Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 11/16/19- The Tucson handball community and handball friends and families from the Southwest played the first tournament on the refurbished 3-Wall paradise, as players teamed up in a special doubles kickoff tournament. Players are guests were treated to endless food and BBQ, courtesy of the Tucson Handball Community and the WPH.
High/Low Doubles
12 doubles teams were matched by placing the best players with weakest, making for some very fun combinations. R48 #5 David Fink teamed with 70-year-old Kenny Hartnett and cruised to the final in the upper bracket, with three-time 3WallBall World Champion Shorty Ruiz partnered with Jim Calle to meet Team Fink/Hartzell in the final.
The final went back and forth, as both pros led their teams on big runs. Team Fink/Hartzell erased a 13-15 halftime deficit to surge to a 19-16 lead but stalled there, as Team Ruiz/Calle scored seven straight to serve at 23-19. Fink appeared to hit a rally-ending kill to earn a side out, but the ball hit his partner’s foot just before the second bounce, erasing what would have been a side out and giving Team Ruiz/Hartzell match point. Ruiz crushed a deep hop ace for the title.
Buddy Key and Matt “Snakeman” Goode erased the disappointment of a first round loss to win the playoffs.
Doug Clark Park Named
The Tucson handball community was thrilled to honor WPH mega donor, legal counsel, and founding board member Doug Park by naming the most beautiful handball park in the world “Doug Clark Park.” “Doug is so deserving and we will be so proud to call our courts the Doug Clark Park,” stated Fink.
Singles Exhibition
The six-hour doubles tournament did not satisfy the handball-crazed Doug Clark Park fans, as Fink and Ruiz were sent out for a winner-take-all one game to 15 singles match – the first singles match in Clark Park history. Fink overcame his good friend in the one game match, relying on his serve to keep Ruiz off-balance. “There will be so many more great days like this one at the Clark Courts,” boasted Clark Park “Legacy Donor” Steve Hamrick.
“Today capped one of the best weeks of handball in our local handball community for a long long time,” stated WPH Executive Director Dave Vincent. “From the ribbon cutting to the first tournament today, this week has been so inspiring and I could not be more proud to be a part of this community. This AMAZING TEAM!!! Our players and fans were so generous today, as we are coming closer each day to completing our financial obligations to this great project.”
Thank you to all of the Freddy B Show-Court Players & Donors for a great first event at the WPH Outdoor Handball ‘Doug Clark’ 3 Wall Courts at Randolph!
Check out the WPH Randolph 3-Wall Park Ribbon Cutting and discussions on live Tucson TV HERE
Please consider donating and sending your generous gifts by mailing check or money order to: World Players of Handball, WPH, 3602 E Ft Lowell Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85716. Please ‘earmark’ the check as, “WPH Randolph Project” in the memo section. Generous Randolph Project contributions can also be sent via Paypal HERE
For more information, 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