PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Hosts Trinidad and Tobago won a tense final to claim the men’s team title while Barbados dominated to lift the women’s crown, on the final day of the 20th annual Caribbean Squash Championships here yesterday.
Playing at the Cascadia Squash Courts in St. Ann’s, T&T overcame Guyana 3-2 in a competitive encounter, with six-time national champion Colin Ramasra winning the decisive encounter in three straight games.
Barbados, meanwhile, had no such problems against the Guyana women, cruising to a 4-1 win to make a successful defence of their title.
The Barbadians also picked up the veterans’ title when they narrowly defeated T&T 3-2 in the final, and trounced the OECS 4-1 in the men’s third place playoff.
However, it was the men’s and women’s finals which took centre stage.
National under-17 champion Mandela Patrick put T&T ahead in the men’s final when he whipped Deje Diaz 11-5, 11-4, 11-5.
Julian Chin levelled for Guyana when he bounced back from dropping the opening game to register a 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 victory over Ryan Abraham.
Richard Chin then produced a superb performance to beat Josh Pinard and put Guyana 2-1 up. He lost the two opening games 6-11, 8-11 but hit back strongly to clinch the tie 11-4, 11-5, 12-10.
Kale Wilson set up the thriller when he defeated Guyana’s Jason Callender 9-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-1, 11-9 in a match that went the distance.
Ramasra, who has been below par in the tournament, shook off his lethargy to beat Alex Arjoon 11-4, 11-4, 11-3 in the decisive fixture.
Barbados, meanwhile, was carried the distance in three encounters but prevailed over a defiant Guyana in the end in the women’s contest.
Fifteen-year-old Gylla Mackenzie, on her maiden tour, put Barbados on course when she twice overcame stumbles to edge Tiffany Solomon 9-11, 11-4, 13-15, 12-10, 11-5.
Nadia McCarthy was brilliant in giving Barbados a 2-0 lead, thrice surviving match points in the fourth game before going on to eke out a thrilling 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 13-11, 11-5 verdict over Victoria Arjoon.
Women’s individual champion, Nicolette Fernandes, hauled Guyana back into the contest by brushing aside Barbados’ number one Karen Meakins in straight games 11-1, 11-4, 11-7.
However, Alex Jordan wrapped up victory for Barbados by beating Ashley DeGroot 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5 and Cheri-Ann Parris then put the exclamation mark on Barbados performance, edging reigning Caribbean Under-19 champion, Mary Fung-a-Fat 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 12-14, 11-5.
