Cambridge, Mass. - Sophomore Michael Craig (Belfast, Northern Ireland) came through with the clinching win in a grueling, five-game battle against Harvard University freshman Tim Brownell (Belmont, Mass.) at the No. 4 spot on the ladder, leading the visiting Trinity College Bantams to a 5-4 victory over the top-ranked and previously-undefeated Harvard University Crimson in men's squash action this afternoon. Trinity, ranked No. 2 nationally, improves to 15-1 with its fifth win in a row, and will close the 2016-17 regular season at home against No. 7-ranked St. Lawrence on Saturday, February 11 at noon. Harvard falls to 9-1.
Craig lost the first game, 11-7, and the second, 11-8, but came all the way back to take the next three. Moments after Trinity first-year Kush Kumar (Chennai, India) had won at the top spot on the ladder, 3-0, over Harvard freshman Saadeldin Abouaish (Cairo, Egypt) to give the Bantams a 4-3 lead, Craig won his third game, 11-4, and his fourth, 11-7, to tie the No. 4 match, 2-2. Craig took the final game, 11-9, to clinch the decision, and Crimson senior co-captain Bryan Koh (Singapore) gave Trinity junior Omar Allaudin (Lahore, Pakistan) his first loss in 16 matches this season shortly after.
Trinity had trailed, 2-1, after the first wave thanks to a 3-0 sweep in the No. 3 spot by sophomore Thoboki Mohohlo (Hartford, Conn.). Bantam junior tri-captain Rick Penders (Maastricht, Netherlands) won, 3-1, at the second position to make the score, 3-2, and Trinity junior James Evans (Maidstone, England) remained flawless as a collegian with a 3-2 triumph in the No. 8 spot over Harvard senior Dylan Murray (Bronxville, N.Y.) to knot it up at 3-all. Evans lost each of the first two games by an 11-8 count, before taking the next three by a combined tally of 33-12 to improve the best individual squash record in Trinity history to 44-0.
MATCH RESULTS
1. TC- Kush Kumar d. Saadeldin Abouaish, 11-7, 14-12, 13-11
2. TC- Rick Penders d. Bradley Smith, 11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7
3. TC- Thoboki Mohohlo d. Madhav Dhingra, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10
4. TC- Michael Craig d. Tim Brownell, 7-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-9
5. H- David Ryan d. Tom De Mulder, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7
6. H- Sean Hughes d. Affeeq Ismail, 11-1, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5
7. H- Bryan Koh d. Omar Allaudin, 6-11, 11-5, 12-10, 12-10
8. TC- James Evans d. Dylan Murray, 8-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-5
9. H- Devin McLaughlin d. Nku Patrick, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6
Trinity (Conn.) 5, Harvard 4
