2025 Champions Crowned – A Historic Day in Mayfair Lakeshore Squash

The Big Dawg has come and gone, and what a spectacle it was. The competition was fierce, both on the court and off. The gallery was a battlefield of its own—shouts of “let,” “stroke,” and “no-let” filled the air, often resolved not by logic or rules, but by good old-fashioned mob mentality. One player would stop mid-rally, hand on hip, glaring and demanding justice. The crowd would erupt with jeers, hoots, and questionable calls. Eventually, a consensus was reached—and once in a while, it was even the right one.

The Pools

Three divisions fought tooth and nail to rise from the ranks:

The Strays
Led by the energetic singles converts Danny Gollogly and Alexa May—aka The Retrievers—these pups played with hustle, speed, and a surprising amount of chemistry.

The Rescues
Sharp and strategic, Anita Nador and Tina Beauchamps—our resident French Poodles—barked their way past some fearsome competition, including Strudwicke/Forbes, Kakeletris/Sinimae, and Kirshner/Brancato.

The Fleabitten
Top dogs Vaois Petsis and Fil Isabella (The Bulldogs) were absolutely dominant, stomping their way through the division without mercy.

With three playoff spots claimed, one remained: a wildcard, drawn live by fearless tournament sponsor Andrew Walker. The second-place finishers from the Fleabitten division—Woodill and D’Cruz—got the call. Fresh from the gallery (and possibly a few beverages in), they jumped back into the action.

The Playoffs

Semifinal 1:
Bulldogs (Isabella/Petsis) vs Poodles (Nador/Beauchamps)
The Poodles yapped and nipped, but the Bulldogs were all bite. Despite early finesse from Nador and Beauchamps, the Bulldogs powered through with grinding length and front-court tenacity to take the win.

Semifinal 2:
Retrievers (Gollogly/May) vs Wildcards (Woodill/D’Cruz)
Speed and steady play overwhelmed the clever hands and solid positioning of the wildcard team. The Retrievers bounded into the finals with wagging tails.

The Final Showdown

Bulldogs vs Retrievers

A classic match-up: brawny bulldogs vs happy-go-lucky retrievers. On paper, it looked like a mismatch—Gollogly and May were relatively new to doubles, facing off against the -8 seeded bulldog bruisers.

And at first, it was exactly that. May was relentlessly tested on the left wall, sent deeper and deeper into the back corner. Gollogly, isolated on the right, could do nothing but pace and paw the floor like a cold puppy locked out in the snow.

But then—momentum shifted. May began intercepting balls mid-court, volleying with purpose. Gollogly, no longer leashed, began poaching with speed and precision, covering drop shots and changing angles like a geometry prodigy in fur. Suddenly, the Retrievers were in it—and then, they were on top.

May fired in a series of vicious straight volley drops. Gollogly crashed the middle with clever cuts and creative lobs. The Bulldogs growled, regrouped, even called timeouts. But the chaos had already been unleashed.

The crowd? Unhinged.
The rallies? Legendary.
The tension? Excruciating.

One final surge—and it was over.

The Retrievers had done it!

The upstarts. The underdogs. The GOLDEN RETRIEVERS.

Final Results

Champions:
Danny Gollogly & Alexa May
(Their names forever etched on the Big Dawg trophy)

Runners-up:
Fil Isabella & Vaois Petsis

Prize Draw Winners

• Raul Sinimae – Harrow Stratus Doubles Racquet (Thanks to Andrew Strudwicke & Beach Squash)
• Alexa May – Squash Lesson with Ben Hatcher
• Gord Shier – Original painting by Mayfair’s Artist Laureate (and dog whisperer), Brenda Forbes

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Massive thanks to our generous sponsors Bruce Feaver, Andrew Walker, Trumphour Real Estate and Beach Squash.

It was a day of barking, battling, brilliance, and sheer squash insanity. And I don’t know about you—but I’m already counting down to next year’s Big Dawg. Until then, keep your tails wagging and your volleys tight.