Guyana’s squash players produced a dominant showing to retain their overall team title following the conclusion of the XXVIII Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Senior Championship in the Cayman Islands recently.
Guyana swept the men, women’s and veteran’s team titles to retain their overall championship although they lost out on the men and women’s singles titles.
The men’s team overcame the Cayman Islands 3-2 in the final while the women’s team bested arch-rival Barbados 3-1 in their final.
En route to the final, the women’s team whipped the Cayman Islands 5-0, The British Virgin Islands 4-0 and Trinidad and Tobago 4-0.
However it was the blockbuster showdown between Guyana and the Cayman Islands in the men’s team final that was the highlight of the tournament.
Boasting Cameron Stafford, who won the men’s singles title in their lineup and Julian Jervis, who along with Stafford had won the men’s doubles, the Cayman Islands started as favourites and it seemed all over for the Guyanese as the home team rushed into a 2-0 lead.
Stafford got the better of Alex Arjoon in straight games 6-11,4-11 and 3-11 in the first match and Jervis made it 2-0 by defeating Shomari Wiltshire 8-11, 5-11 and 8-11.
However the Guyanese roared back to win the next three matches and the tie 3-2.
Jason Ray Khalil defeated Jake Kelly 11-13, 11-9, 11-7 and 11-3, Daniel Ince defeated Jace Jervis 16-14, 11-6 and 11-4 and Samuel Ince-Carvahal defeated Alex Frazer 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.
The men’s team also defeated Trinidad and Tobago and The Bahamas by 3-0 margins.
The Guyanese also prevailed in the women’s doubles with the combination of Ashley Khalil and her namesake Ashley DeGroot copping gold.
After drawing a bye in the first round, the pair defeated Karen Meakins and Margot Prow 11-5, 5-11, 11-7.
They then defeated Jade Pitcarin and Marlene West 4-11, 11-5, 11-9 in the final.
The Guyanese also copped a silver medal in the mixed doubles via Nicolette Fernandes and Jason-Ray Khalil who defeated Darien Benn and Jada Smith-Padmore before losing in the final to Tahjia Lumley and Jessica Davis by a walkover.
Daniel Ince and Jason Ray-Khalil placed joint third in the men’s doubles after they lost in straight games 9-11, 10-12 to top seeds and eventual champions Jervis and Stafford.
In the individual section, Fernandes clinched silver in the women’s singles section losing to Margot Prow 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 7-11 in the final.
Fernandes reached the final by defeating fellow Guyanese Mary Fung-A-Fat 12-10, 11-1, 12-10 while Prow defeated another Guyanese and defending women’s singles champion Ashley Khalil 12-10, 11-5, 11-3.
Khalil secured the bronze with an 11-7, 4-11 3-11, 9-11 defeat of Fung-A-fat.
In the men’s singles, Guyana’s Alex Arjoon ended fourth after he lost to Jervis 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8 in the third place playoff.
Guyana’s Shomari Wiltshire lost to Cameron Stafford 4-11, 8-11, and 6-11 in the quarterfinals.
Arjoon reached the men’s singles semifinal before bowing out again to Stafford 3-11, 7-11 and 4-11. Guyana’s Samuel Ince-Carvahal lost in the first round while Daniel Ince and Jason Ray Khalil both lost in the round of 16 of the men’s singles.
Ince-Carvahal lost to Darien Benn 7-11, 4-11, 10-12 while Ince defeated Armin De Weerdt 11-4, 11-5 and 11-3 before losing to Adam Murrils 9-11, 6-11 and 6-11.
Jason Ray Khalil defeated Dane Schwier 14-12, 8-11, 10-12 and 6-11 but lost to Micah Franklin 4-11, 5-11 and 9-11.
