Bonac Coach to Protest Forfeit Over a Jersey

East Hampton High's boys tennis coach, Kevin McConville, said following a 4-3 loss at Westhampton Beach Friday, a loss which, if it stands, would effectively guarantee the Hurricanes the League VII championship, that he'll protest to Section XI, the county's governing body for high school sports, on Monday. 

It was thought that East Hampton, with Luke Louchheim again in the lineup, would have a good chance Friday to avenge a previous 4-3 loss, and thus share with Westhampton the League VII title. 

Second doubles was the sticking point. McConville said a dispute involving himself and Westhampton's coach, John Czartosieski, began "when one of their kids called Alex [Weseley, playing with Hunter Medler that day] for foot-faulting twice, points that Alex conceded because he didn't know the rules. Even Djokovic foot-faults sometimes. Your opponents can't summarily take points from you, whether foot faults or line calls are at issue, though a coach can be summoned to act as an umpire after two warnings." 

"We were down 3-4 at that point. Westhampton's team had won four in a row after going down 0-3. Then we went up 5-4, and they tied it at 5-5. We were up 6-5, and they were about to serve, when their coach, after seeing that Alex was not wearing a uniform shirt when he removed his sweatshirt during the changeover, stopped the match, saying he was violating a Section XI rule. He had a tennis shirt on, but it wasn't a uniform shirt. I was running around looking for a jersey to put on him, from the bus or from a player whose match was finished, when their coach pulled his players and claimed a forfeit."

"His players wanted to play it out, but their coach said they had no choice. . . . All the Westhampton kids were great, by the way."

Later, McConville, the head pro at the Hampton Racquet Club, who is in his first year coaching East Hampton High's team, said he checked the Section XI rules, only to find a requirement that a player "must have appropriate attire." 

Consequently, he would ask Monday that Section XI allay the claimed forfeit and play the second doubles match out from the point where it was stopped.