San Francisco, CA, WPH Press, 3/16/25
San Francisco’s South End Rowing Club will proudly hosted to the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Doubles Tournament, featuring nearly one-hundred players in the Open, A, B/C, Novice, 40+, 50+, 60+, and 70+ doubles.
Men’s Open Doubles
The 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Doubles featured a strong men’s open doubles field, with Race 4 Eight pro Coleman McGrath teaming with San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen (HERE), Erik Torres teaming with Joel Martinez, and Race 4 Eight pro and Olympic Club Race 4 Eight Pre Qualifier tournament director Loren Collado teaming with Tyler Martin.
McGrath and Chief Crispen advanced to the final in the six-team open bracket, defeating Team Collado/Martin in the semifinals. Team McGrath/Chief survived a second-game loss to defeat Team Torres/Vazquez in the final, rallying from an early-game deficit in the third to claim the St. Patrick’s crown.
“We were hot in the first game,” stated McGrath. “Dean’s three-wall serves in the first game were tricky and consistent, setting us up for a lot of kills. Erik and Joel got up quick in the second, Joel serving some wicked serves with a natural hop down the right. We got hot in the tiebreaker after being down 3-0, and won 11-3.”
Open Doubles Final: McGrath/Crispen def Vazquez/Torres 21-12, 10-21, 11-3
“The atmosphere at the South End was lively as always,” continued McGrath. “The best food, hospitality, and some damn good handball. Having grown up playing at the South End, it’s inspiring and exciting to see multiple divisions from Novice to Opens packed with teams from all over. The effort from Andres, Adan, Carlos, Eoin, and the rest of the team at the South End to grow the game of handball is obvious. The Cinco de Mayo and the Father-Daughter/Son doubles tournaments later this year are bound to be great.
Follow all of the brackets from the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Doubles Tournament HERE
WPH Destination Series South End Rowing Club and Dolphin Club HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
