?Bitterly disappointed that they had to leave, but relieved that they are all now home safely? was the comment of Barbados Squash Rackets Association President, Craig Archer, after the Barbados squash team arrived this evening at Grantley Adams International Airport. Due to the imminent arrival of the dangerous looking category 4 Hurricane Dean, the tournament officials in Jamaica wisely pulled the plug on the final two days of the team competition at the 16th biennial Caribbean Area Squash Association Championships earlier today (Friday).
?Barbados was the only country left in the competition with a 100% record in every team event. We were already into the Ladies and the Veterans finals, both against Jamaica, and we had topped our pool in the Men’s team event and were scheduled to play against Jamaica today (Friday) in the Men’s team semi-finals. Our Men’s team was very confident of progressing to the final and we were looking to create a piece of history then by sweeping all three team events on Saturday,? Archer noted. ?No country other than Jamaica has achieved a team title sweep in the 30 years of this competition and the Jamaicans have done so every time they have played at home: in 1979, 1987 and 1997. Barbados was therefore well on course to being the first away team to achieve a clean sweep and also the first team from the Southern Caribbean to do so.?
?Jamaica has such a fine sporting tradition generally, and in squash the Jamaican team is the yardstick by which all others in the Caribbean are measured. They are such fierce competitors on a squash court, and although their best team doesn?t necessarily always travel to away tours, at home they are always the team to beat ? and we were looking forward to doing so repeatedly at the business end of these Championships,? Archer said. ?Obviously, the safety of the various touring teams was the over-riding factor, and it was thought it would be better for the overseas players to get out of Jamaica while they still could, since most teams were originally scheduled to leave on Sunday which is when the eye is supposed to be directly over Kingston.?
Players from St. Lucia had flown home the day before, and the OECS contingent from St. Vincent left Jamaica on the same Caribbean Airlines flight as the Barbados team. The Trinidad and Tobago squash team was also on the same flight on its way back home tonight (Friday) also.
?Our thoughts and prayers will go out tonight, tomorrow and Sunday for all the people of Jamaica. Hopefully, they will be spared the worse of Dean?s fury? Archer stated.
The photo of the full Barbados team (above) was taken at the opening ceremony on August 14th. Front row squatting from left: Karen Meakins (C’bbn Ladies Runner-up & Ladies Coach), Jenny Armstrong, Bo Harris & Cheri-Ann Parris.
2nd row standing from left: C’bbn Men’s Champion – Gavin Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Johnson (L+50), Lilianna White, Sonia Perkins (Ladies capt. and L+40), Nadia McCarthy, Leon Truss (M+50) & Orson Simpson (Manager).
Back row: Mark Sealy (Men’s capt.), Marlon White, Bryant Cumberbatch, Fabian Goodridge, Richard Walcott (Men’s Coach), Shawn Simpson, Errol Pilgrim (M+60) & Nigel Griffith (M+40).
