Exciting squash was on display Wednesday night at three different squash venues as the BSRA”s Inter-Club Squash League continued with four ties played on Match Day 2.
At the Barbados Squash Club on court #1 the Blasters were pushed all the way by the tenacious Battalion B team but were eventually victorious by three matches to two. At #1 the national ladies champion, Karen Meakins, won the first two games and was 8-4 up in the third before her Battalion B opponent, John Cumberbatch, doggedly fought back to level the match at two games all. Meakins somehow managed to regain her composure in the deciding game which she duly clinched with the loss of a single point to win 9/3 9/5 8/10 6/9 9/1. Next up for the Blasters at #3 the experienced Cliff Nolan just managed to hold off the very promising 15-year old school boy Nkosi Ross to win a five game thriller that could have gone either way 3/9 9/6 9/7 5/9 9/5. The Battalion B shot back into contention at #4 when Nkosi?s 14-year old brother Liu Ross outlasted Ashok Merai in another close match that Liu won 9/6 7/9 9/5 6/9 9/4. Battalion B then levelled the tie with another close match at #5 when Bertram Butcher defeated the Blasters? Ronald Watson 9/2 9/4 0/9 10/9. With the tie locked at two all the Blasters #2 Craig Archer calmed his teammates” nerves with a confident 9/6 9/2 9/5 victory over Philip Lewis to clinch the tie at the death.
On court #2 there was no such drama. The BSC Boasters led from start to finish and trounced the first round ICL leaders, the Strikers, by four matches to one. At #2 string Jason Small defeated Andre Donawa 9/4 3/9 9/3 9/1, at #3 Barry Gale defeated the youthful Cheri-Ann Parris 3/9 9/3 9/6 9/7; then at #4 Jasper Seymour demolished Michael Best 9/5 9/0 9/3 and at #5 the 13-year old Jonathan O?Dowd overcame Julian Welch in four games 6/9 9/7 9/1 9/4. The Strikers” consolation victory came in at #1 string where the top local player, Gavin Cumberbatch, easily dispatched Mark Sealy in straight games 9/3 9/3 9/0.
Final points after these two ties were:
Squash Club Boasters: 15 points, Strikers: 6 points
Squash Club Blasters: 15 points, Battalion B: 10 points.
At Pleasant Place, the Strugglers. team bounced back from a heavy first round defeat to edge out the Bouncers by three matches to two. After losing by default at both the #2 and #3 strings by not fielding players against the Bouncers? Roger Martin and David Foster respectively the Strugglers then came to life to win at #5 when Cilla Seale outlasted Carolyn Last-Johnson 2/9 10/8 9/6 7/9 9/5 in a hard fought encounter. At #1, in a repeat of the 2004 national Men”s final, the Strugglers? Shawn Simpson, the reigning national champion, then overpowered the 2003 Men”s champion, Andy Gill, in four games 9/1 9/4 3/9 9/6. In the deciding match at #4 string, the Strugglers? Sylvester Nurse defeated David Lewis 2/9 9/7 9/4 9/6 to wrap up a moral boosting victory for his team.
Final points after this tie were: Pleasant Place Strugglers: 10 points, Bouncers: 10 points.
At the Barbados Defense Force the 2003 and 2005 ICL champions, Battalion A, defeated the Bombers by three matches to two in another close and exciting tie. At #3 Norman Rice overcame the Bombers? Lilianna White 6/9 9/7 9/4 9/0 while at #5 David Goodman defeated Chester Haynes of the Bombers team 9/1 5/9 9/1 9/0. At #4 the Battalion A?s Ambrose Deane then lost by default to his opponent Carla Jackson which set up an exciting clash at #1 between national team mates Marlon White of Battalion A and Nigel Griffith of Bombers who rushed into a 2-1 lead before White recovered to win 9/7 1/9 0/9 10/8 9/1 to the delight of the home supporters. In the final match at #2 the Bombers? 17 year old Alex Garcia dispatched Battalion A”s Don Benn in straight games 9/2 9/4 9/4.
Final points after this tie were: Battalion A: 11 points, Bombers 10 points.
The ICL standings after Match day 2 are given in the spreadsheet below:
