2007 ACAC MIXED MEMBER GUEST TOURNAMENT  
Honoring the Memory of George "Poncho" Bowling
March 16-18, 2007

The ACAC 2007 Mixed Member Guest tourney featured 16 teams playing in one division.  Katherine Berry, who partnered with ACAC Member Pat Perry to win the tournament for the 2nd year in a row, likes the single-division format.  "Lots of clubs have gone to two divisions - such as 7.0 and Open, but this is more fun and you get to play lots of different people," said Katherine. 

Berry & Perry took home the title after defeating Margie Ray and Donnie Caffery in a close (10-8) third set tiebreak.  

This year's tournament honored the memory of long-time ACAC member George "Poncho" Bowling.  Poncho was a fixture on the member-guest circuit before losing his battle with throat cancer in 2006.

Brenda Kyle, his wife of 17 years, said she was "surprised and pleased" to hear that the tourney was named after Poncho.  "Poncho knew people all over the city, and never met a stranger," she said. left:  Brenda Kyle

"He was constantly invited to play in member guests. I think it was because he was so easy to play with.  He never got mad at his partners, although I remember once he did have a word with one of his opponents.

"There was a little girl who'd only played about 6 weeks whose pro set her up to play with Poncho.  Poncho didn't care at all that she was just learning - he'd play with anybody.

"His opponent kept hitting the ball at this girl, which started to get Poncho kind of upset," recalled Brenda.  "He called the guy to the net and said 'Now, my partner has only been playing a month or so.  Obviously you are going to win this match.  But if you keep hitting the ball at her, I'm going to make you eat it.

"Of course, he didn't mean it," she laughed.

In High School, Poncho played all sports:  Football, Baseball and Basketball.  He was a member of the first graduating class at Matoaca, and he scored the first touchdown for the football team.  He took up tennis later, and told people that he got his first tennis racquet using S&H Green Stamps.

Poncho had two brothers and a sister.  His sister, Sue Dyer, wrote that "Poncho cared about everyone he ever met and people could feel that caring just in talking with him.  He could feel their needs and he always tried to meet those needs, whether monetary or emotional.  He would do anything in his power for those around him."   left:  Poncho gets a new racquet for Christmas

Poncho and Brenda met in Virginia Beach while both were playing for teams invited to USTA League Sectionals.  Poncho's team didn't have enough players to proceed in the tournament, since all but three of the team's players had received ratings defaults.  Poncho was hanging around and Brenda was waiting to play in a 3.5 team match.  "He was always around the tournaments from start to finish," said Brenda.  It was a good thing he didn't want to head home early that day, and the pair hit if off from day one.

Poncho was a perennial guest on the Richmond area's annual bus tour to the US Open.  Brenda remembers how he came to be everyone's favorite bartender.  

"Poncho was never punctual," she laughed.  "We were always the last to arrive and had to sit at the back of the bus.  Poncho got tired of everybody pouring themselves drinks and spilling it all over him, so he decided he would be the one to pour the drinks."

PJ Mahoney, who runs the ACAC tourney, remembers Poncho as a "happy go lucky guy who loved to hang around the tennis courts.  It just seemed natural to name this tournament after him, since he was involved in so many mixed member tournaments."

Poncho played doubles with Bill Barnes and Mike Dolan every Wednesday for 12 years.  "Poncho was never on time, which just bugged the dickens out of structured me, and I know he took delight in that," Bill Barnes said.  "He always had a smile on his face and a very endearing charismatic personality.  We all went from being intense competitors to eventually just enjoying the fact that we were there every Wednesday, playing tennis together.

"Poncho could light up a room, and never had a derogatory thing to say about anybody.

"His charm and gusto for life I will always miss."

Poncho holds the coveted Trigon Cup in 1996 surrounded by fellow Briarwood team members: Kathy Girone, Cathy Donnelly and Karolyn Hall.

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RESULTS OF THE MIXED 
MEMBER GUEST TOURNAMENT

Championship Flight 
Katherine Berry & Pat Perry, Champions
Margie Ray & Donnie Caffery, Finalists

from left:  Perry, Berry, Ray and Caffery

A Flight Championships
 Tammy Beck & Bert Teachey, Winners
Jane Lowry & Randy Von Unwerth, Finalists 

from left:  Teachey, Beck, Lowry & Von Unwerth

B Flight Championships
Val Caldwell & John Fowler, Winners
Linda LaRue & Bob Steele, Finalists

from left:  Fowler, Caldwell, La Rue & Steele

 

C Flight Championships
Laura Dreith & Greg Jones, Winners
Lou Preston & Chris Miller, Finalists

from left:  Miller, Preston, Dreith & Jones