2007 DAVENPORT
& COMPANY CITY OF RICHMOND
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL
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Men's Singles Championship |
5/21/07: I have a secret to share. Come with me through the back door, where the unacknowledged, the carefully concealed, will be revealed.
What I will disclose can only be understood by real tennis players, whether neophyte or expert. By a seeker of knowledge, who truly appreciates the artistry of fine footwork, of communication, of trust. Someone who has experienced the moment of panic when his partner has sent up a short lob, and he is exposed, vulnerable, at the net.
What I'm going to utter on this page has been previously shielded from public view by local newspapers: Information about Doubles. (Please check with your parents, or tennis pro, to see if it's ok to read further).
Where are you, Times-Dispatch, when the engraved table clocks are presented to the couples who work years to develop a symbiosis, a union in which two singles players merge into one?
No matter, because here, on this page, we, alone, shall celebrate the Doubles Players who made it to the final of the City Tournament. Who were crowned Doubles Kings for a day.
Ladies and Gentlemen of tennis, I present to you those Kings: Ed Butterworth and John Snead.
No more opposite a coupleship could be imagined. A softspoken, wise father, and an outgoing college student. The two have paired up to claim the Men's Doubles Crown for another year. Last year, they dashed the hopes of Jamie Hevron & Damian Sancillio. This year, it was the team of Charles Einwick and Sears Driscoll.
"No nicer guys could you meet on the court," said RTA President Stuart Horsley. "These are the kind of guys you'd like your kids to watch play tennis."
Ed Butterworth, the Director of Tennis at Burkwood Country Club, won the City Singles title back in 1994, after going home the finalist three times before: In 1985, 1991 and 1993. John spent summers teaching at Burkwood while on break from James Madison.
Snead is studying for his MBA. The former JR Tucker star grew up playing every sport: Football, baseball, basketball, tennis. As a sophomore at Tucker, he was good enough to make the baseball and tennis teams, each spring sports, so he played them both at the same time.
"That really wasn't a good idea," said his mom, Lynn. "We had looked at the schedules and it seemed doable at the beginning of the season. Then the rains came, and make-up matches and games.
"He had to choose what to do, and it was really hard to decide.....it would have been better just to choose one at the beginning."
As a junior, Snead was playing wide-receiver on Tucker's Football squad when he broke his back. He wore a brace for a long time. As a senior, he came back strong, playing tennis on the varsity. He hasn't looked back on that choice.
Snead and Butterworth work in tandem, with Butterworth's doubles experience being a large key to the team's success. The pro has played in the City tournament "probably about 14 times," he said, winning nine of those times.
Einwick and Driscoll have been friends since they were ten years old. They met while training at Raintree 22 years ago. Einwick played at Godwin; Driscoll was at Midlothian.
"Doubles is a great way to work on your net game for singles," said Sears.
Ah! Back to singles. Since it's the game that gets the attention, the press, the big bucks, should a young junior give it any thought at all?
"Doubles is very important for kids to practice," said Butterworth. "It could mean the difference in their school matches. It made the difference when I played at Douglas Freeman.
"It
came down to the final doubles match for our team to win the State
Championship 5-4."
Butterworth encourages kids to set up matches with adult members at their
clubs. "Most adults play doubles and are very knowledgeable and
can help a junior player's doubles game grow. At Burkwood, we drill
on volleys, we play 'defend the net', we work on returns, and stress the
importance of getting the first serve in and mixing up power/spin to keep
your opponent off balance."
There you have it. You have received privileged information. Take it, go forth and conquer.
Men's
Doubles Champions
Ed Butterworth & John Snead
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Finalists |
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"Communication is key in doubles", explained Ed Butterworth. Here, Charles (left) discusses something with Sears. Could be about tennis, maybe not, but they are talking. |
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Leslie Butterworth and her kids. Leslie is a pro at Burkwood, working alongside her husband, Ed. |
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| John Snead, age 24, is pursuing his MBA at JMU. He will be an assistant tennis coach for the Men's team next year. |
by Sara James