William White No.51

After last year’s golden jubilee excitement, the William White this year was supposed to be a let-down. Hardly. Brown, Penn, F&M, Princeton—there were tons of college kids floating around Merion Cricket Club this past weekend and over four hundred people came to the dinner dance on Saturday night. When the band played Call Me Maybe, the dance floor exploded. Out there as usual was Carter Fergusson, age eighty-nine, still renowned as the greatest dancer on the squash circuit. 

On court, plenty of upsets and good matches. Everyone was talking about Doug Lifford’s left cheek. In doubles, people get drilled often with balls, in the legs, or arms. Playing dubs over New Years I got hit not once but twice in the same exact spot in my back. Liffy got it in the smacker when Alan Grant, snapping a sharp reverse off of a serve, hammered a ball that didn’t hit any walls. Ouch. 

One thought on “William White No.51”

  1. Too bad Doug got drilled in the left cheek, but these things happen. Back in the Good Old Days that was known as Frontier Justice. Hope he was Ok . It has been said that when his left wall opponent took away his reverse corner Diehl Mateer had a formula: First time, Let, Second time, Let and a stare. Third time: WHACKLong Live Carter Fergusson! May he be dancing with Dudy and the prettiest girls at every wing-ding for decades to come.

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