When the curtain came down on the Junior Squash Nationals recently Nadia McCarthy and Rhett Cumberbatch were the stars of the prestigious event on the local squash scene.
The tournament, sponsored exclusively by Barbados Fire and Commercial Insurance Co Ltd for more than twenty years, was a three day event contested at the Barbados Squash Club in Hastings.
15 year old Nadia McCarthy, although preparing for CXC exams this year, cemented her position in the girl’s rankings with commanding victories in both the Girls Under 17 and Under 19 events. Nadia is a calm and focussed player who uses the extremes of the court and overwhelmed all opponents with her hard drives and aggressive serve. Nadia is already a part of the National Senior Ladies Training Squad, having trained with the seniors in 2002 and been invited to return in 2003.
Rhett Cumberbatch, the second son in the Cumberbatch clan also claimed two titles in the Junior Nationals (U17 and U19). Rhett is an extremely talented squash player and at 15 has already represented Barbados at the senior level. In 2002 he was named reserve for the Southern Caribbean Championships in Trinidad. He met his younger brother Bryant in the Under 19 final and the brothers demonstrated their natural ability and style in a competitive final. Bryant, at age 14, made history as the youngest boy to contest an Under 19 final since the Nationals began in 1979.
Final Results
Boys
U19: Rhett Cumberbatch def Bryant Cumberbatch
U17: Rhett Cumberbatch def Alex Garcia
U15: Bryant Cumberbatch def Alex Garcia
U13: Akil Ross def Nkosi Ross
U11: Jonathon O’Dowd def Manuel Martinez
Girls
U19 Round Robin: Nadia McCarthy (1st), Bo Harris (2nd)
U17 Round Robin: Nadia McCarthy (1st), Lea Solomon (2nd)
U15: Bo Harris def Cherie Ann Parris
U13: Cherie Ann Paris def Zoe Lisk
U11: Zoe Lisk def Toni Q Harris
Special Awards:
Best Sportsmanship: Alexandra Leacock
Most Improved Player: Jason Cox
