Top seeds mainly prevail in National Veterans Championships, upset wins for Harris and Foster
There were several keenly contested matches at the Barbados Squash Club as the curtain came down over the weekend on the National Veterans Squash Championships, sponsored by the Barbados Olympic Association. Generally the top seed prevailed and only in two age groups did the #2 seed come out on top.
In the Ladies Over-40 Open, the top seed Lynn McLeod, easily defeated the #3 seed Cilla Seale in straight games 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 to win this round robin contest, with the evergreen Seale finishing second by virtue of her earlier upset victory over #2 Ayoni Bradshaw who placed third with the ever-improving Leslie Trotman finishing in fourth place.
Competition for the men was held in five different age groups and in the Men’s 35-44 age group the top seed and current two-time Caribbean Over-40 Champion, Mark Sealy, won both of his matches in straight games to finish first. The #2 seed Don Benn had to fight all the way and pull back from 1-2 down to defeat the tenacious Tony Mackenzie in five games, 16-14, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4 to finish second.
In the Men’s +45 age group the two top seeds met in the final, with #2 Peter Harris managing to fight off the challenge of the experienced top seed, Mickey Armstrong, who fought back grimly after being 1-2 down in games and 3-10 down in the fourth game to incredibly save eight match balls and take the match into a fifth game. Harris, a former national hockey representative, was not to be denied however and stormed through in the fifth game to claim the M+45 title 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-13, 11-3. Terry
Millar easily defeated Peter King in three straight games to finish third.
The top two seeds in the Men’s +50 age group met for the second year running in the final with the #1 Nigel Griffith avenging last year’s shock defeat by the #2 seed Leon Truss by easily winning 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 to clinch yet another M+50 title. Andrew Nunes defeated Sanjay Amin 3-0 for third place and the plate was won by Craig Archer who defeated Dean Straker 3-1.
In the Men’s +55 final the top seed Cliff Nolan just managed to overcome #2 Orson Simpson in five close games 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6, while GlyneHusbands defeated
Ruairidh (pronounced Rory) Mackenzie in straight games for third place. In the M+55 plate final Ronald Watson fought back from 0-2 down to defeat Monty Cumberbatch in an exciting five game encounter 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10.
There was another major fight back the Men’s +60 round robin where the top seed Errol Pilgrim failed to hold on to a two game advantage against the #2 seed David Foster who won a very close encounter in five games 10-12, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 and clinched the M+60 title. Second place in this round robin contest went to the determined David Spink who followed up his exciting win over Pilgrim earlier in the week to prevail in four games over Chester Haynes, who finished in fourth place behind Pilgrim.
Full matches results for are as follows (all matches at the Barbados Squash Club):
EARLY ROUNDS
Ladies +40 R/Robin Ayoni Bradshaw def. Leslie Trotman (3-0)
11-2, 11-9, 11-2
Ladies +40 R/Robin Cilla Seale def. Ayoni Bradshaw
(3-2) 8-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, 11-8
M+35-44 R/Robin Mark Sealy def. Don Benn
(3-0) 11-5, 11-9, 11-7
M+35-44 R/Robin Mark Sealy def. Tony Mackenzie (3-0)
11-6, 11-4, 11-5
Ladies +40 R/Robin Cilla Seale def. Leslie Trotman
(3-2) 12-10, 3-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6
Ladies +40 R/Robin Lynn McLeod def. Ayoni Bradshaw (3-0)
11-9, 11-3, 11-7
M+45 1st Rd. Peter King def. Michael Best
(3-1) 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5
M+45 1st Rd. Terry Millar def. Preston Parris
(3-0) 11-4, 11-7, 11-7
M+45 1st Rd. Peter Harris def. Sylvester Nurse
(3-0) 11-6, 11-3, 11-4
M+45 Semi-Final Mickey Armstrong def. Peter King (3-1)
11-7, 16-14, 7-11, 11-8
M+45 Semi-Final Peter Harris def. Terry Millar
(3-1) 11-7, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8
M+45 Plate R/Robin Preston Parris def. Sylvester Nurse (3-2)
4-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8
M+50 1st Rd. Nigel Griffith def. Dean Straker
(3-1) 11-2, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7
M+50 1st Rd. Sanjay Amin def. Craig Archer
(3-2) 7-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8
M+50 1st Rd. Andrew Nunes def. David Leacock
(3-0) 11-3, 11-6, 11-6
M+50 1st Rd. Leon Truss def. Paul McLeod
(3-0) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7
M+55 R/Robin Pool A Cliff Nolan def. Ruairidh Mackenzie (3-2)
11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 9-11, 11-7
M+55 R/Robin Pool A Cliff Nolan def. Ronald Watson (3-2)
11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 10-12, 11-5
M+55 R/Robin Pool A Ruairidh Mackenzie def. Ronald Watson (3-1) 11-6,
6-11, 11-9, 11-7
M+55 R/Robin Pool B Glyne Husbands def. Monty Cumberbatch (3-0) 11-6,
11-7, 11-4
M+55 R/Robin Pool B Orson Simpson def. Monty Cumberbatch (3-0) 11-4,
11-8, 11-6
M+55 R/Robin Pool B Orson Simpson def. Glyne Husbands (3-1) 11-5,
11-9 9-11, 12-10
M+60 R/Robin David Foster def. Chester Haynes
(3-0) 11-5, 11-7, 11-8
M+60 R/Robin David Spink def. Errol Pilgrim
(3-0) 11-4, 11-8, 11-8
M+60 R/Robin Errol Pilgrim def. Chester Haynes
(3-0) 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
M+60 R/Robin David Foster def. David Spink
(3-1) 11-9, 11-5, 5-11, 14-12
FRI JUNE 14TH
Ladies +40 R/Robin Lynn McLeod def. Leslie Trotman
(3-0) 11-8, 11-7, 11-3
M+45 Plate R/Robin Michael Best def. Preston Parris
(3-0) 11-9, 11-8, 12-10
M+55 (1st Pool A vs. 2nd Pool B) Cliff Nolan def. Glyne Husbands
(3-0) 11-8, 11-7, 11-5
M+55 (1st Pool B vs. 2nd Pool A) Orson Simpson def. Ruairidh Mackenzie (3-0)
11-8, 11-8, 11-8
M+50 Plate S/Final Dean Straker def. Paul McLeod
(3-2) 11-3, 8-11, 2-11, 13-11, 11-2
M+50 Plate S/Final Craig Archer def. David Leacock
(3-2) 11-13, 9-11, 11-3, 11-1, 12-10
M+50 Semi-Final Nigel Griffith def. Sanjay Amin
(3-0) 11-7, 11-1, 11-7
M+50 Semi-Final Leon Truss def. Andrew Nunes
(3-0) 11-2, 11-6, 11-9
SAT JUNE 15TH
Ladies +40 Final Lynn McLeod def. Cilla Seale
(3-0) 11-7, 11-4, 11-4
M+35-44 R/Robin Don Benn def. Tony Mackenzie
(3-2) 16-14, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4
M+45 Plate R/Robin Michael Best def. Sylvester Nurse by
default
M+45 3rd/4th Place Terry Millar def. Peter King
(3-0) 11-4, 11-5, 11-6
M+45 Final Peter Harris def. Mickey Armstrong
(3-2) 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-13, 11-3
M+50 Plate 3rd/4th Place Paul McLeod def. David Leacock (3-1)
7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7
M+50 Plate Final Craig Archer def. Dean Straker
(3-1) 11-7, 11-8, 14-16, 11-6
M+50 3rd/4th Place Andrew Nunes def. Sanjay Amin
(3-0) 11-9, 11-1, 11-1
M+50 Final Nigel Griffith def. Leon Truss
(3-0) 11-6, 11-5, 11-3
M+55 Plate Final Ronald Watson def. Monty Cumberbatch (3-2)
9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10
M+55 3rd/4th Place Glyne Husbands def. Ruairidh Mackenzie (3-0)
11-8, 11-6, 11-5
M+55 Final Cliff Nolan def. Orson Simpson
(3-2) 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6
M+60 R/Robin David Foster def. Errol Pilgrim vs.
(3-2) 10-12, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9
M+60 R/Robin David Spink def. Chester Haynes
(3-1) 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5
