Atwood Pushes Racquetmen Past Penn, 5-4

Down 2-0, junior Ed Atwood fought back to edge Penn's Jeff Condon in the final three games leading Harvard's squash team to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Quakers Saturday at Hemenway Gym. The triumph, barring catastrophe, assures Harvard of its eight intercollegiate and Ivy team championship in nine years.

Atwood's victory followed a stunning upset by Harvard's Fernando Gonzales against Mason Gerhart of Penn at number three. Before the match both teams had predicted that the outcome would be determined by the bottom half of the order. Although the Quakers won at three of the last five positions, Harvard took three of the four top slots for an insurmountable margin.

"It's just like last year," a Penn student shouted as Atwood's match reached intermission. Last season Jeff Condon broke three match points in the ninth match to steal a Quaker victory.

Opening Battle

Condon appeared ready to duplicate the performance Saturday. He and Atwood battled neck and neck in the opening two games, but Condon, when he asserted himself, seemed the superior player, talking both games at 15-11. Atwood won unconvincing triumphs in the third and fourth games to send the match the distance.

But in the fifth and final game Atwood turned the tables. Playing his best squash of the day, the Crimson junior maintained a two point advantage till 12-10. Then, as Condon lost his cool and the crowd gave resounding ovations for every point, Atwood closed the match with three straight points.

Atwood's triumph was played on the same court as Fernando Gonzales' upset. The senior racquetman rushed to a 15-5 win in his first game against Gerhart, but then Gonzales switched to an extremely defensive style and was setback, 13-15, 8-15.

Cliff-hanger

Gonzales took the offensive in the fourth contest, 15-11, and swept to a 13-9 advantage in the final challenge. Gerhart closed the margin to 14-13, but as the crowd's pulse rose twenty beats, Gonzaies pulled out the cliff-hanger.

Senior Larry Terrell faced his toughest collegiate match of the year against Penn's Palmer Page and had to go five games to win. Page ran Terrell all over the court in the first two games but still lost, 11-15, 12-15. Obviously frustrated the Quaker sophomore seemed broken as he shouted at himself and kicked the walls as he lost points.

But Page shocked the audience and Terrell as he completely crushed Harvard's captain in the next two games, Terrell had to fight for a single point, losing 2-15, 5-15. In serious danger, Terrell slowly regained his composure and played to an 8-8 tie in the deciding match.

Page suddenly appeared worried continually interrupting the match to use a towel. Page had good reason to worry for Terrell took seven of the final eight points despite a leg cramp.

From Puerto Rico

Jaime Gonzales and Alan Quasha captured the crucial fourth and fifth victories at number six and nine respectively. Gonzales, cheered at every point by his parents who had come from Puerto Rico for the match swept his contest in three games against captain Pere Singer.

Two of Harvard's losses came in closely (??) matches "I lost the match more than he won it." Pete Abrams said. Abrams fell to Charlie Moore in the fourth game. 15-17 Dave Fish took his second game and was ahead, 14-9 in the third but he tired quickly and lost in four games.