Marathon Man Razik Wins Bluenose Squash Classic

The packed house was primed for a show after some high octane introductions. Razik had spent just under two and a half hours on court through the week to get to the final, Golan over three, but true to their reputations fitness was never a question.

The first match started with safe and methodical squash fundamentals up and down the walls by both players. Golan peppered his half of the exchanges with numerous backhand wall boasts that were tight and low to the tin. Razik wasn't getting an early enough start to meet them at the front right and lost a couple of points to the same pattern, arriving at 6-2 Golan. Punctuating almost every rally were "lets" and more "lets". These were not contentious, nor part of any gamesmanship on either side, simply two players equal to each other's abilities in speed, anticipation and decision. 9-5 for Golan came, in demonstration of the sportsmanship on display in general, when Shahier called his own backhand boast down. Final score 11-5 Golan.

By half way through the second game Razik was moving more easily and seemed to have matched his pace with Golan's. Again "lets" were everywhere, but only because things were that tight, and seemed the only fair way to end many of the seesaw eighty hit rallies that were almost becoming routine. With Golan up 6-3 they traded points to 8-5 before Razik bridged the difference on a drop to the nick and a couple of tight boasts too low for Golan to raise. The trip from 8-8 to 11-9 in favour of Razik, and a 1-1 tie in games, took hundreds of hits, numerous lets and one stroke to Razik on a drive by Golan that came out fat from the front corner.

At a final average of twenty four minutes per game, each one, with the possible exception of the fifth, had periods of total stalemate, neither able to misdirect his opponents speed or capacity for recovery from a disadvantaged position. In the third it was at 4-2 for Razik that the scorekeeper could put down his pen for a full five minutes. This was followed by a lightning three points and the score slowly turned as Golan was gifted a couple of Razik errors while also putting away a rare drive past the Canadian's reach. The game ended 11-8.

Sportsmanship and respect continued to characterize the match as Golan called his own miss early in the fourth to arrive at 1-1. When it seemed his honesty was being rewarded with a couple of points to build on at 3-1, errors in trying to drop at the frontcourt became his undoing. Razik took over the back half of the game, on the score sheet at least, securing a stroke that Golan did not condone, to go to 9-5. The game winner was an unprecedented, for the discipline of this match, drop across the face of the tin by Razik. Listing that with the other anomalous shots of the match one might only need five fingers. There was one lob off the backwall, one no-look drop and two pure passing shots for points. Straight and crosscourt drives as well as drops and a few lobs made up the thousands of other hits.

Game five started faster and sharper but the edges of Golan's drop shot mechanics continued to fray as he frustrated himself a number of times by putting then into the tin. It was 7-1 on a Golan lob just out of court as the possibilities tilted more heavily to Razik's favour. He was able to outlast a five point Golan rebound to take the match whle the setup for trophy presentation was already happening.

The organizers enjoyed enviable support from top to bottom of this event: sponsors, volunteers, fans and players. It was all needed and all appreciated. The third annual is right around the corner.

The Bluenose Squash Classic, a not for profit event and part of the Canadian Squash Circuit, has been initiated and organized by the Nova Scotia squash community in memory of Marcella Davar (May 8, 1954 – July 21, 2004).

Main Draw –Finals:

[3] Shahier Razik (CAN) bt [1] Borja Golan (ESP) 5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6 (121 m)

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