MERION CRICKET CLUB SQUASH CHAMPIONS
The five cheerful men shown sitting on the lawn of Philadelphia's Merion Cricket Club (founded 1865) have brought a unique sporting distinction to that pleasant and esteemed Main Line institution: together they have taken all of the existing major national squash championships, and it should be remembered that squash racquets is played by some 50,000 people in 38 states.
Benjamin Heckscher (left) at 23 toppled the great Henri Salaun, the defending champion, and went on to take the National Amateur Championship. John Hentz teamed up with Diehl Mateer (right rear) to take the National Doubles. James Zug (center), an 18-year-old Princeton freshman, won the National Junior title. Diehl Mateer, one of the fiercest competitors in the game, performed the unlikely feat of eliminating Roshan and Hashim Khan, the incredible Pakistanis who have dominated international squash for years, to take the National Open. Stephen Vehslage (right), the youngster to watch, won the Intercollegiate crown from a large international field. And surveying the wealth of Merion youngsters of competitive caliber waiting in the wings, Diehl Mateer said: "There's more where we came from."
PHOTO
JAMES A. DRAKE JR.