When Houstonians infiltrate our Dallas Blog and talk
trash, how do we respond? With
Dallas/Fort Worth teams showing up in the 40's and Over Finals across the board
in 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5, and a NO SHOW by Houston.
The humidity was high in San Antonio this past weekend, but Dallas teams
came pulling through in 3.5 & 4.0 taking the first State Title in 40’s and
Over.
At 3.5, Keith Clark’s team came prepared to play,
starting things off at 7 AM Friday morning SWEEPING Houston 5-0. They then faced a combatant San Antonio Wild
winning a tough 3-2 battle in a 3rd set breaker. The team then faced a very tough Austin, winning in a
nail-clinching 3rd set breaker to make the trips to Nats. It couldn’t have been won by a greater set of
doubles partners, one of which flew down about 12 of his family members and
friends (“the clan”) to witness his composure on the court in action. Clark’s singles were the bedrock of his team,
never dropping a set all weekend long. A
great captain, and a great group of guys which I am humbly proud to be part of.
Then at 4.0, Greg Wiley defies the odds and did what many
thought was undoable, by defeating Freeman’s Houstonian Hurricanes in flight
play, and then taking it all the way to the Finals and winning. More impressive was the line ups he rolled
out all weekend, somehow seemingly to know the exact strengths and weaknesses
of his opponents, and then getting the perfect match ups to secure a win. Wiley may lead you into believing he doesn’t
know what he is doing, but that’s what makes him so deceptive, and he got the
results he was going for. Also, a
notable mention to Leonard Hutchison who beat Houston’s Eddie Janek in a match
deciding 3rd set breaker. I
call him the “surgeon”, because he dissects his opponents on the court with his
serve and crafty play while remaining under composure at all times.
The 4.5s were represented by Rossouw’s 4.5 team, but were
knocked out in the finals by a tough San Antonio team.
It was a fun filled weekend and for the most part, everyone was well behaved -- Well I say that, but I didn't stay at the downtown Marriot either, so not sure what kind of action I missed out on. The rumors of me having an adverse reaction to Viagra and pain medicine is not true. However, I did play a 3 setter against San Antonio with a heart in A-fib and a pulse rate of 190 +. Thankfully I made it off the court with no trips to the hospital.
It was nice to play a great group of guys across our fine state. In our draw, Austin and San Antonio were
formidable competitors and a class-act group of guys who exemplified true
sportsmanship.
Good luck to both Clark’s and Wiley’s teams, as they go
to Indian Wells in October representing Dallas and Texas.
