President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA), David Fernandes has expressed his optimism of Guyana recapturing this year’s Junior CASA Championships which serves off this weekend in Jamaica.
Guyana, after 12 years of dominance, from 2005 – 2016, surrendered the 2017 Title to Barbados in Guyana, and ever since the juniors have been working their traps off to once again return to the apex of squash in the region.
Fernandes, in that regard, is banking on a total team effort from the South Americans, merged with what he describes as the ‘depth in this year’s squad’ to deliver the goods.
“I think that our chances are good once the stars line up,” Fernandes remarked when asked to describe the team’s chances this year, while adding; “Our depth in the lower levels of the team will come through for us.”
“We have some very special youths right now in the lower levels of our team who can do the job for us, which takes the pressure off the senior-junior players where they can go out and know that they have depth behind them and hopefully that becomes a reality for us.”
The President, however, is wary to the looming ‘Bajan threat,’ after they carted off with the 2017 Championships and have been doing everything within their grasp to remain at the top of regional squash.
“Barbados is still a very powerful team. They have done a lot. Their kids have been going overseas for training for quite a while, and they have been reaping the benefits,” he noted, while pointing out that Guyana will rank second in this year’s tournament, behind the reigning champions.
Commenting on two of the top junior players, Shomari Wiltshire and Abosaide Cadogan, Fernandes expressed his high hopes for the duo when they compete for the Boy’s and Girl’s Under-15 titles, respectively.
“Abosaide is a very special athlete. I think that she would probably do well in any sport that she plays. She is one of those kids who is just that good. She is a tremendous athlete,” he said, as he described the young lady, with beaming anticipation of her chances this year.
On Wiltshire, he observed,” Shomari is kind of the same thing. His ability to play a mature game at age 15 is unmatched in the Caribbean because even though he is that young, he plays a very intelligent and mature game.
“He is also tactful, and that is key to being successful in this sport. So it’s difficult for anyone to defeat him in his age group,” Fernandes who will be acting as one of the team’s assistant coaches, remarked.
