Lynch/van Otterloo claimed their third victory in five years in the 2015 Sam Magruder Summer League, continuing their pattern of winning in the odd-numbered years. Next year is therefore up for grabs. The brand-new team from SquashBusters finished strong and wound up in second place, three points behind LVO and one point ahead of BRC, who led the standings for most of the season. Andover Squash Club also finished well, defeating then first-place BRC and LVO in the last two weeks, and finished fourth, two points behind BRC.
There were nine teams this summer, down from ten last year, but a total of 118 people with a wide range of abilities played matches. Hard work by team captains resulted in a decreased number of defaults. Out of nine teams, five had no defaults, and three more had only one or two individual match defaults.
Similar hard work by captains also resulted in fewer matches with large handicap gaps. In addition, as a result of spreading a slightly larger range of handicaps over a compressed range of ratings, due to the new U.S. Squash rating system, there were even some upset victories by players with handicaps 3 to 5 points higher than their opponents. Overall, the reduction in mismatches indicates that the current handicapping system, linked to the new U.S. Squash ratings, should ensure competitive and enjoyable matches going forward.
Thanks to all captains and players who joined in the fun this summer. It was an exciting season, with the championship not being decided until the last week’s matches, and many team matches were decided by a very close fifth game in the final match played. Camaraderie and good sportsmanship were a constant. The spirit of Sam Magruder lives on and inspires this league every summer.