BARBADOS DEFEATS GUYANA TO WIN JUNIOR CARIBBEAN SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM TITLES.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, July 9, 2017:
It has been a long time in coming, but Barbados finally returned to the summit of Junior Caribbean Squash yesterday (Saturday) as both the Bajan girls’ and boys’ squash teams crushed arch-rivals Guyana to win the team finals at the 35th Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association Championships (Junior CASA) which were held over the past week in Guyana.
In the morning session, which was played at the Georgetown Club squash complex, the defending champion Barbados girls’ team completed a three-peat of girls team titles by trouncing Guyana 5-0 in matches, winning every encounter by three games to love. Up first for Barbados, in the U-17 slot, Jada Smith-Padmore showcased her athleticism to defeat Makeda Harding 11-9, 11-6, 11-5. Then Barbados’ team captain, Amanda Haywood, who played in the U-19 #2 position, dispatched Rebecca Low 11-3, 11-7, 11-5 while Caribbean U-17 champion, Meagan Best, who played this year in the U-19#1 position in the team event, easily beat the Caribbean individual U-19 champion, Taylor Fernandes 11-5, 11-4, 11-1 to dash Guyanese hopes.
Closing out proceedings for Barbados, the reigning Caribbean U-15 individual champion, Chelsie Samuel, defeated Abosaide Cadogan 11-6, 11-9, 12-10 in a hard fought contest, while the diminutive Sumairaa Suleman, the three time Caribbean U-13 individual champion, brilliantly defeated Kirsten Gomes 11-2, 11-4, 11-1 to complete the rout and secure a record 15th girls team title for Barbados, who moved one ahead of Guyana who has won 14 girls’ team titles in the 35 year history of the Junior CASA Championships. Guyana finished in 2nd place, Trinidad and Tobago placed 3rd and Cayman Islands 4th in the four team girls’ round robin.
Then in the evening session, the Barbados boys’ team faced stern resistance but still defeated Guyana 4-1 in matches to claim its first boys’ team title since 2002 and for only the 5th occasion in total. Playing first in the U-17 slot, the Caribbean champion, Khamal Cumberbatch, defeated Daniel Islam 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 to get the ball rolling for Barbados. At U-19 #2, the New York based southpaw, Reginald Brewster, then outlasted a determined Alex Cheeks in five games 11-5, 11-7, 11-13, 6-11, 11-6 to the delight of the noisy group of Barbadian spectators and parents to all but seal the deal for the Bajan lads. In the U-19 #1 position, Caribbean individual champion Josiah Griffith then overcame the Guyanese team captain, Ben Mekdeci 14-12, 11-8, 11-6 to ensure the victory for Barbados.
Playing in the U-15 position, the diminutive 13 year old Barbadian, Darien Benn, was then beaten by the Caribbean champion in this age group, Shomari Wiltshire, 1-11, 2-11, 1-11 to give the home town supporters something to cheer about, but in the U-13 slot, Alex Stewart defeated the promising Michael Alphonso in four games 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 to clinch the excellent 4-1 victory and the boys team title for Barbados. Guyana finished in 2nd place, Jamaica placed 3rd, Cayman Islands 4th, Bermuda 5th and Trinidad and Tobago 6th in the six team boys’ round robin.
In the overall team standings, which is determined on points earned by each team’s finishing position in the two team events, Barbados placed 1st with 20 points; Guyana was 2nd (16 pts.); Cayman 3rd (10 pts.); Trinidad & Tobago 4th (9 pts.); Jamaica 5th (6 pts.); Bermuda 6th (4 pts.).
Barbados was able to field its strongest and most balanced team ever this year, and won at least one medal in each of the ten individual age group categories for boys and girls, and finished with a record haul of 15 medals in total, including all three gold medals on offer in the team event, as well as 6 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals in the individuals. Two other Barbadian players won their consolation plate finals and finished in fifth place. Such dominance allowed Barbados to secure its first overall team title since 2004 and, as a result, Barbados returns to the summit of Junior Caribbean Squash after stopping Guyana’s run of 12 successive overall team titles.
The triumphant Barbados squash team, parents and supporters will return to Barbados this afternoon from Guyana at 4:50 p.m. on LIAT 512.
Recap of Junior CASA Championships Team Finals (July 8th), Barbadian players mentioned first:
Girls Team Final (Barbados 5-0 Guyana)
U-17 Jada Smith-Padmore def. Makeda Harding 11-9, 11-6, 11-5
U-19 #2 Amanda Haywood def. Rebecca Low 11-3, 11-7, 11-5
U-19 #1 Meagan Best def. Taylor Fernandes 11-5, 11-4, 11-1
U-15 Chelsie Samuel def. Abosaide Cadogan 11-6, 11-9, 12-10
U-13 Sumairaa Suleman def. Kirsten Gomes 11-2, 11-4, 11-1
Boys Team Final (Barbados 4-1 Guyana)
U-17 Khamal Cumberbatch def. Daniel Islam 11-2, 11-5, 11-4
U-19 #2 Reginald Brewster def. Alex Cheeks 11-5, 11-7, 11-13, 6-11, 11-6
U-19 #1 Josiah Griffith def. Ben Mekdeci 14-12, 11-8, 11-6
U-15 Darien Benn lost to Shomari Wiltshire 1-11, 2-11, 1-11
U-13 Alex Stewart def. Michael Alphonso 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5
BARBADOS TEAMS STILL UNBEATEN IN JUNIOR CARIBBEAN SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS – WILL PLAY GUYANA IN BOTH FINALS
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, July 7, 2017:
Both the Barbados girls and boys squash teams were in action today (Friday) and both prevailed comfortably on the penultimate day of competition at the 35th Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association Championships (Junior CASA) being played this week in Guyana.
In the morning session played at the Georgetown Club squash courts the defending champion Barbados girls team convincingly defeated the Cayman Islands by four matches to one with easy wins for Sumairaa Suleman, the Caribbean U-13 champion, who dropped only 3 points against Olivia Kluyver, followed by the U-19 #2, Amanda Haywood and U-19 #1 Meagan Best, who also won convincingly 3-0 against Kali Maclean and Emma Turnbull respectively.
In the U-17 slot, Jada Smith-Padmore, who won the bronze medal for Barbados in the individual competition in this age group earlier in the week, fought hard but eventually lost in four games to Jade Pitcairn, the Caymanian runner up in this age group 5-11, 11-7, 8-11, 7-11.
In the morning’s last match the reigning Caribbean U-15 individual champion, Chelsie Samuel, closed out the victory for Barbados with an easy 3-0 victory versus Shaelah Parchment-Henry, for the loss of only 9 points.
On Saturday morning, Barbados will face Guyana, the other unbeaten team in the round robin, to decide who will claim the Caribbean girls’ team title this year.
Then in the evening session, the Barbados boys’ team had to fight a little harder to defeat Jamaica 4-1 in matches. In the Under-13 slot, Barbados’ silver medalist in the individual competition earlier this week, Aidan Parris, got Barbados off to a flying start with a 3-0 win against Tobias Levy and only dropped 7 points along the way.
At U-19 #2, Reginald Brewster, then lost a close contest to Jamaican, Jonathan Walker, in four games 6-11, 11-6, 1-11, 5-11 but in the U-19 #1 position, Josiah Griffith then played like the Caribbean champion he is to defeat Jamaican Tahjia Lumley 11-4, 11-9, 11-1 to restore Barbados’ lead in the contest.
In the U-17 slot, Caribbean champion, Khamal Cumberbatch, then dispatched Jamaican Adam Ardito 3-0 for the loss of 11 points to secure the win for Barbados. But the final match of the evening had the most drama.
In the U-15 position, the diminutive 13 year old Barbadian, Darien Benn, showed tremendous determination and skill to fight his way back from 1-2 down to win the last two games against his taller and stronger opponent, Sebastian Levy, to claim a famous come from behind victory 11-7, 7-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6 and clinch the excellent 4-1 victory for Barbados.
The Junior CASA boys’ team competition also concludes tomorrow (Saturday) when perennial rivals Barbados and Guyana, the two unbeaten teams in the round robin, face off in what is effectively the boys team final. The outcome of the boys and girls team contests will determine whether the Barbados junior team will achieve its goal of knocking Guyana off its perch at the summit of Caribbean junior squash. Guyana has won the overall team title for the past 12 years, but having assembled its strongest ever junior team, Barbados will be looking to reclaim the overall Junior CASA team title that it last held in 2004.
Recap of Junior CASA Championships Day 6 matches (July 7th).
Barbadian players mentioned first:
Girls Team Round Robin (Barbados 4-1 Cayman Islands)
U-13 Sumairaa Suleman def. Olivia Kluyver 11-2, 11-0, 11-1
U-19 #2 Amanda Haywood def. Kali Maclean 11-5, 11-6, 11-4
U-19 #1 Meagan Best def. Emma Turnbull 11-0, 11-3, 11-0
U-17 Jada Smith-Padmore lost to Jade Pitcairn 5-11, 11-7, 8-11, 7-11
U-15 Chelsie Samuel def. Shaelah Parchment-Henry 11-4, 11-4, 11-1
Boys Team Round Robin (Barbados 4-1 Jamaica)
U-13 Aidan Parris def. Tobias Levy 11-0, 11-3, 11-4
U-19 #2 Reginald Brewster lost to Jonathan Walker 6-11, 11-6, 1-11, 5-11
U-19 #1 Josiah Griffith def. Tahjia Lumley 11-4, 11-9, 11-1
U-17 Khamal Cumberbatch def. Adam Ardito 11-4, 11-4, 11-3
U-15 Darien Benn def. Sebastian Levy 11-7, 7-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6
BARBADOS BOYS TEAM MAINTAINS WINNING RECORD AT JUNIOR CARIBBEAN SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, July 6, 2017:
The Barbados boys’ team stormed through both of its round robin encounters today (Thursday) on Day 5 of the 35th annual Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association Championship (Junior CASA) that is being played this week in Georgetown, Guyana.
In both the morning and evening sessions the broken trident waved proudly in the Georgetown Club venue as the Bajan lads comfortably defeated both the Cayman Islands and then the valiant Bermuda team by four matches to one.
The boy’s team event is a round robin competition comprising six teams: Barbados; Bermuda; Cayman Islands; Jamaica; Trinidad, and hosts, Guyana. In the morning the Barbados boys faced Caymanian opposition and won 4-1 with all the Barbadian victories being comfortably achieved in three straight games.
First on court in the U-15 category, Darien Benn, barely broke a sweat as his opponent Pierce Terry unfortunately twisted his knee after only playing eight points and was unable to continue and so had to concede the match to give Barbados an early lead. The next three matches were not very close as Barbados galloped into an unassailable lead. In the U-19 #2 slot Barbadian southpaw, Reginald Brewster calmly brushed aside Isiah Robinson 3-0, losing only 15 points and then at U-19 #1, the reigning Caribbean champion, Josiah Griffith easily defeated Christian Dube 3-0, for the loss of just 13 points. Barbados’ BU-17 Caribbean champion, Khamal Cumberbatch then also only dropped 13 points in his straight games victory over David Pitcairn. In the final match in the morning session, the individual BU-13 bronze medallist, Alex Stewart, fought hard and managed to snatch the second game before falling to Cayman’s only individual gold medal winner this year, Jace Jervis, in four competitive games 7-11, 11-8, 2-11, 3-11 to leave Barbados 4-1 winners.
In the evening encounter, Barbados opted to rest their top player Josiah Griffith and bring in the U-19 reserve, Zachary Proverbs-Harris and, as expected, Barbados eased past Bermuda 4-1 in matches but not without some drama. The first match was a long hard fought affair and a reversal of the result in the U-15 individual third place match played two days earlier. In the end, despite a brave fight back in the fourth game, Barbadian Darien Benn was unable to hold off Charlie Riker and lost in five games 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 2-11 to put Barbados 0-1 down in the tie.
At U-19 #2, Zachary Proverbs-Harris, then restored parity with an easy 3-0 win over Matthew Elliot, but playing at U-19 #1 for Barbados, Reginald Brewster, had to work hard to hold off Bermudian, Anaya Smith in four games, 11-4, 11-13, 11-5, 11-7.
In the U-17 slot, Caribbean champion, Khamal Cumberbatch, had to save two game balls in the third game before reeling off the last four points to take that game and going on to defeat the energetic Taylor Carrick in four games 9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-5. Under-13 Alex Stewart then confidently wrapped up proceedings 3-0 against Daniel Ringer to secure the 4-1 match victory for Barbados.
The team competition continues for another two days until Saturday afternoon. Barbados’ girls have played one and won one and will take on Cayman on Friday morning and Guyana on Saturday morning, while the boy’s team with a played three and won three record will face Jamaica on Friday afternoon and then perennial rivals, Guyana, on Saturday afternoon.
Recap of Junior CASA Championships Day 5 matches (July 6th), Barbadian players mentioned first:
Boys’ Team Round Robin (Barbados 4-1 Cayman Islands) – 9:00 a.m. start
U-15 Darien Benn def. Pierce Terry who retired injured at 5-3 in 1st game
U-19 #2 Reginald Brewster def. Isiah Robinson 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
U-19 #1 Josiah Griffith def. Christian Dube 11-6, 11-3, 11-4
U-17 Khamal Cumberbatch def. David Pitcairn 11-4, 11-4, 11-5
U-13 Alex Stewart lost to Jace Jervis 7-11, 11-8, 2-11, 3-11
Boys’ Team Round Robin (Barbados 4-1 Bermuda) – 5:00 p.m. start
U-15 Darien Benn lost to Charlie Riker 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 2-11
U-19 #2 Zachary Proverbs-Harris def. Matthew Elliot 11-3, 11-1, 11-5
U-19 #1 Reginald Brewster def. Anaya Smith 11-4, 11-13, 11-5, 11-7
U-17 Khamal Cumberbatch def. Taylor Carrick 9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-5
U-13 Alex Stewart def. Daniel Ringer 11-6, 11-3, 11-2
BARBADOS OFF TO WINNING START IN JUNIOR CARIBBEAN SQUASH TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, July 5, 2017:
The Barbados Junior Boys and Girls teams both got off to winning starts on Day 4 of the 35th annual Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association Championship (Junior CASA) that is being held in Georgetown, Guyana as the team competition got underway. Buoyed by the record medal haul of 6 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals after the preceding three days of individual competition Barbados impressively dispatched the Trinidad and Tobago boys and girls teams by emphatic 4-1 and 5-0 margins respectively.
The Junior CASA boy’s team event is a round robin competition with six teams (Barbados; Bermuda; Cayman Islands; Jamaica; Trinidad, and hosts, Guyana), each consisting of five players and two reserves in four age categories. The Barbados boys were on court in the Wednesday morning session against Trinidad and Tobago and won four matches to one with all the Barbadian victories being comfortably achieved in three straight games. First on court in the Under-13 age group, Alex Stewart easily defeated Seth Thong 11-5, 11-8, 11-3 to get the ball rolling for Barbados. In the U-15 slot, Darien Benn, then played extremely well to pull back from 0-2 down to 2-all in games before losing 3-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11 to Christopher Anthony in an excellent fighting effort.
The three remaining matches were not close. In the U-19 #1 slot, the reigning Caribbean champion, Josiah Griffith easily defeated Nicolas Caddle 3-0 while in the U-19 #2 slot Barbadian southpaw, Reginald Brewster brushed aside Jonathan Blanc 3-0, while Barbados’ BU-17 Caribbean champion, Khamal Cumberbatch polished off Trinidadian Kobie Khan 3-0 for the loss of six points to seal the tie for Barbados by four matches to one.
In the girls team competition there are four teams (Barbados; Cayman Islands; Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana) and the defending Junior CASA girls champions, Barbados, are particularly strong this year with a trio of Caribbean champions in the team, including Meagan Best, the U-17 individual champion, who will be playing up one age group in the team event, in the U-19 #1 position, ahead of Amanda Haywood, (U-19 #2) who finished second in the individual competition in that age group, with the U-17 bronze medalist, Jada Smith-Padmore, playing in the U-17 slot.
As expected, in the evening session on Wednesday, Barbados brushed aside Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in matches without dropping a single game. There were easy wins for Sumairaa Suleman, the Caribbean U-13 champion, who dropped only 2 points, Chelsie Samuel, the Caribbean U-15 champion, who dropped 6 points, and Jada Smith-Padmore (U-17), who dropped 11 points against Trinidadians, Sigourney Williams, Amie DeVerteuil and Jinan Al Rawi respectively. At U-19, both Meagan Best, and Amanda Haywood were also convincing 3-0 winners against Alexandria Yearwood and Marie Claire Barcant respectively.
The team competition continues for another three days until Saturday. The Barbados girls team do not play on Thursday but will face Cayman on Friday morning and Guyana on Saturday morning, while the boys team will face Cayman on Thursday morning and Bermuda in the afternoon, and then take on Jamaica on Friday and then Guyana on Saturday afternoon.
Recap of Junior CASA Championships Day 4 matches (July 5th), Barbadian players mentioned first:
Boy’s Team Round Robin (Barbados 4-1 Trinidad & Tobago) – 9:00 a.m. start
U-13 Alex Stewart def. Seth Thong 11-5, 11-8, 11-3
U-15 Darien Benn lost to Christopher Anthony 3-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11
U-19 #1 Josiah Griffith def. Nicholas Caddle 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
U-19 #2 Reginald Brewster def. Jonathan Blanc 11-1, 11-7, 11-6
U-17 Khamal Cumberbatch def. Kobie Khan 11-3, 11-1, 11-2
Girl’s Team Round Robin (Barbados 5-0 Trinidad & Tobago) – 5:00 p.m. start
U-13 Sumairaa Suleman def. Sigourney Williams 11-0, 11-1, 11-1
U-15 Chelsie Samuel def. Amie DeVerteuil 11-2, 11-2, 11-2
U-19 #1 Meagan Best def. Alexandria Yearwood 11-3, 11-1, 11-4
U-19 #2 Amanda Haywood def. Marie Claire Barcant 11-6, 11-4, 11-4
U-17 Jada Smith-Padmore def. Jinan Al Rawi 11-4, 11-5, 11-2
