Alex Shumatoff ably demonstrated Harvard's depth with quick victories, 3-1. Akabane won so comfortably that he could watch most of Nayar's number-one match from the grandstands.

In Philadelphia Saturday, Crimson sophomore Michel Scheinmann and freshman Larry Terrell both dispatched their first two opponents to gain the final rounds of the National Junior Squash Championships.