On Friday January 17th, 23 players from [six] clubs arrived in Midtown Manhattan to compete for the prestigious Kendrick Trophy which has been contested annually in its current form for nearly 50 years. Over time, the Kendrick Cup has become one of the most important racquets tournaments of the year for novice players. The tournament showcases the talent that is coming through the ranks of the North American clubs, and the winner joins a small and distinguished list of previous champions that have gone on to do great things at the top level of the game. Representatives from the clubs in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, Philadelphia, and of course New York were all present with hardware and prominently placed gold paint on their minds.
The first round kicked off on Friday afternoon with several well-contested games, though the highlight of the evening was John Bukawyn’s (Boston T&R) come-from-behind win (8-15, 15-9, 15-12) against Rahul Sehrawat. Top seeds made their presence known on both sides of the draw with dominant wins from Lawrence Buhl, Max White, Will Buhl, and Daelum Mawji all advancing to the Sunday semi-finals. The highlight of the Saturday action was Daelum Mawji’s (New York R&T) gutsy three-game win against Clarke Jones (Racquet Club of Chicago). After dropping a heart-breaking 16-18 first game to Clarke, Daelum dug deep and relied on his Princeton squash experience to prevail 15-8, 15-7 in the final two games. With the semi-finals set, the enthusiastic group was then treated to some of the highest level rackets the R&T has seen in years as the game’s top North American pros battled it out for the 2025 Pro Singles title. Connor Medlow (Chicago) defeated in Barney Tanfield (NY R&T) in a spirited three gamer, while former World Champion, James Stout (NY R&T) showed he still has it, defeating John Lumley (Philadelphia) in a closer-than-it-looked 2-game affair.
After the pro singles semi-finals matches were completed, the dehydrated and famished group of 50+ court tennis and rackets competitors headed over to Bill’s Supper Club, an R&T staple, for an evening of camaraderie and refreshments. Those with dreams of gold paint are rumored to have practiced monk-like discipline, though based on the final damage, it seems the “freed-up” entrants more than made up for their counterparts’ teetotalism.
In the top semi-final, top-seeded Lawrence Buhl (Chicago) defeated Max White (Tuxedo) in a highly competitive game. It was Lawrence’s first test of the weekend, and he took the challenge head on, emerging victorious 9-15, 18-14, 15-6. The second semi-final was between New York’s own Daelum Mawji and Will Buhl (Chicago). Daelum had a busy weekend, as he also made the semi-finals of the Etchebaster, which was being played around the corner. However, there was no letting-up for Daelum after a nailbiter of a quarter-final win, and he came through 15-7, 15-9.
Before the Kendrick finals could be played, the gallery was treated to yet another clinical James Stout triumph. Both Daelum and Lawrence were watching closely, taking note of the professionals’ tactics and strategy, as they sought to lift the Kendrick Cup later that day. With the top two seeds advancing to the final, the crowd was anxious for the real highlight of the weekend to start. Daelum continued to lean on his decade plus of high level squash experience and took the first game 15-7. Mr. Buhl, hailing from Detroit (though now living in Chicago), refused to back down, and harnessed that infamous Detroit resilience, keeping the all-important second game tight. Unfortunately, like his beloved Lions, he was unable to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, as Daelum’s tenacity, fitness, and experience proved too much to overcome. The packed gallery was treated to a highly competitive game, and Daelum, the hometown/home club favorite, emerged victorious 15-6, 15-7.
The level of play in this event was as high as has been seen in several years. This weekend showed that the game is in good hands, and we can expect to see some of these players making inroads in some of the major events in the coming years. A major thank you to the New York Racquet & Tennis Club pro shop (James, Barney, AJ, Pete, and Josh) and event staff for putting on yet another outstanding weekend. A special thank you to NARA who continues to so graciously support our beloved game providing new players with rackets and travel stipends. The future of rackets in the states is bright
PLAY!
John Beam
