Squash Draw Crucial In Intercollegiates

The intercollegiate six-man team squash tournament at Williams this weekend could be won or lost by Penn or Harvard at any of the six positions. The decisive position will surely be wherever Harvard and Penn meet in the earliest rounds.

The team championship is determined by a compilation of all of the points accumulated by the entire team. Number one and two players compete in an "A" league, three and four in the "B" league, and five and six in the "C" league.

Each player receives a point for every match he wins. The scoring is further complicated by the fast that the losers in the opening two rounds enter a consolation tournament in their division and gain one-half point for each victory.

Today's draw could be the turning point of the match. Harvard's Peter Briggs and Dave Fish can easily beat any number two man in the tournament, except perhaps Eliot Berry. Facing Penn's Palmer Page in the opening round would be a definite disadvantage.

Yet, the consolation tournaments complicate matters. If Fish beat Berry in the opening round, Berry could still collect more points if he won the consolation tournament and Fish was eliminated in the championship tournament in the third round.

Ignoring the unpredictable draw, the team championship should be determined by the "B" league competition.

Unlike last year when Williams and Navy had strong entries, no player, besides Princeton's McAdoo, appears to be strong enough to beat any of Harvard's or Penn's starting six.

The Crimson has a definite advantage in the "C" tournament. Both Alan Quasha and Dan Gordon are undefeated and both easily beat their Penn opponents two weeks ago. Only the Quaker's number five, Chris Sadlowski, should challenge them and a match between Gordon and Sadkowski would be crucial.

In the "A" tournament. Penn is clearly the stronger team. Page and Berry finished one-two at the University Club tournament over Christmas vacation, but Briggs and Fish have had little trouble this year except at Penn. Fish, in particular, is a strong number two entry because he beat several number ones during the season.

In the "B" tournament, Penn's Jeff Condon should be the central figure. Condon played an outstanding match against Harvard's Ed At wood at Penn and won in three games. The Quakers' Anil Kapur should not have any trouble with any non-Harvard opponent.

But the Crimson has an equally strong team. Atwood has beaten Condon in the past, and Jaime Gonzalez not only beat Kapur but also was undefeated at number three throughout the season.

If Quasha, Gordon, Atwood, Gonzalez, and Briggs are seeded in the top four of their division, as they should be, they will not face a serious threat until the semifinals. The semifinal round therefore, should have several Harvard-Penn matches that will determine the team title.