The Hudson Cup is an annual, regional, one-day team event inaugurated in 2005 and open to squash clubs, schools and other organized squash groups along the Hudson River between Albany and New York City. Three-person teams compete at four playing levels: A (NRS rating above 4.5); B (4.1-4.5 rating); C (3.6-4.0 rating); and D (3.5 and lower rating). Divisions are open to men, women and juniors and each club, school or group may enter one or more teams in one or more divisions.
Individual matches are best of 3 games to 11 points, point-a-rally scoring. Team scoring is 5 points for 1st place, 3 points for 2nd place and 1 point for 3rd place in each of the divisions. The team that receives the highest total points receives the Hudson Cup. Clubs, schools or groups with more than one team in any division may only count their best team’s results toward Cup scoring.
This year, the fifth annual Hudson Cup was again held at Vassar College’s Kenyon Squash Center and the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club (PTC) on Saturday, April 18. Teams from the PTC, Warwick Squash Club, Simon’s Rock College and Community, Vassar College Students, Vassar College Alumni and Faculty, and Albany Squash competed for the Cup.
There were a total of 26 individual teams: 4 at the A level, 8 at the B level and 7 each at the C and D levels. The A, C and D divisions each played round robin matches while the B division played a straight draw. Starting at 9am and concluding around 6pm, a total of 115 individual matches were played. Simons Rock finished first with 13 points (10 for winning the B and D divisions and 3 for 2nd place in the C division) and Albany Squash came in 2nd with 10 points for winning the A and C divisions.
As has been the hallmark of this event since 2005, it was a great day of squash for all who participated in the 2009 Hudson Cup.