The Guyana Squash Associa-tion has identified a squad of 19 players to train seven days a week for the Junior Caribbean Squash tournament which is scheduled for July 11-20 in Bermuda.
Training will commence shortly under the supervision of national coach Carl Ince.
Ince will implement high-intensity training sessions after which the squad will be reduced to the final 14 players who will participate in this year’s championships.
President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) Ronald Burch-Smith, said yesterday that he was very impressed with the level of commitment pledged by the players towards the championships this year.
“The tournament is in Bermuda this year and that is a long way to travel to be defeated. This year we will be commencing the everyday training and working those players the full nine yards, from gong to gong, leaving no stone unturned in the team’s preparation because we are running a tight shift this year,” Burch-Smith told Stabroek Sport.
He added “The good thing about it is that it was the players’ idea. They seemed highly motivated about the tournament this year and we intend to capitalize on this.”
Training in the afternoons will commence from 4:30pm with light jogging in the National Park to be followed immediately by training at the Georgetown Club courts.
The 19 players who have been selected are (girls): Victoria Arjoon, Ashley deGroot, Mary Fung-A-Fat, Alysa Xavier, Kayla Jeffrey, Ashley Khalil, Keisha Jeffrey and Daina King.
The boys are: Nyron Joseph, Jean-Claude Jeffrey, Steven Xavier, Abishek Singh, Jason Ray Khalil, Deje Dias, Alexander Arjoon, Oliver Downes, Raphael deGroot, Javid Rahaman and Nicholas Narain.
The GSA has also compiled a list of players who in its view have exhibited the skills and talent to become national players of tomorrow.
Those players are Kristina Cheeks, Gabrielle Fraser, Akeila Wiltshire, Rebecca Xavier, Larissa Wiltshire, Taylor Fernandes, Shaquille Bowen, Ben Mekdeci, Patrick Fraser, Alec Melville, Matthew Phang and Alexander Cheeks.
The GSA is asking all the players from both squads to attend a meeting at the Georgetown Club today at 6:00pm.
