THE SPORTING SCENE

The Harvard squash team Saturday concluded one of its truly amazing seasons. When a squad that has five sophomores, four converted tennis players, and three cases of mononucleosis, wins the title in the same league with Yale, then there is something to stand up and clap about.

Two seasons ago, when the Eli trio of Howe, Hetherington, and West (Tinker to Evers to Chance) came of age, it was generally said that Yale would mop up the league for the next three years. Brought up in the Philadelphia Marion Cricket Club, these three were already the top ranking juniors. And reports were that Yale was just as tough all the way down the squash ladder.

Last year, however, the Blue came to Cambridge and just barely nipped it out, winning the first four and seventh matches. The Crimson this year broke Yale's number four man to win 5 to 4 and close off an undefeated season.

Terrific Comeback

Coach Jack Barnaby won with a team that had a consistent winning spirit all the way down to the ninth man. Witness John Francis coming off the bench (he beat Clark Grew by one point in a test match) to defeat veteran Joe Holmes of Yale in a terrific comeback that gave Harvard the victory. Barnaby's deep coaching had paid off, as the Crimson swept four of the last five matches on the ladder.

As if competition wasn't stiff enough to begin with, captain Roger Wiegand, Hampy Howell, and Paul Sullivan, last year's top three men, were stricken with mono. There went Barnaby's hopes of cracking Yale's top three. Wiegand, even when he returned, seemed to run out of gas half-way through, and he dropped to number five. Then Howell quit, and Sullivan got the bug.

Tennis Refugees

Fortunately, Vic Niederhoffer, Doug Walter, and Lou Williams kept hitting hard and pushing upward to fill in the holes. With Sullivan back at number two, and Wiegand at five, four of the top five players were refugees from the tennis court. Compare that with Yale's first five, four of them Marion Cricket Club graduates.

But the lower half of the ladder turned the tables on Yale. Jay Nelson, whom Barnaby described as "the most improved player with Niederhoffer," never gave his opponent a chance. He will graduate with a two-year undefeated record.

The three remaining sophomores, John Vinton, John Thorndike, and John Francis have turned in fine seasons, with Thorndike and Francis winning key matches against the Blue.

The team's chances are looking pretty good for next year. Only two from this year's championship team are leaving: Nelson and Grew (also undefeated in two years, although he played number ten against Yale).

In addition, Barnaby says he's "sick of losing the first three to Yale," Next year things may be different. Niederhoffer is going like a whirlwind and is expected to challenge the big names next season. And, for a change, Harvard got some of the Philadelphian pro's this year.

Bill Morris, last year's national junior champ, will be around next season to take a crack at the top of the ladder. Behind him on the undefeated freshman squad is Alan Terrell, another promising candidate. Then there is Terry Robin- son, of New York City, who lost only two points in intercollegiate play this season.

Yale and Princeton will be tough as usual, but Penn will be a welcome newcomer to the competition which the big three have reserved, in the past. Barnaby expects Penn to be strong "all the way through number seven," with special accent on Maurice Hecksher, brother of former Harvard great Ben Hecksher. Hecksher the younger has already beaten Niederhoffer in a New York match.

The last squash action this season will take place this weekend in the National Intercollegiate Championships, here in Cambridge. Delegations from about fifteen colleges will begin arriving Thursday evening and play begins Friday. The probable seedings for the contest are: 1. Ralph Howe (Yale); 2. Jim Zug (Princeton); 3. Don Mills (Trinity); 4. Bob Hetherington (Yale); 5. Vic Niederhoffer (Harvard)