Team Guyana walked away with four gold medals yesterday at the end of the singles competition of the 2019 Caribbean Area Squash Association Junior Championship in Trinidad and Tobago.
The day, however, from all accounts, belonged to the laidback Kirsten Gomes who recorded a come from behind win to dethrone Bajan Sumairaa Suleman, the girls’ U15 defending champion.
It appeared all over bar the shouting for Gomes, who dropped the first two sets 4-11, 5-11 as Suleman, who has had the wood on her in the past, seemed set to make it her third title in a row.
However, Gomes collected herself and out-hustled her Bajan counterpart in the next three sets, winning 11-8, 11-4, 11-8 to lift the title. Meanwhile, the first all-Guyanese final between Michael Alphonso and Nicholas Verwey went Alphonso’s way as he defeated his countryman 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 to win back-to-back titles having won the boys’ U13 title in 2018.
Another all Guyanese final between Abosaide Cadogan and Madison Fernandes for the girls’ U17 crown, saw Cadogan coming away with the win over her best mate 11-7, 13-11, 11-4 to claim her maiden Caribbean title.
Finally, as expected, the sensational Shomari Wiltshire clinched yet another Caribbean title by downing Bajan Darien Benn 11-3, 11-8, 5-11, 11-2 in the boys U17 final.
Earlier, Christina Fernandes fought valiantly against Phoebe Gittens in the girls’ U11 final but was defeated 9-11, 11-13, 5-11 while Mohryan Baksh had to settle for silver following his 2-3 lost in a scrap against Seth Thong of Trinidad and Tobago in the boys’ U15 final. The South Americans will now turn their attention to the teams’ category which begins today.
