Witham Handicap Doubles 2014 by Dacre Stoker
The Aiken Tennis Club hosted the 2014 Calhoun Witham Handicap Doubles Tournament Nov. 14-16. We attracted a field of 20 teams with players representing the following clubs: Prince’s Court Washington, National Tennis Club Newport, Tennis and Rackets Club Boston, Racquet Club of Chicago Tuxedo, Lakewood, NYR&T and of course Aiken. The tournament was divided into two divisions, the A division had 8 teams with handicaps 44 and below, the B Division had 12 teams with handicaps 45 and above. Teams played in a round robin format for their first 3 matches before moving into quarterfinal elimination play. Matches were very competitive throughout the tournament 17 of 39 went to the full three sets. Handicaps were derived using RTO and adjusted slightly using input from local pros when necessary.
Aiken experienced its first cold snap of the season over this weekend, temperatures in the South dropped into the 30’s during the night while a polar vortex crippled the Mid West and Northeast. Nonetheless the social events were well attended and enjoyed regardless of the layers of clothes worn by ATC members, their friends and guests. The club was a hub of activity from early in the mornings until well into the night as members and guests engaged in tennis matches and games of bottle pool.
Congratulations to the winners of the A Division Morgan Purvis and Anders Cohen who won a tight match 6/4 6/4 against Geoff Ellis and Al Gordon, and also to the winners of the B Division Susie Schwartz and Adam Haselkorn who won 6/1 6/3 over Mit Carothers and Jason Rabun.
I wish to thank each member of the Tennis and Social Committees as well as members of the Witham family and other ATC families who made this weekend its usual success.
RESULTS
A Division
| Mengel/R Cook | G Ellis/Gordon |
| P Stoker/Quinn | Purvis/Cohen |
| Haltermann/Carroll | Forton/Lacombe |
| V Goodyear/ S Kopald | C Bostwick/ C Bostwick Jr |
B Division
| Voegele/B Vaughters | A Rutherfurd/McSweeny | Villa/K Blalock |
| Glance/Glance | Cato/Hook | Harte/Massie |
| T Grassi/Briggs | Rabun/Carothers | Shea/Walsh |
| Haselkorn/Schwartz | Whitmer/Moore | Verglas/Swift |
Wednesday
Glance/Glance vs Voegele/Vaughters 6/5 1/6 6/5
Villa/Blalock vs Verglas/Swift 6/5 3/6 6/4
Rabun/Carothers vs Cato/Hook 6/5 2/6 6/3
Thursday
Whitmer/Moore vs Cato/Hook 6/2 5/6 6/5
Verglas/Swift vs Shea/Walsh 6/5 1/6 6/5
Rabun/Carothers vs Whitmer/Moore 6/2 6/0
Mengel/Cook vs P Stoker/Quinn 6/1 4/6 6/4
Ellis/Gordon vs Forton/Lacombe 6/3 6/3
Haselkorn/Schwartz vs Grassi/Briggs 6/0 6/2
Harte/Massie vs Verglas/Swift 6/3 2/6 6/4
Friday
Rutherfurd/McSweeny vs Whitmer/Moore 6/2 6/0
Villa/Rabun vs Shea/Walsh 6/1 6/2
Haltermann/Carroll vs Goodyear/Kopald 6/4 2/6 6/3
Voegele/Vaughters vs Haselkorn/Schwartz 6/3 6/4
Glance/Glance vs Grassi/Briggs 6/2 6/1
Cato/Hook vs Rutherfurd/McSweeny 5/6 6/0 6/4
Purvis/Cohen vs Bostwick/Bostwick 6/3 2/6 6/3
Mengel/Cook vs Goodyear/Kopald 6/1 6/0
Massie/Harte vs Shea/Walsh 6/1 6/5
Haltermann/Carroll vs Stoker/Quinn 2/6 6/1 6/4
Bostwick/Bostwick vs Ellis/Gordon 4/6 6/0 6/4
Purvis/Cohen vs Forton/Lacombe 3/6 6/4 6/4
Saturday
Grassi/Briggs vs Voegele/Vaughters 6/4 6/3
Forton/Lacombe vs Bostwick/Bostwick 6/2 6/2
Glance/Glance vs Haselkorn/Schwartz 6/2 6/1
Mengel/Cook vs Haltermann/Carroll 6/3 6/3
Goodyear/Kopald vs Stoker/Quinn 6/4 6/2
Purvis/Cohen vs Ellis/Gordon 6/4 5/6 6/4
Rabun/Carothers vs Rutherfurd/McSweeny 6/2 w/o
Villa/B Vaughters vs Harte/Massie 6/3 6/3
A Semi Ellis/Gordon vs P Stoker/Quinn 6/5 6/5
A Semi Purvis/Cohen vs Haltermann/Carroll 0/6 6/0 6/5
B ¼ Grassi/Briggs vs Shea/Walsh 6/3 4/6 6/5
B ¼ Massie/Harte vs Rabun/Carothers 6/4 6/2
Sunday
B Semi Whitmer/Moore vs Rabun/Carothers 6/1 6/5
B Semi Haselkorn/Schwartz vs Shea/Walsh 4/6 6/5 6/1
A Final Purvis/Cohen vs Ellis/Gordon 6/5 6/4
B Final Haselkorn/Swartz vs Rabun/Carothers 6/1 6/3
