Almost 250 women gathered at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, CT over the weekend of November 11-13 for the Howe Cup, the country’s largest squash tournament for women. The annual five-person team singles tournament began in 1928 as an inter-city competition between New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, but it has grown to include four singles levels and two doubles flights. This year featured several teams from Canada, including the wonderfully named Cabernet Canucks Recorked; the West Coast, including Portland’s Squashlandia; and cities such as Chicago, Houston, and Minneapolis (Purple Reign).
Boston fielded eight singles teams (1 A, 2 B’s, 2 C’s, and 3 D’s) and one doubles-only team, with several singles players also participating in the doubles. Aside from the usual camaraderie and sportsmanship that are the foundation of the tournament, Boston highlights of the weekend included the following:
- Boston C Party won the C division, beating the Canucks Chixs 3-2 in the final; the other Boston C team, Boston Drivers, placed third.
- Boston Fusion was the A finalist, falling 4-1 to a strong New York City team.
- Boston Un-B-Lievables came in fifth by winning the B feed-in consolation draw.
- Dynamic D’vas placed sixth as the D Consolation finalist.
- Dauntless D’vas won the D Plate.
- The doubles B flight final was a three-quarter Boston affair with Bry Roskoz and Anne McGowan (NYC) beating Wendy Berry and Susan Greene 3-1.
- Deb Harrison was awarded the Feron’s Wedgwood Sportsmanship Trophy, US Squash’s oldest sportsmanship award, which has been given out annually since 1979.
- Dueling in the dance floor division, Boston’s B contingent gave our A’s a strong challenge during the legendary Saturday night party. However, the stamina of Boston Fusion prevailed with the DJ finally shuffling them off to bed at midnight.
Visit Boston’s Howe Cup Flickr album at http://bit.ly/2gn1lOm to see photos of Boston players throughout another fantastic weekend.