Fierce squash match ends with B.C. standing; N.S. lose four straight

By Sarah Kraus, Staff Contributor

In what could be a preview of the men’s squash finals later this week, Alberta and British Columbia faced off in a fiercely competitive battle this morning at Saint Mary’s University.

While Team BC walked away with four straight wins, the games were so close that every single point became essential in the pursuit of victory.

All eight of the athletes played very calculated and tactical games, posturing at times and waiting for their opponents to make a mistake. Their patience and skilful shots made the game look easy, even though the sweat was dripping down their faces at the end of each rally.

Undoubtedly, the players were feeling the pressure. In the second match, Alberta’s Cale Williams turned and threw his racket against the glass, yelling at the officials over a controversial non-call. He received a warning for using profanity.

The officiating was also questioned in the third match, which featured Tyler Olsen from B.C., who is ranked third nationally. He withstood a big push from Alberta’s Tyler Lee who challenged him to five games.

Both players were so confused about the referee’s call at one point that they left the court to hear the explanation.

Trying to encourage their teammates, the Alberta women’s team sang catchy cheers from the bleachers. “Hey! Hey you!/There’s nothing you can do!/You just can’t stop the red, white and blue!” But in the end, their boys fell short.

With the victory BC moves to 4 – 0 for the round robin and sit atop pool B going into crossover action tomorrow.

In other men’s squash action, Team NS dropped four straight matches to Quebec, falling to the bottom of pool A with their third straight loss.

Editor’s Note: Sarah Kraus is a King’s journalism student and multi-sport athlete, and volunteered as a media rep at the Canada Games. She also writes for the Gazette.