Former Caribbean Under19 champion Kathy Shuffler made a classy return to competitive squash on Thursday night but was defeated by current Caribbean Under19 runner up Ashley deGroot on night two of the Ansa McAl-sponsored Senior Easter Squash Tournament at the Georgetown Club Squash Facility.
The in-form deGroot played brilliant squash during the first two games keeping Shuffler on her toes. Those two games saw several exciting rallies with deGroot controlling the pace of the encounter. Her superb shot selection and rally construction helped her outplay Shuffler during the first two games which deGroot won 11/6, 11/2.
Shuffler’s remarkable competitive spirit ignited mid-way through the third game and even though she trailed 5-7 in the third game, she managed to come-from-behind and stay alive for one more game with a clutch 11/9 win in the third.
In the fourth, deGroot, who is also an acclaimed hockey player, got back to her game and while fatigue may have stepped in the equation for Shuffler, deGroot thrived as she did in the first two games and prevailed 11/3.
The youth and skills of 22-year old Nicholas Narain prevailed against veteran campaigner Allan Downes in straight games 11/8, 11/5, 12/10. Meanwhile, Ashley Khalil played her first match in the male category and managed to defeat Adam Alves 11/5, 11/5, 11/8. In her other encounter in the female category, Khalil defeated Taylor Fernandes 11/1, 11/3, 11/3. Jason Ray Khalil, Steven Xavier, Nyron Joseph and Regan Pollard also secured victories in their first round encounters on Thursday night.
Thursday Night’s results:
Nyron Joseph defeated Theron Mohabir 11/0, 11/5, 11/2
Raphael deGroot defeated Jonathon Antczak 11/4, 11/4, 11/3,
Ashley Khalil defeated Taylor Fernandes 11/1, 11/3, 11/3
Ashley deGroot defeated Kathy Shuffler 11/6, 11/2, 9/11, 11/3
Steven Xavier defeated MedhiRamdhani 11/3, 11/4, 11/8
Ben Mekdeci defeated Alec Melville 12/10, 12/10, 11/6
Nicholas Narain defeated Allan Downes 11/8, 11/5, 12/10
Regan Pollard defeated Haopei Yang 11/2, 11/4, 11/2
Jason Ray Khalil defeated Jamaal Douglas 11/1, 11/1, 11/2
Ashley Khalil defeated Adam Alves 11/5, 11/5, 11/8
