The 14 year old Barbadian squash sensation, Meagan Best, caused a spectacular upset on Day 2 of the 24th Caribbean Senior Squash Championships being held this year at the Queens Park Squash Complex in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad when she defeated the #2 seed, Ashley Khalil (GUY) in straight games to become the youngest ever ladies finalist in the history of this event, which was first held in 1977.
Best has enjoyed much success this year, winning the Barbados U-15 and U-17 titles in March, then becoming the youngest ever National Ladies squash champion in April, and then winning her fourth straight Caribbean age group title last month in the Caribbean GU-15 final in Cayman Islands, while helping the Barbados girls team clinch its second successive team gold medal at the 34th Caribbean Junior Squash Championships. But this achievement in Trinidad and Tobago is her greatest thus far. Seeded at #3/4 at this event, the powerfully built Best stormed to an emphatic 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 victory over the reigning Caribbean U-19 junior champion, Larissa Wiltshire (GUY), in their quarter final match in the morning and then returned in the evening’s semi-final to emphatically dispatch the #2 seed from Guyana, Ashley Khalil, 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 to reach her first ever Caribbean senior ladies final and in so doing becomes the youngest ever player to do so. Best’s opponent in this evening’s ladies final will be Barbados’ top player for the last 15 years, Karen Meakins, the top seed and 3-time defending Caribbean ladies champion, who reached her record 10th successive Caribbean ladies final after two fairly routine victories yesterday (Tuesday). Meakins defeated Akeila Wiltshire (GUY) 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 in her quarter final match and in her subsequent semi-final dispatched Wiltshire’s Guyanese teammate, the #3/4 seed Mary Fung-a-Fat, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 in a repeat of the 2014 Caribbean ladies final that Meakins also won.
In other results involving Barbadian players, 16 year old Amanda Haywood, defeated Akeila Wiltshire in the 5-8th playoff semi-final after brilliantly pulling back from a 0-2 deficit to win 6-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 and will play Akeila’s younger sister, Larissa, for 5th place this evening (Wednesday). Barbadian teenagers Jada Smith-Padmore (14) and Chelsie Samuel (13) both won twice yesterday and will face each other today in the Ladies Consolation plate final. Smith-Padmore defeated Bermudians Meagan Jackson 3-1 and then Morgan Lightfoot 11-6, 11-9, 11-5. Samuel first defeated the experienced Jamaican Nathlee Boreland 3-0 and then another Bermudian player, Grace Edy, in three close games 13-11, 11-8, 11-9.
The men’s final will be between two Jamaicans, Chris Binnie, the 6-times champion, who reached a record 8th successive men’s final when his Guyanese opponent, Sunil Seth, unfortunately had to retire with what looked to be a serious ankle injury at 2-all in the fifth game in their semi-final. Binnie will be faced by compatriot Lewis Walters who upset the #2 seed, Cameron Stafford (CAY) in three close and hard fought games.
Play in the finals and other playoffs will continue from 6:00 p.m. today after the opening ceremony scheduled for 2:00 p.m. this afternoon. The team competition for the Ladies, Men and Veterans team will start in earnest from 9:00 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday) and will conclude on Sunday August 14th.
(CA)
