Another great weekend in Zuoz. More than thirty pairs from all over the world participated in the fourth edition of the Engadin Challenge Cup. And after some very hard games under strange weather conditions (heavy rain followed by light snowfall) the tournament brought out Erica Tadman and Graham Dunbar as the succeeding team.
But let's start at the beginning. More than twenty-five guests from the UK travelled the long way up to the Engadin Valley. Most of the players arrived on the Friday, except Paul and Simon, who went somehow lost between Geneva and Zuoz (no family names can be published because of unexpected lawsuits).
Because each player had to enter the tournament individually, Daniel Haering, the tournament organiser, had some sleepless nights in naming teams of equal strength.
The courts in Zuoz are not covered. Therefore, some heavy rain, a short snow-storm and really icy conditions made each court into a slippery ice-rink, when the thirty pairs started playing on Saturday. First, groups of five teams in each of the six courts had to play a roundrobin. The first three pairs of each group were qualified for the knock-out tournament which led into the final on Sunday. Foot-down was at six; two games needed to win the match. The players went to St Moritz for a delicious italian-pasta-dinner before the first round of the knock-out tournament had to be played with interesting results. The real fight had started. A. Walters Junior, Ed Taylor and some others who lost their first round game, just came back to Zuoz when the first balls were played in the quarter-finals!!!
The two-times champion, Grant Williams, who played with the Lyceum school boy, Markus Kurse, had to say goodbye as well as Richard Tyler, who almost forgot he had a partner! The championship match was played between Chris Tanner/Florian Fetscherin and Graham Dunbar/Erica Tadman. The game started with some advantages for Dunbar/Tadman, because Tanner/Fetscherin were still suffering from their two hour match in the semi-final. But Chris and Florian showed spirit and character and started fighting. After one game each, the spectators saw an outstanding third game with Erika Tadman as the match winner. No doubt, Erica was player of the tournament. Congratulations!
The champions of the Fourth Engadin Challenge Cup, 1998, are:
Erica Tadman and Graham Dunbar
D.A.H.
Engadin Challenge Report by Daniel Haering
Created 7th February 2006 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk