At the Championships Warm-Ups tournament held in Huntington Beach California June 7-8, 2008,
Rocky Carson kept secure his title as the top singles player in the game with a convincing
(15-10) (15-9) victory over a surprising Chris Crowther in the Men’s Pro division. His quest for a
doubles title as well with partner Rob Hoff came up short as they lost to Kevin Booth and Mike
Peters in the final (11-3) (11-8).
Saturday was a full day of doubles starting at 9am and finishing at 8pm. The weather couldn’t
have been more perfect, with a cool ocean breeze and lots of sunshine soaking the courts
at Marina Park, also the site of the upcoming WOR EKTELON CHAMPIONSHIPS in July. The pro
doubles division started with 16 hungry teams in a double elimination format.
The team of Booth and Peters made it thru the winners bracket dropping only one game along the
way to the tough team of Josh Tucker and Son Nguyen. They took the tiebreaker (11-4) and rode
that victory all the way to an (11-4) (11-2) win over Pete Gauchi and Gary Martin in the Winner’s
bracket final. That got them the bonus of a long rest while the other teams battled it out in the
Loser’s bracket.
Tucker/Nguyen met Carson/Hoff in the final of the losers bracket. Amazingly, they gave Tucker/Nguyen
a DONUT in the first game. The second game was much tougher but Carson/Hoff prevailed (11-9).
The shadows were getting long as the final began. Peters and Booth controlled the play in the first
game with a mixture of lobs, off speed shots, and defensive gets; keeping the ball in play until they
had their chance for an offensive kill. They came out on top (11-3), much to the consternation of a weary
Rocky Carson and his partner, Rob Hoff.
Booth and Peters got off to a quick start in the second game and held a comfortable lead, only to see
Carson kick his game into third gear and mount a comeback. The effort fell short as Booth and Peters
were able to eek out an (11-8) win and the championship.
Had Carson/Hoff won the match, a super tiebreaker to 21 would have been used to determine the
championship, but it was not to be . . . both Peters and Booth credited their consistent play throughout
the day as the key to their success, dropping only one game for the entire tournament. In the hotly
contested Masters division (40+), Booth and Peters were able to grab their second title, beating the
team of Gary Martin and Rick Sandello in the final 21-14.
Tournament Director Allan Kazam presented the dynamic duo with with a check for $600 for their Pro
Division Win, while they received a trophy and gift certificate from Kris Kaskawal for their Masters win.
It was an exhausting day of doubles with both Booth and Peters saying they were more than happy for the
fact that they didn’t have to come back Sunday morning and strap it up for more action.
Sunday saw some great singles action, including the debut of indoor pro Ben Croft, who gave Josh Tucker
all he could take in their quarterfinal match. A couple of un-nerving calls by line judge Mike Peters may have
led the Chicago based Croft to lose his concentration. But he was able to refocus and put some major
pressure on Tucker. In the end, Tucker came out on top 15-11 and 15-13, but it became apparent that Croft will
be someone to be reckoned with when the Nationals take place in July. In the other surprising quarterfinal,
Chris Crowther upset the experienced Greg Solis in straight games 15-13, 15-11. Crowther’s six foot five inch
frame makes him a difficult opponent to lob over or get a ball by as Solis can certainly attest to. While Crowther
made it to the final, beating a tough Son Nguyen 15-12, 15-7, Josh Tucker was not so lucky. He ran head on
into a locomotive named Rocky Carson. Carson admitted later it was some of his finest play as he overwhelmed Tucker
(15-1) (15-1). When asked for comments, Tucker merely said “Boom, outta here” and wished Carson luck in the finals.
Chris Crowther put up a valiant fight against Carson in the mid-day final but Carson’s outdoor skills were too much for
Crowther’s game and Rocky was once again champion, winning 15-10, 15-9. He congratulated Crowther on his game
and unexpected trip to the finals and walked off with a $500 winner’s check.
It was another successful tournament for WOR, and if you weren’t there, don’t miss the upcoming 2008 WOR-Ektelon
Championships held July 10-13, 2008 at Marina Park in Huntington Beach, CA. The weather and the racquetball
promises to be HOT! Thanks goes to all the tournament sponsors and everyone who makes it all happen!
Article by MP (self proclaimed photo whore)