Preparation for Caribbean Squash Championships right on schedule

– GSA coach

Certified level-four national squash Coach Carl Ince of the Guyana Squash Association is confident of team Guyana’s chances of capturing their 16th overall title at the CASA Caribbean Squash Championships next month.

With just over five weeks remaining for the regional tournament, Ince said that he and Robert Fernandes have worked on the squad’s physical fitness and endurance so far and the results that he continues to see from each member of the squad.

“We know that each year the competition gets tougher but this is not a problem for us because we have improved and we will be aiming towards capturing our fourth successive [overall] title this year, and that alone has motivated the team,” he said.

Ince said that the players began their preparations earlier than usual this year and he has already seen positive results.

“This year we started training for this tournament and it has been tremendously beneficial since he had more time to address all the aspects of the players game,” he said.

The GSA national coach also said that he has been able to gauge the level of play from a number of players and he is very impressed by the improvements that a few players have made in their game.
“Deje Dias and Jason-Ray Khalil have showed tremendous improvements in their game and I am confident that they will do well nest month.

“Khalil had a tough time in his first year under-15 last year but with the progress that he has made this past year, he may just be the one of the favourites for the title [U-15],” he said.

Déjà vu

“The girls continue to amaze me every practice session and I have no doubt in my mind that they will win the girls’ team title once more.

“I have no complaint with the girls team.” he said.
“Most of the girls are at the top of their game including youngsters like Victoria Arjoon and Mary Fun-A-Fat,” he added.

At the championships last year the one and two seed Keisha Jeffrey and Ashley Khalil pushed aside the regional competitors and forced an all-Guyanese U-15 final.

When asked if he thinks that it could recur this year when both girls step-up to the U-17 category Ince said, “It is definitely possible; I saw how the girls played against the older girls last year when they played in the team tournament and I don’t think it will be a problem this year.”

He also mentioned that the Jeffrey twins and Khalil will be among the favourites of the tournament to capture the U-17 title.

Ince informed Stabroek Sport that the boys’ team may have a tough time without former Caribbean champion Kristian Jeffrey who has exceeded by two months the age requirements for the competition.
He said that although this is a shortcoming for the team, he has seen some of the other players stepping up to the plate to compensate for losing Jeffrey.

“deGroot [Raphael] is looking good right now on the court and I think that he is presently playing the best that I have ever seen him play,” he said.