Guyana’s highest rated squash player Nicolette Fernandes topped her competitors in Trinidad and Tobago by claiming the female individual title fairly easily in the senior Caribbean Squash championships last Tuesday.
Fernandes easily disposed of Barbadian Karen Meakins, a 12-time Barbados national women’s champion and the number two ranked player in the region, after a close first set to win the match with scores of 12/10, 11/2 and 11/1.
According to the team manager, Alwyn Callender, Guyana made its mark on the final day of the tournament as well by having six competitors in five of the eight matches on the final day of the individual competition.
In the men’s category Guyana placed fifth and seventh while the females took first, 5th and 7th of the final eight standings.
Guyanese Julian Chin, who has been absent from squash for a few years and now resides in Trinidad, upset Barbados national champion Gavin Cumberbatch 11/6, 13/11, 8/11, 11/4.
According to the team manager, Chin is refocused and has produced exceptional squash by upsetting both 3/4 seeds in the tournament but ended by taking the 7th position out of 42 competitors.
The consistent Richard Chin once again showed that experience can be a major element in the game of squash by displacing Trinidad and Tobago’s national champion Josh Pinard.
Richard won the first game easily before Pinard replied by showcasing his immense skill and retrieving ability by taking the following two games to tiebreakers.
However, Chin was not to be outdone and closed out the match 11/0, 13/11, 12/10. Chin finished 5th out of 42 players.
On the distaff side Victoria Arjoon topped Barbadian number three Nadia McCarthy 9/11, 11/5, 11/9, 12/14, 11/9 in a hard fought match.
Arjoon had two match balls in the fourth game but failed to close out her opponent allowing McCarthy to force a fifth game tiebreaker. Arjoon then refocused and held on to take the fifth game 11/9. She finished seventh and became the youngest finisher in the top eight at age 16.
Two Guyanese ladies were featured in the fifth and sixth playoff match as Ashley Khalil displayed superior power and strength to overpower Mary Fung-a-Fat 11/4, 11/9, 11/0 in the first senior championship for the two Guyanese.
