Twelve-year-old Combermere student Shae Martin and Garrison Secondary School first former Jordan Ollivierre brought glory to Barbados yesterday by earning gold in the junior boys’ doubles of the CAREBACO 2011 Badminton tournament at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
Both Martin and Ollivierre played unbeaten, winning four of four to bring cheer on a day when most of Barbados’ top players toppled out of their various competitions.
The dynamic junior duo garnered 172 points while dropping just 91 with Puerto Rico’s Osvaldo Santana and Abimael Velez scoring 168 to 107 in winning three of their four games.
Martin will be going after a second gold for Barbados when he plays in the individual finals this evening against Joshua Soler of Puerto Rico. Soler beat Bajan Dominic Howard 22-20, 21-17.
Unfortunately, Martin had to roll over his doubles partner Ollivierre, beating him in a gruelling three setter, 20-22, 21-14, 21-15.
The juniors’ results brightened a bleak day when top seed Shari Watson was hobbled by an injury to her right quad which saw her fighting valiantly but still losing her women’s individual quarter-finals battle to Daynesha Santana of Puerto Rico 13-21, 21-15, 9-21.
Last night Watson was hoping for better fitness and fortune as she and Mariama Eastmond were to meet Santana and Genesis Valentin in a double semi-finals.
Barbados’ greatest hope in the seniors resided with local No.2 seed Sabrina Scott.
Scott reached the individual semis by edging past Priscille Tjitrodipo of Suriname 21-19, 15-21, 21-19. Scott was to meet Brazilians Luana Vicente.
Scott, in tandem with Tamisha Williams, was also booked in the women’s doubles semis against Vicente and her sister Lohaynny.
Barbados’ last senior male hope of earning a medal was in the doubles after Andre Padmore and Kevin Wood reached last night’s semi-finals by stopping fellow Bajans, Andrew Clarke and Greg Padmore 21-12, 21-12.
Padmore and Wood were to meet Suriname’s Virgil Soeroredjo and Mitchell Wongssodikromo.