27th Wilton Open Paddle Tennis Tournament a Major Splash

The phrase"rain or shine" took on a decidedly new meaning at the Wilton YMCA paddle tennis courts last Saturday.

Despite driving rain and wind gusts that topped 50 miles per hour, the 27th Wilton Open paddle tennis tournament was a resounding success. Playing in some of the worst conditions ever seen in Fairfield County, Jerry Albrikes and partner Mike Fried, both of Madison, Conn. won the tournament defeating the Wilton Y's own Bo Beatty and Paul Fairchild 6-7,6-0, 7-5.

The were many winners on this tumultuously inclement day. Albrikes was a case in point. The previous week, as a sixteenth seed he and his partner, Johan DuRandt, had won the APTA (American Platform Tennis Association) National Championship in Philadelphia, PA.

Throughout the week, he received treatment for a tweaked hamstring. With the weather threatening, there wasn't much reason for him to make the trek down from Essex. But he honored the commitment as did Fried, his partner for this particular match. Their spirit and enthusiasm contributed to the positive aura of the day as did the efforts of organizers Bill Fanning, Russ Kohl, Todd Parker, Bo Beatty, Chris Perry and Steve O'Connell, to name a few.

The Wilton Riding Club, The Lake Club, and The New Canaan Field Club partnered with the Wilton Y to provide courts that accommodated the 32 team draw which had been over subscribed.

The day's overall winner clearly was paddle tennis. Despite the wretched conditions, the unmistakable common denominator was love of the sport. Not only that, the level of play was exceptional. There was no pouting , no alibi-ing, just an upbeat sense of the game, the people and the places.

Jerry Whitlock and Walt Beatty both National age group contenders  representing the Y, won the Consolation finals with a 6-7,7-6, 6-4 victory over Brian and Jerry Quinn.

The Wilton Open is one of the older open tournaments in Fairfield County and a lot of its success can be attributed to the cooperative efforts of its players and the Wilton YMCA. Ann Cullinan, the Director of Activities at the Y assisted by Andrew Sell helped ensure a smooth operation. And has so often been the case throughout the years, Jerry Quinn manned the grill, this time battling swaying tents, swirling wrappers and flying buns to help feed the hungry masses. Now that's Paddle!