Barbados fulfilled their potential to become overall Caribbean squash champions for the first time since 2005, claiming their fourth overall title. Going into the final day of team competition at the National Squash Centre in Kingstown, St Vincent, the players knew that if either the veterans’ team or the women’s team won their finals against defending champions Trinidad and Tobago, then they would clinch their third team title in the past five championships.In the veterans’ division, Barbados took a 2-1 lead when Marlon White and Jeannette Cullen confirmed their second-place rankings in the Caribbean Over-40 age group with 3-0 victories over Trinidad’s Mark Laughlin and Diane Julien, respectively, after Leon Truss went down in the Over-60 championship.Team captain Nigel Griffith lost 1-3 to long-time rival John Holley in the men’s Over-50 match.Meanwhile on Court 2, the men were also facing a must-win Game 5 for the bronze medal. Good wins for the Cumberbatch brothers – Rhett and Gavin – had been equalised by Jamaica when Jonathan O’Dowd lost in four games, and Shawn Simpson – after doing well to go 2-0 up against Caribbean No. 2 Chris Binnie – showed the effects of a foot injury sustained earlier in the week and lost 2-3. Mark Sealy, whose win over Guyana on the first day of the team event had propelled Barbados into the semi-final, fell just short of defeating Dane Schwier in four close games, and once again Barbados had stumbled at the final hurdle, finishing the men’s team competition in fourth position.And so it was left to the Barbados women in a winner-take-all tie for the women’s team championship and the overall Caribbean championship. Individual champion Karen Meakins and bronze medallist Cheri-Ann Parris were highly favoured to win their matches, but it was Bo Harris who proceeded to seal Trinidad’s fate in the very first match.Harris was playing Nakita Poon Kong whom she had defeated in the individual competition in a seedings upset. Despite some initial nerves, she moved well around the hot court and continued her good form to win 3-0, to the obvious disappointment of the Trinidad team who now knew they faced an uphill struggle.Parris powered through 3-0 against Rhea Khan, and the entire Barbados team watched and cheered every rally as captain Meakins duly repeated her victory against Kerrie Sample to secure the championship for Barbados. With victory already assured, Lilianna White put the icing on the cake with an excellent 3-1 win against individual semi-finalist Amy Gillezeau, but in the final match, former captain Sonia Perkins lost in straight games to promising Trinidadian Joanna Scoon. Meakins is now in Germany to contest the World Over-35 Championship.Director of squash, Jonathan Gallacher, who was coaching the team, commented: “I am extremely proud of all the players who each performed magnificently. Their success is based on hard work and preparation in the last three months prior to the championships. We went there to win and we brought home the bacon.”“For me this is just the start,” he continued. “The Barbados Squash Association has worked hard to re-establish themselves as top dogs in the Caribbean and we are extremely grateful for the financial and other support given by the Barbados Olympic Association and the National Sports Council to help us achieve what we have so far this year. “The aim now is to build upon this success by finding the financial resources to build more squash courts in Barbados and introduce squash to a continuous stream of new talent.” (PR/SAT)
SQUASH RESULTS:
Summarised results from the Caribbean Squash Championships:Women’s Team:1. Barbados, 2. Trinidad and Tobago, 3. OECS, 4. Cayman IslandsBarbados beat Trinidad 4-1.Karen Meakins (BAR) def. Kerrie Sample 3-0.Cheri-Ann Parris (BAR) def. Rhea Khan 3-0.Joanna Scoon def. Sonia Perkins (BAR) 3-0.Lilianna White (BAR) def. Amy Gillezeau 3-1.Bo Harris (BAR) def. Nakita Poon Kong 3-0.Veterans Team1. Trinidad and Tobago, 2. Barbados, 3. OECS, 4. Cayman, 5. GuyanaTrinidad beat Barbados 3-2.Men’s Over-40: Marlon White (BAR) def. Mark Laughlin 3-1.Men’s Over-50: John Holley def. Nigel Griffith (BAR) 3-1.Men’s Over-60: Richard Hart def. Leon Truss (BAR) 3-0.Women’s Over-40: Jeannette Cullen (BAR) def. Diane Julien 3-0.Ladies Over-50: Lynn McLeod def. Sonia Carrington (BAR) 3-0.Veteran’s Individual PlacingsMen’s Over-40: Marlon White (2)Men’s Over-50: Nigel Griffith (3)Men’s Over-60: Leon Truss (2)Women’s Over-40: Jeannette Cullen (2)Women’s Over-50: Lynn McLeod (3)Men’s Team:1. Bermuda, 2. OECS, 3. Jamaica, 4. Barbados, 5. Trinidad and Tobago, 6. Guyana, 7. CaymanJamaica beat Barbados 3-2.Chris Binnie def. Shawn Simpson (BAR) 3-2.Gavin Cumberbatch (BAR) def. Bruce Burrowes 3-0.Dane Schwier def. Mark Sealy (BAR) 3-1.Rhett Cumberbatch (BAR) def. Joey Levy 3-0.Warren Burrowes def. Jonathan O’Dowd (BAR) 3-1.Overall1. Barbados, 2. Trinidad and Tobago, 3. OECS, 4. Cayman