Racquetmen Take Fourth; Desaulniers Grabs Crown

The Harvard men's squash team's aspirations to its first six-man national title since Dave Fish became coach four years ago ended abruptly at the Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association championships this weekend.

The Crimson could manage no better than a fourth place finish, behind perennial power Western Ontario, and Ivy rivals Penn and Princeton. The Crimson racquetmen won the nine-man national title and the Ivy crown earlier this season.

Crimson captain Mike Desaulniers, however, captured the "A" division laurels to cap off his brilliant career. Desaulniers compiled an undefeated record over his four years as Harvard's resident squash ace. His parting will breed sweet sorrow.

The Montreal native took all 18 games he contested. He allowed double digits in but one game, blazing his last in a series of impressive trails that will long be remembered in collegiate squash circles. In the finals, Desaulniers shut our Ned Edwards of Penn.

Second-slotted senior George Bell fell in the second round of the "A" tournament to Fordham's tough Bill Ramsay.

The tournament, held in Princeton den, Jadwin gymnasium, consisted of three draws of 64. Each school placed two players in each division, and team results depended on the individual success of squad members in the "A," "B," and "C" tourneys.

Third-ranked racquetman John Stubbs lost in the quarterfinals of the "B" draw to eventual champion Murray Shaw of Western Ontario. Chip Robie dropped a 3-2 decision in the second round of the "B" competition to a defensive Amherst racquetman.

The hard-hitting Robie faced a tough first-round match the morning of his defeat and was worn down by his afternoon adversary's lobbing tactics.

In the "C" draw, second-seeded Geordie Lemmon lost in the round of 16 to a Western Ontario racquetman, and Clark Bain made the quarterfinal round before succumbing to Penn's Pat Murray, 3-0.

So the season ends for the Crimson racquetmen--sort of. They still await a celebration dinner downtown. "There's only one match left--a dinner at Locke-Ober's. You can bet we'll win that one," Tony Downer, two-year team manager, said yesterday.