EXTRA
Important industry news that you should know about in the world of racquetball.
Left 10 right: Keith Mahaney, president Holiday Heallh & Racquetball Club, Ruben Gonzalez, Dave Peck and Bob Dian, Bud Light representati ve.
Gonzalez Beats Peck In Bud Light Prol Am by Barry Lord uben Gonzalez of Staten Island, New York, left the Seventh Annual R Bud Light Pro/Am $4,000.00 richer after he defeated Dave Peck on Decem足 ber 8th in a three game final. With over 300 amateur players attending the com足 petition from New England and Can足 ada plus a pro draw featuring seven of the top ten men pros, the tournament was a great success. Gonzalez had to overcome Cliff Swain (U4), Marty Hogan (UI) and Dave Peck (UII) to win.
Pro play on Friday went as expected with all the top seed s winning. On Saturday things started to get serious. The match between Jerry Hilecher and Bret Harnett was the best game of the quarter finals . Dave Peck had no problem with little brother Greg who was as cold as the whether outside. Dave won three games straight. Marty Hogan dispatched qualifier Martin Gervai s of Canada three games to one. Crowd favorite Ruben Gonzalez took out Cliff Swain with relative ease in three straight games.
In the semis Dave Peck really looked impressive as he never let Jerry Hilecher get started. The big game Saturday night between Hogan and Gonzalez drew over 400 screaming fans. The crowd got their money's worth as Marty and Ruben shot, rekilled, and retrieved every ball. Marty started out fast to win the first two games with scores of 11-7 and II-I. Hogan was up 10-8 in game three a nd served twice but Ruben fought back with two great gets and won 11-10. Building con fidence wi th every shot, Ruben over powered Hogan to win game four 11-4. Game fi ve was a war. Two of the fastest players in the game retrieved shot after s hot. Ruben finally prevailed 11-10 ending with a front wall roll out in the right corner. The championship match was almost anti-climatic. Ruben could smell his first major tournament win. The game was not as close as the score indicated . He was all over the court with blazing speed, unbelievable at times to the crowd. He appropriately ended the match with a diving rekill of Peck's passing shot to end the third and final game 11-4. The tournament had a new champion . This is the seventh year that Bob Flynn of Maine Distributors and Bud Light has sponsored the tournament. On behal f of all the people that played or had an anything to do with the tournament . . .Thank You. Special thanks to club president Keith Mahaney. See you all next year! 0
February 1986 / National Racque/bal/ I S