The Guyana Squash Association (GSA), like many of its sister sports associations, was hamstrung by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which limited on-court action.
However, the David Fernandes-led body received some respite before the pandemic forced countrywide lockdowns.
The highlight of the year was perhaps the staging of BCQS International Guyana Masters tournament in January where regional Masters players competed in over 35, over 45, over 55, and over 65 categories.
There were entries from Jamaica, Barbados, and the British Virgin Islands. Guyana was represented by the likes of former junior Caribbean champion, Reagan Pollard, along with Denis Dias, Tony Farnum, and Joe Mekdeci.
Dias, Narendra Singh, and Lydia Fraser eventually captured gold at the conclusion of the event.
Luckily, the association was also able to stage the 2020 edition of the Bounty Farm Limited Handicap tournament in February 2020 which was won by 12-year-old Louis Da Silva.
Da Silva played a stellar hand to secure the coveted Open category title by defeating the equally talented, Mohryan Baksh, 15-1, 15-10 in a final, which featured two of the youngest finalist ever in the history of the tournament.
Meanwhile, in the Category ‘A’ final, Lajuan Munroe defeated Rayad Boyce 2-0 to join Da Silva as the lone local 2020 title winners.
On a hugely disappointing note, Guyana’s anticipated participation in the 2020 Pan Am junior squash championships in El Salvador was quashed due to the pandemic. It was a great opportunity lost since the association was aiming to expose Shomari Wiltshire, Michael Alphonso, Nicholas Verwey, and a few others to topflight squash outside of their comfort zones.
“We want to send a boys’ junior team to the Pan Am junior championships in El Salvador, which will be another important tournament for us,” Fernandes had told Stabroek Sport in January 2020.
Guyana was also unable to attend last year’s junior and senior CASA tournaments which were postponed out of caution for players’ health. Guyana was keen to reclaim team glory in the junior category.
However, the year wasn’t all doom and gloom for junior Caribbean squash champion Wiltshire, who, in October, was granted a partial athletic scholarship to attend a boarding school in the United States of America.
The 17-year-old will spend the next two years at the Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut – an institution that boasts a rigorous squash programme and a notable academic agenda.
Wiltshire, who is the reigning Caribbean under-17 champion, attended the Queen’s College Secondary here and recently wrote the Caribbean Secondary School Examinations (CSEC).
