The Barbados Squash Rackets Association is delighted with the performance of the Barbados squash team at the 20th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Cartagena, Colombia in July.
The team selected to participate in the singles, doubles, mixed doubles and team competitions was as follows:
Ladies ? Karen Meakins; Sonia Perkins; Cheri-Ann Parris; Nadia McCarthy.
Men ? Gavin Cumberbatch; Shawn Simpson; Mark Sealy; Marlon White.
Manager ? Orson Simpson.
Although the Bajan team did not have much experience playing together in doubles the duo of Cumberbatch and Simpson in the men’s doubles and Meakins and Cumberbatch in the mixed doubles both made it into their respective semi-finals and won bronze medals for being the losing semi-finalists.
Then the ladies team, that was strengthened by the inclusion of the experienced six-time national ladies? champion, Karen Meakins, and national #2 player, Sonia Perkins together with top local juniors, Cheri-Ann Parris and Nadia McCarthy also did their country proud by making it safely through to the medal round and eventually finishing third to claim another bronze medal for Barbados.
These three medals were the first earned in squash by a Barbados team at the CAC Games and was part of a record 19 medal haul (6 gold; 2 silver; 11 bronze) that placed Barbados in ninth position on the final medal standings.
The squash competition was held at the brand new Cartagena Rackets Complex, where six singles and
one doubles courts have recently been constructed. An all glass court, erected outside the city’s magnificent Convention Centre, was also used for some singles and team matches. The Caribbean was well represented by over ten countries in squash with Guyana winning gold (Nicolette Fernandes – ladies individuals) and silver (N. Fernandes/M. Weithers – mixed doubles) to claim its only medals at the Games. Jamaica won a silver medal in the ladies doubles (K. Anderson/M. Rabess) as well as a bronze medal in ladies singles (Karen Anderson), and Bermuda picked up a bronze medal in the men’s team event also.
