Pittsburgh, PA, WPH Press, 4/21/23-
The World Players of Handball was thrilled to kickoff the thirteenth edition of the Rodney Fink Classic, featuring the top three players on the Race 4 Eight tour in the ninth tour stop of the 2022/23 season.
R48 #1 and five-time 2022/23 R48 Men’s Pro champion Lucho Cordova and R48 #2 and two-time 2022/23 R48 Men’s Pro champion Martin Mulkerrins headlined the RFC R48LTE field, as Lucho aimed to continue one of the best seasons in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour and Mulkerrins aimed to draw closer to R48 #1 Lucho Cordova’s ranking points lead ahead of the Player’s Championship.
David Fink and Bill Mehilos headlined the RFC SR48 field, having faced one another in the last two SR48 finals. Former professional football player and 2023 OR State champion Kyle English made his SR48 debut at the RFC, adding another big name and big game to the SR circuit.
Lucho Cordova continued his quest for the year-end R48 #1 ranking with a two-game sweep against R48 and SR48 star Bill Mehilos in his first ever RFC match, overcoming the former Lake Forest College collegiate All American in two games.
Martin Mulkerrins withstood a stern test from American prodigy Ray Ure in his first ever RFC match, defending Ure’s incredible double-bounce power serve to the left and executing kills on virtually all of his opportunities. “When Martin gets a back wall setup it’s just gone,” Ure would say at the RFC Friday night party. “I’m trying to peak for May and getting the chance to play Martin here and Luis last week and Killian earlier this season really shows me where I need to go.”
David Fink swept fellow lefty David Schiller in one of the only all-lefty matchups in the history of the tour. Fink kept the offensive-minded and unorthodox Minnesotan off-balance with three-wall wraps and hop serves, setting up his third matchup with Martin Mulkerrins this season in the semifinals.
After spending the night in the Charlotte airport, handball’s unluckiest traveler Max Langmack started on fire against Oregon’s state champion and top 17 pro Kyle English. Langmack routed English in game one and led 14-8 in game two before a furious rally from the former arena football league receiver tied the score at 14. Langmack capitalized on an English error and a crack serve to avoid disaster and set up a clash with Lucho in the semifinals.
Lucho def Mehilos 15-5, 15-10
Mulkerrins def Ure 15-5, 15-7
Fink def Schiller 15-3, 15-5
Langmack def English 15-5, 16-14
Semifinals (Saturday)
Lucho vs. Langmack
Fink vs. Mulkerrins
RFC Friday Night Bash
Players enjoyed a sensational Friday night party, courtesy of tournament host and WPH megadonor Rodney Fink, complete with endless food, drink, and bowling.
Saturday will feature the R48 and SR48 semifinals and finals, along with the conclusion of the R48LTE and SR48 playoffs.
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WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2022/23 Race 4 Eight XI Powered by ESPN features Race 4 Eight stops in Oregon, Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Texas, Mexico, and Pennsylvania, all culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah in May of 2023. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
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David Fink
WPH Senior Writer