The reigning Barbados and Caribbean Squash Champion, Karen Meakins, continued her impressive showing at the 10th World Squash Federation’s World Masters Championships being held from August 23rd to 28th in Cologne, Germany and has now reached the semi-finals, and becomes the first player from Barbados to ever do so.
Meakins, the inspirational Barbados ladies team captain who played unbeaten in her six matches at the recently concluded Caribbean Squash Championships in St. Vincent, continued her winning ways in Germany earlier today (Thursday) in the quarter-finals in the Ladies Over-35 age group by defeating her unseeded German opponent, Iris Stockbauer, in straight games 11-4, 11-9, 11-9 to advance to the semi-finals tomorrow morning (Friday), Barbados time where she will face the #2 seeded player from Japan, Yoriko Michishita.
Karen commenting about her own match today noted that ‘the courts here are a bit warm, so it suits me and my game. I was a bit nervous today, and Iris had all the home crowd support, so it was a tough match. I’m so happy to reach the semi-finals, but I’m taking things one match at a time.’
President of the Barbados Squash Association, Craig Archer, also noted that: ‘2010 really seems to be Karen’s year. She has already performed magnificently for Barbados at the CAC Games in July and then at the Caribbean Squash Championships just last week, and has yet to drop a game thus far at the World Masters. It just shows what dedication and hard work can accomplish. Karen has trained really hard this year under the guidance of our new Director of Squash, Jonathan Gallacher. Karen is an inspiration to all her team-mates and has brought great credit to her adopted home, Barbados. She really is showing that age is just a number and we all are hoping that she continues to fly the Barbados flag high in Cologne, Germany.’
The Ladies +35 semi-finals will be played tomorrow Friday at the ACR Sportscentre in Cologne with the finals scheduled for this Saturday, August 28th. The L+35 top seed is Germany’s former multiple national champion and former World #6, Sabine Schoene, who is making her first appearance in this age group.
