Tourists take top titles

Out-of-towners Tyree Bastidas (New York), Eli Seaman (Illinois), and Stuart Sabin (Florida) walked off with the Open singles, 50+ singles, B singles and B doubles titles in well contested fields.  The tournament boasted 70 players this year, including 7 in the juniors.  The event was held at the beautiful Premier Athletic Club in north-west Columbus over the weekend of April 4 and 5.  Competition was fierce from the first match Saturday morning in the B singles with a nearly three hour slug out between Mike Demko and Tom Jansa to the power fest of the Open Singles final between defending champ Casey Mayo and Tyree Bastidas.  The whole event came together through the generous donation of time, material, and money of the Columbus handball crew of Mike Brouman, Pat Michael, Bob Shadel, Bob Bland, Fred Alhborn, Joel Hunt, Ray Mayo, John Friedrich, Casey Mayo, and all the other guys who referred more than their fair share of matches. 

The event was also the kickoff of the Mid-America Region 3-wall National Fundraiser to help support the long running tournament (34 years in Toledo).  The fundraiser is asking every Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and western Pennsylvania USHA member to send $10 to Steve Dykes by June 1 to show their support.

Open Singles:
First round: Joe Frankenfield def Jim Flynn 15, 10.
Second round: Casey Mayo def Frankenfield 4, 2; Bruce Frankenfield def Bob Lohmueller  14, (14), 6; Phil Kirk def Carlos Vasquez 18, 18; Tree Bastidas def Sam Sottosanti Jr 0, 3;
Semis: Mayo def Frankenfield 6, 14; Bastidas def Kirk 8, 4
Final: Bastidas def Mayo 15, 16
A Singles Round Robin: Sam Sottosanti Jr def Kevin Pape 5, 11; Sottosanti def Stuart Sabin 18, 7; Sabin def Pape (forfeit)

50+ Singles:
First round: Jeff Patterson def Greg Macklin 8, 11; John Friedrich def Mike Berner; Jack Prather def Pat Burks; Don Snider def Mario Dolciato 14, 9; Ray Mayo def Will Straw
Second round: Steve Dykes def Patterson (19), 14, 6; Prather def Friedrich 18, 19; Bob Bardeau def Snider 12, 12; Eli Seaman def Mayo 8, 16
Semis: Dykes def Prather 10, 6; Seaman def Bardeau 9, (12), 4
Final: Seaman def Dykes 17, 11

50+B Singles:
First round: Greg DeNiro def Fred Ahlborn 10, 11; Paul Johnson def Rocco Dolciato 15, 16; Glen Gartland def Greg Macklin 16, 13
Semis: Jeff Patterson def Johnson 16, 13; Gartland def DeNiro 15, 14
Final: Patterson def Gartland 4, 14

B Singles:
First round: Mike Demko def Tom Jansa; Kevin Pape def Joe Gruden 17, 4; Greg DeNiro def Louis Finney
Second round: Jim Flynn def Demko 14, (17), 0; Stuart Sabin def Barry Tourville 4, 12; Bob Santora def Pape 1, 4; DeNiro def Guy Imbrogno 15, 13
Semis: Sabin def Flynn 20, 16; DeNiro def Santora 10, 17
Final: Sabin def DeNiro 20, (10), 6

60+ Singles Round Robin:
Lee Schwartzenberg def Ed Donnelly 13, 20
Rich Seal def Lee Schwartzenberg 5, 12
Rich Seal def Ed Donnelly 17, (13), 5

65/70+ Singles:
Semis: Kent Fusselman def Lou Friscoe (forfeit); Jim Milan def Johnny Walker 20, 6
Final: Fusselman def Milan 18, 15

C Singles:
First round: Dave Ellison def Andrew Bachovski  4, 12; Pete Friel def Bruce Patterson 4, 16; Steve Keeney def Dick Ewanow
Semis: Kurt Huffman def Ellison 18, 17; Keeney def Friel
Final: Huffman def Keeney 6, 15

Open/50 Doubles:
First round: Mario Dolciato/Ed Donnelly def Paul Johnson/Fred Ahlborn 14, 12; Mark McCoy/Carlos Vasquez def Robin Story/Jim Skogstrom 16, 17
Semis: Steve Dykes/Eli Seaman def Dolciato/Donnelly 17, 13; Bruce Frankenfield/Joe Frankenfield def McCoy/Vasquez 16, 17