Meakins takes regional title

THE THIRD TIME is usually the charm.Karen Meakins didn’t mind waiting for a fourth.It’s been a while coming but Barbados’ squash queen finally got over the hump, winning her first ever Caribbean singles title after beating Trinidadian Kerrie Sample 11-6, 11-2, 11-8 in the final at the National Squash Centre in St Vincent on Tuesday.It was Meakins’ fourth successive finals appearance and the country’s first women’s singles gold at this level, following three straight heartbreaks for Meakins at the final hurdle.The title now serves as the cap to an illustrious career that has seen the Barbados No.1 win ten national titles and a silver medal at the just concluded Central American and Caribbean Games.But unlike at the CAC Championships, and her previous finals appearance, Meakins wasn’t settling for second place, eagerly attacking the ball from the start to dictate the game’s initial pace.However, this tactic also caused some unforced errors before Meakins steadied her nerves and took a commanding two-game lead.The third was closer, as neither player seemed willing to relinquish the game, but Meakins eventually closed out the match in just 22 minutes.The Barbados captain will now lead her team into the four-day team competition against a Trinidad team hoping to retain their title. The ladies, men’s and veterans teams of Barbados are also in contention to win, with the overall team competition being the ultimate prize.Earlier in the day, Cheri-Ann Parris overcame a stunning first-game loss and a 6-2 deficit in the second before beating in-form Trinidadian Amy Gillezeau 5-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-2 for third place.Barbados’ men’s No.1 Shawn Simpson had not recovered from his exertions in the last two days and he succumbed to the fluid play of Bermudan No.1 Patrick Foster in three straight games 6-11, 2-11, 5-11 for the third-place game.The ladies plate threw up some interesting battles among the Barbadian contingent, as Bo Harris pushed Lilianna White harder than many would have expected, before losing 5-11, 9-11, 11-4, 4-11.  White then reserved her best for the plate final, defeating Rhea Khan of Trinidad in a nail-biting five-game thriller, 11-5, 12-10, 6-11, 12-14, 11-6. (JM/PR)