From the Addison Independent. Published on June 25, 2009
MIT squads reach postseason
MIDDLEBURY - Five adult tennis teams based at Middlebury Indoor Tennis
have invitations to New England-wide
district or sectional postseason play in the coming weeks.
Winners in the New England Sectional Tournaments can go on
the the national level.
After matches played during the first two weekends of June,
three of the seven adult teams playing at MIT in the spring season
qualified for tournaments in August.
Repeating the performance of past years,
the advanced intermediate
"Midd Hit Men" again won their league title with a 8-0 record.
The "Midd Hit Men," 50-4 in league play since 2004,
won the district tournament in 2008, and narrowly failed to win the
following sectional that late August.
Co-captains Curt Gross and Chris Murry of Middlebury will be leading
the trip to the district tournament on Aug. 7, 8 and 9 in Portland, Maine,
with at least 7 of the following team members:
Mark Doran,
Bob Johnson,
Lee Randlett,
Doug Smith,
Roman Veselinov of Middlebury;
Bob Crystal of Cornwall;
Graham Clarke of Shoreham;
Jim Inglis of Bridport;
Caleb Kenna of Brandon;
David McCluskey of Salisbury;
Eric Rice of Charlotte; and
Tim Wilcox of Rochester.
The intermediate
"Lobber Barons"
won their league title at 4-0.
Co-captains Charlie Peake of Orwell and John Baker of Addison
were supprted by
Charles Biss,
Bob Johnson,
Doug Smith of Middlebury;
Steve Smith of Weybridge;
Robert Rahner,
Kurt Suchomel,
George Wilcox of Shoreham;
Ken Schoen of Lincoln;
Patrick Fitzsimmons of Bristol; and
Scott Tallman of Vergennes.
The advanced level senior (over 50) team "Hard Volleys"
qualified for a sectional tournament to be played
on Aug. 21-23 in Western Massachusetts
by edging a Burlington team in a tie-breaker.
Captain Marty Whittemore of Ripton,
injured for most of the season,
relied heavily on
Bill DiLillo and Roger Kimberly of Middlebury;
Bob Kesner of Waltham;
Jim Foley of New Haven;
Phil Gridley of Bristol;
and Mark Slattery of Moriah, NY.
Three long distance commuters (from Bellows Falls, Brattleboro and Westmoreland, NH)
recruited by Kesner filled out the roster.
Two of the four mixed doubles teams playing at MIT
in the September-December 2008 season
have been invited to the New England sectional tournaments in the Boston area
June 26-28.
The intermediate "Mixmasters"
led by Charlie Peake of Orwell won their league with
a 7-1 record last fall.
Team members are
Barbara Beatty,
Sarah Harrison Lynn and
Doug Smith of Middlebury;
Christina Wadsworth of Weybridge;
Elizabeth Carpenter
and Linda Peake of Orwell;
Jill Thomas and
George Wilcox of Shoreham;
John Baker of Addison; and
Jan Bark of Vergennes.
The advanced level team "Hicks 'n' Chicks"
qualified in their large division by coming in
second with a 7-1 record. Nine Burlington- and Rutland-area team members
were aided by locals
Jim and Stephanie Foley of New Haven.