After another successful year where they completely dominated the Junior Caribbean Championships by winning three individual titles as well as the Boys, Girls and Overall Team titles, the Guyana Squash Racquets Association (GSRA) has selected the national junior squash team which will once again match their skills against the best of the Pan American region.
Last year Guyana made their first appearance at the Pan American championships in Jamaica where they performed exceedingly well, with the girls team of three fourteen-year-olds in Ashley Khalil and twins Keisha and Kayla Jeffrey placing third in the under-19 event.
Khalil and Keisha Jeffrey also stunned regional power house Colombia on there way to a silver medal in the girl’s doubles competition. This year’s team for the tournament which is scheduled for Lima, Peru from the 20th-25th October features six of the seven players who had competed in last year’s championships as well as current Caribbean under-15 champion Mary Fung-A-Fat.
The team is currently undergoing intense preparation under the supervision of national coach Carl Ince who will not be able to travel to Peru for the tournament, but world renowned squash player Nicolette Fernandes who recently won the South American championships in Paraguay will deputize as the coach in the absence of Ince.
The GSA has had a challenging year raising funds to help offset the cost of sending a junior team to Bermuda, as well as hosting the Southern Caribbean Championships, but it has approached several different organizations in the hope of receiving financial support to make the trip to Peru.
Players selected are: Alexander Arjoon, Raphael De Groot and Deje Dias (Boys) and Ashley Khalil, Mary Fung-A-Fat, Keisha and Kayla Jeffrey (Girls).
