Guyanese girls advance to semis

After a few nervous performances, the Guyanese girls came through to put away Jamaica 4-1 in their final group match at the 2009 Junior CASA Championships in Barbados.

Guyana will now oppose group D runners-up Bermuda in the semifinal today at 1 pm. The other semifinal match-up will feature group D winners, Trinidad and Tobago against Jamaica.

Due to illness, Mary Fung-A-Fat was unable to make her first appearance in the team competition but Kayla Jeffrey stepped back in to register an emphatic 3-0 win over Justine Anderson in the girls under-19 No.2 position.

Ashley Khalil started well in the under-17 match-up against Lauren Mahfood but a number of unforced errors allowed her opponent into the game.

Mahfood made a match of it by retrieving well and forcing Khalil to hit the extra shot, but in the end Khalil’s superior quality saw her through 3-1.

Caribbean under-17 champion Keisha Jeffrey then seemed out of sorts against a rejuvenated Brooke Burrowes in the under-19 No. 1 match. Jeffrey won the first easily but Burrowes’ retrieving coupled with Jeffrey’s unforced errors saw the Jamaican take a 2-1 lead in no time.

Jeffrey refocused well in the fourth but Burrowes seemed to have the upper hand in the fifth and even led 9-6 at one point before the young champion took back the serve and eventually ended the match 11/9.

With the win already secure Gabrielle Fraser stepped onto the court against under-13 champion Mary Jo Mahfood but while she tried valiantly the young Guyanese was just out of her league against the hard hitting Jamaican.

Victoria Arjoon then sealed the deal with a clinical display against under-15 individual finalist Jessica Perkins.
The boy’s team will have a tough assignment against the OECS, and will have to play well if they hope to come out on top of their group.

The boy’s team semifinals are scheduled for today at 5:30pm and although Guyana, OECS, Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago have already secured places, the final match-ups will be known after this evening’s results.
Results from Thursday July 16, 2009;
Morning Session
Girls Group C
Guyana defeated Jamaica 4-1
GU19#2 – Kayla Jeffrey defeated Justine Anderson 11/1 11/1 11/0
GU17 – Ashley Khalil defeated Lauren Mahfood 11/7 4/11 11/8 11/8
GU19#1 – Keisha Jeffrey defeated Brooke Burrowes 11/6 8/11 5/11 11/3 11/9
GU13 – Gabrielle Fraser lost to Mary Jo Mahfood 2/11 3/11 2/11
GU15 – Victoria Arjoon defeated Jessica Perkins 11/5 11/1 11/4