Day 5 of the 33rd annual Barbados National Squash Championships, sponsored by the Barbados Olympic Association, was for the most part fairly predictable with seven out of eight players not dropping a game while moving on to the round of the last sixteen in the Men’s Main Draw. The one exception was the all action five game thriller that was contested at the Barbados Squash Club (BSC) on Tuesday night May 8th by the two most evenly matched players of the night, Andrew Nunes and Dean Straker.
Nunes, a successful horse trainer here in Barbados, took the first game at six with good length drives and crisp straight volleys. Straker, who is playing some of the best squash of his career, countered with his trademark boasts and reverse angles to come from behind in the second game to win 10/8 and even up the match at one all. In a flash Straker then swept imperiously through the third game 9/2 before Nunes squared things by winning a hard fought fourth game for the loss of six points. The final stanza was the most exciting with Straker appearing home and dry at 8-4, match ball, up before Nunes grimly rallied back to 8-8 in a single hand. Another surge took Straker to his third match ball which he duly converted when Nunes hit his final shot, a powerful overhead forehand smash, into the top of the tin to the relief of the victorious Straker who had won 6/9 10/8 9/2 6/9 10/8 in 50 minutes.
Matches in the Men’s Main Draw and the Men’s Plate continue on Wednesday night, May 9th at the BSC beginning at 5:45 p.m. The top four ladies seeds will play on Thursday, May 10th. All finals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon, May 12th beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Results of matches played on Tuesday May 8th are as follows:
Ladies Plate – 1st Round
Zo? Lisk defeated Stacey Gilkes 9/0 9/1 9/2
Men’s Preliminary Draw – 2nd Round
#9/16 Rhett Cumberbatch defeated Ciaran Raymer 9/0 9/0 9/1
#9/16 Leon Truss defeated Bertram Butcher 9/6 9/4 9/0
Dean Straker defeated #9/16 Andrew Nunes 6/9 10/8 9/2 6/9 10/8
#9/16 Nkosi Ross defeated Jonathan Foster 9/2 9/2 9/3
Liu Ross defeated #9/16 Cliff Nolan by default
#9/16 Roger Martin defeated James Punnett 9/1 9/1 9/2
#9/16 Craig Archer defeated Matthew Mackenzie 9/1 9/2 9/4
#9/16 Don Benn defeated Sylvester Nurse 9/4 9/1 9/6
The match-ups on May 9th in the Men’s Main Draw round of 16 are as follows:
#5/8 Bryant Cumberbatch vs. Dean Straker at 5:45 p.m.
#3/4 Mark Sealy vs. Rhett Cumberbatch at 6:15 p.m.
#1 Gavin Cumberbatch vs. Nkosi Ross at 6:45 p.m.
#5/8 Fabian Goodridge vs. Craig Archer at 6:45 p.m.
#2 Shawn Simpson vs. Liu Ross at 7:15 p.m.
# 5/8 Nigel Griffith vs. Roger Martin at 7:45 p.m.
# 5/8 Alex Garcia vs. Leon Truss at 8:30 p.m.
#3/4 Marlon White vs. Don Benn at 8:30 p.m.
You can follow the action day by day by downloading the updated tournament draw for National Squash Championships by following the link below.
B’dos National Championships 2007 – Day 5 – file no. 1
