GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, CMC ? Barbados seized their fourth Caribbean Junior Squash overall team crown in six years when they captured the girls title and finished runners-up in the boys category as the tournament ended at the South Sound Courts on Friday evening.
The Barbadians dismissed a spirited challenge from Trinidad and Tobago to win the Girls’ final 3-2, and although the Barbados boys team lost 3-1 to Jamaica in their final, they topped the final team standings ahead of Jamaica, with defending champions Guyana third and Trinidad and Tobago fourth.
?I feel great,? an elated Barbados manager Sherry Cumberbatch told CMC Sport on Friday night.
?We came her with a plan, a plan to get back the trophy that Guyana took from us last year,? Cumberbatch added.
Having whipped Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 in the preliminaries, Barbados entered the girls final as hot favourites, but T&T lifted their performance and threatened in a couple of pivotal games.
Cheri-Ann Parris, the Caribbean Under-15 champion, who played unbeaten all week, gave the Barbadians a winning start when she defeated Tessa Martin 9-4, 9-5, 9-7. Nakita Poon Kong levelled for Trinidad & Tobago when she got past Maia Blackman 9-2 9-4 9-0.
Barbados regained the ascendancy when the talented 14-year-old Bo Harris, playing in the U-19 category, outlasted T&T?s Jamie Galt 9-7 9-6 9-7 in a tight game for a 2-1 Barbados lead.
Tanya Marshall clinched the tie for the Barbadians when she fought off Emily Barnes in a tense four-game battle. Marshall rallied from a game down to defeat Barnes 6-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-7, and when Nadia McCarthy took the court to face the Under-17 gold medallist Joanna Scoon, the Barbadians had already wrapped up their 12th girls title. McCarthy retired (ill) after Scoon had won the first two sets at six and five and the third game was locked at 1-1.
The Barbadians have won more Caribbean junior girls titles than all the other Caribbean teams combined since these junior championships began in 1981.
In the boy?s team final, the confident Jamaica team swept the first three matches against Barbados making the final two matches merely academic.
In the Under-15 showdown, the Jamaican Bruce Burrowes defeated Nkosi Ross 9-7, 9-4, 9-4, while at Under-19, the individual championship silver medallist David Patterson defeated Rhett Cumberbatch 6-9, 9-3, 9-7, 9-4, and in the Under-19 number-two game, Brad Lowe cruised past Alex Garcia 9-0, 9-0, 9-2, to clinch Jamaica?s first boy?s team title since 1983.
In the final two dead rubbers, Barbados’ Under-13 Liu Ross defeated Sean Reynolds 9-0, 9-0 (retired) and the final Under-17 match between arch rivals Bryant Cumberbatch, of Barbados, and the new Caribbean Under-17 champion Chris Binnie, went to the Jamaican 9-5 (retired).
The Guyanese, who had swept the girls, boys and overall team titles last year, won both third place play-off matches.
In the girls match, they won 3-2 over Jamaica with victories by Andrea King, Kristina King, and Kayla Jeffrey, and in the boys play-off, they used wins by Under-19 gold medallist Damien DaSilva, Ryan Farnum, Stanley Marcus, and Alexander Arjoon, to defeat Bermuda 4-1.
Girls final results: Barbados won 3-2
Cheri-Ann Parris (B?dos) beat Tessa Martin (T&T) 9-4, 9-5, 9-7
Nakita Poon Kong (T&T) beat Maia Blackman (B?dos) 9-2, 9-4, 9-0
Bo Harris (B?dos) beat Jamie Galt (T&T) 9-7, 9-6, 9-7
Tanya Marshall (B?dos) beat Emily Barnes (T&T) 6-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-7
Joanna Scoon (T&T) beat Nadia McCarthy (B?dos) 9-6, 9-5, 1-1
Boys final results: Jamaica won 4-1
Bruce Burrowes (J?ca) beat Nkosi Ross (B?dos) 9-7, 9-4, 9-4
Brad Lowe (J?ca) beat Alex Garcia (B?dos) 9-0, 9-0, 9-2
David Patterson (J?ca) beat Rhett Cumberbatch (B?dos) 6-9, 9-3, 9-7, 9-4
Liu Ross (B?dos) beat Sean Reynolds (J?ca) 9-0, 9-0 (retired)
Chris Binnie (J?ca) beat Bryant Cumberbatch (B?dos) 9-5 (retired)
FINAL STANDINGS:
OVERALL
1 Barbados
2 Jamaica
3 Guyana
4 Trinidad & Tobago
5 Bermuda
6 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
7 Cayman Islands
8 Venezuela
9 Bahamas
GIRLS
1 Barbados
2 Trinidad & Tobago
3 Guyana
4 Jamaica
5 OECS
6 Cayman Islands
7 Bermuda
BOYS
1 Jamaica
2 Barbados
3 Guyana
4 Bermuda
5 Venezuela
6 Trinidad & Tobago
7 OECS
8 Cayman Islands
9 Bahamas
Please see the CASA Website for more details.
