The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) on Thursday last named their squad to participate in the 2019 Junior Caribbean squash tournament to be contested in Trinidad and Tobago from July 13.
The team, as expected, features the immensely talented Shomari Wiltshire who is gunning back to back gold in the boys under – 17 category and Michael Alphonso, who like Wiltshire, won gold in the 2018 edition of the tournament in Jamaica.
Alphonso a year ago played in the under 13 category; he has now graduated to the under -15s. The stirring Nicholas Verwey was also included; his development will be tested as he competes in the boys under – 15 category.
The squad also features the likes of Abosaide Cadogan who won silver in Jamaica. The multitalented duo in Madison Fernandes and Makeda Harding who had both taken a hiatus from squash to focus on hockey, are also in the mix.
Their inclusion will bolster Guyana’s chances to capture the overall team title – an honour they held for 12 years until they were dethroned by Barbados at home in 2016.
Here’s a brief profile of the juniors:
Guyana Junior Casa Bios 2019
Boys
BU11
GRANT FERNANDES
Grant is competing in his first Junior CASA this year. The 10 year old started playing squash 2 years ago and is just excited to be in Trinidad competing. This young dynamo loves to be on court and is looking forward to making some new friends.
MOHRYAN BAKSH
It’s been a good year for Mohryan who won the under 13 National title. He has been playing squash for almost 6 years and he has racked up some valuable experience in 3 CASA’s. He is hopeful the 4th will see him bring the U13 title home. Mohryan’s discipline and dedication have paid off as is evident in his improvement.
LOUIS DASILVA
This will be Louis’s 3rd CASA and after winning the plate in both Guyana and Jamaica he has great expectations for this year. He took time out for study earlier in the year but he has been training every day to make up for it. His calm demeanor is an asset on court. Squash is Louis’s favourite sport.
JOSHUA VERWEY
11 year old Josh has been playing squash for 2 and half years. He is very excited to be playing in his first CASA and looks forward to playing other boys in his age category from different countries. His enthusiasm comes from observing the competitors at last Junior CASA in Jamaica where he supported and cheered his older brother and other Guyanese friends.
B15
SHILOH ASREGADO
With two CASA’s to pull from, youngster Shiloh has been busy preparing for his third and is hoping to make his mark in his move up to Under 13;s.
MICHAEL ALPHONSO
The reigning U13 champ has been working really hard going into his 4th CASA. Mikey won the U15 Nationals and placed 2nd in the U17 and U19. His goal is to help Guyana regain the overall team title. This talented young athlete is a strong player who has a broad repertoire of shots under his belt and speed to match up to any of his peers.
NICHOLAS VERWEY
Nick has been playing squash for the last 2 and half years. This year being his second CASA experience, he is delighted to be representing Guyana. Last year Nicholas placed fifth in the Boys U13 category. This year he is looking forward to competing against some of the old faces and match up with the new faces in the U15 category. Much improved this year he is playing great squash.
QUINN LILICO
BU17
This is Quinn’s 4th CASA and he looks forward every year to coming from the UK to represent Guyana. He has achieved great successes with his local team this year
SHOMARI WILTSHIRE
The long time champ has been developing each part of his game this year and continues to progress at a rapid pace; playing intelligent squash. Shomari won the nationals U17 and U19 titles and was honoured with the award of Guyana’s 2018 junior sportsman of the year by the National Sports Commission. His quiet confidence is well placed as his consistent training makes him a formidable opponent.
SAMUEL INCE-CARVALHAL
Samuel has improved significantly this year in both his game and coaching. A minor injury halted his Nationals bid, but his dedicated training and increased strength has pushed him up a level and will help him compete against his peers as he moves up to U17. This will be his 5th CASA and he has put in the work to hopefully make it a successful one.
BU19
GIANNI CARPENTER
Gianni has spent some time away from squash while he focused on Motor racing but has since come back full force and worked hard to improve his game. The left hander is looking forward to being part of the team this year and will be giving 100%.
DANIEL ISLAM
After a move to the US and a shift in focus to his studies, Daniel is pleased to be back in the fold leading his team in the U19 division in Trinidad. He has kept in touch with Coach Ince to ensure he followed the right training plan leading up to CASA. Always a great talent and a joy to watch, his first time in U19 will be an exciting time for Daniel.
Girls
GU11
TIANNA GOMES
The youngest member of the squad, 8 year old Tianna is a newcomer to squash and will be competing in the U11 category. She is hoping to gain valuable experience in her 1st
CASA. Tianna is an enthusiastic lively character both on and off the court and she is so excited to be taking part this year.
GU13
CHRISTIANA FERNANDES
Christy is competing for the third time in the U11 at Junior CASA. She has been working really hard each week to prepare for the competition in which she will try her best to be victorious in. Fast on and off the court, her racket skills are becoming more mature and she will be putting all her efforts into her matches.
GU15
BEAU FERNANDES
Beau is competing in her 2nd Junior CASA after finishing 2nd in the U11 division in 2017 and skipping 2018. The powerful 12 year old is keen to get back into competition this year. Such a happy and positive young lady, she is a real asset to the team.
SAFIRAH SUMNER
Relatively new to squash, this is Safirah’s first CASA. Spending a lot of her time focusing on exams this year Safirah has now dedicated herself to doubling up her efforts to participate in Junior CASA and to give a good account of herself. Hoping to gain some valuable experience this year, this athletic player will be moving up the ranks very quickly.
KIRSTEN GOMES
This will be the 5th CASA for the Under 15 National Champ, who came 3rd in U15 at Junior CASA last year. She is looking forward to competing this year and is feeling confident her team has a shot at bringing home the title. Kirsten has shown great improvement in her fitness and game after working very hard and will be a powerful force to be reckoned with in her last year in the U15 category.
ABOSAIDE CADOGAN
After coming over from badminton just over four years ago Abosaide quickly picked up the game of squash . A swift climber, her athleticism and strong will has moved her into achieving great successes. Under 17 and 19 National Champ this year her goal is to better last year’s 2nd place finish, earn her first CASA title and help the team reach the top.
MADISON FERNANDES
Madison has competed in four Junior CASA tournaments and she placed 4th in the under 15 category last year. She took a break from squash for a couple of months to concentrate on her hockey but is back hoping to do even better in her first year in the U17. Madison loves fitness training which will be of great help to her on court.
MAKEDA HARDING
Makeda started playing squash in 2011 and represented Guyana from 2013-2017. She took a break from squash last year and focused her energy on Hockey but has recently resumed squash training and hopes to perform to the best of her ability as she enters the U19 category. A strong player with good experience Makeda is looking forward to the challenges of her new category and achieving good results.
CARL INCE (COACH)
Coach Ince continues to motivate and train his students in an innovative and fluid way and continues to produce Caribbean champions. The successes he has been a part of are numerous and his hope of recapturing the Caribbean title this year is stronger than ever. Recognised for his outstanding contribution to Squash many times over, he is an icon in Caribbean Squash.
NYRON JOSEPH (ASST COACH)
A fully fledged coach; Nyron continues to learn from Coach Ince while mixing his own experiences into his own unique style of coaching, A significant factor in this year’s squad training regime, Nyron hopes to see his students show great improvement and play to their full potential.
DEJE DIAS (ASST COACH)
Deje has been working closely with the squad over the past few months and is a real motivation to the youngsters. His experience as a junior player provides great stories for his students and working in collaboration with head coach and fellow assistant coach, he feels the team is a strong unit ready for the competition.
GARFIELD WILTSHIRE (MANAGER)
A decade manager of the Guyana Team, Garfield has been a part of many successes. Honoured with the National Award; The Golden Arrow of Achievement this year, his long standing contribution to the sporting world was deservedly recognised. The manager is hoping to see the team regain their Team titles and add a few more individual titles to their achievements this year.
DAVID FERNANDES (PRESIDENT OF THE GUYANA SQUASH ASSOCAITION)
Long serving President David has been involved in squash for a long time and has had the pleasure of seeing many family members enjoy successes in the game. Passionate about sport for youths, he is a motivator and mentor to every team member. David looks forward to an exciting CASA this year.
