THE Guyana Squash Association (GSA), in collaboration with Bounty Farm and its number one corporate sponsor Digicel, served off the Bounty Farm Mash Handicap Tournament last Tuesday night at the Georgetown Club’s Squash Facility.

The tournament, which is one of the largest squash tournaments each year, has attracted some 40 competitors this time around, including newly elected president of the GSA, David Fernandes.
For this format, players are ranked by their skills level and the stronger players are given negative points or handicaps while the relatively weaker players have point advantages for the 15-point games in the two best-of-three format.
On the first night, 11 matches were played and some of the country’s top players such as Ashley deGroot, Mary Fung-A-Fat and Benjamin Mekdeci secured wins in spite of their handicaps. Mekdeci overcame Lydia Fraser in straight games 16-14, 15-13 even though she possessed an 11-point head start.
Two of Guyana’s player who competed at the Women’s World Squash Open last December, deGroot and Mary Fung-A-Fat, stopped their respective opponents who both possessed +10 advantages.
deGroot (0) defeated Pablio Mundini 15-13, 15-8, while Fung-A-Fat (-2) the reigning Caribbean Under-19 champion, dispatched Dwayne Yan (+10) 15-13, 5-15, 15-11.  Lloyd Fung-A-Fat (+6) also made his way into the second round after eliminating Avinash Odit (+7) 15-13, 15-12, in an evenly matched and keenly contested encounter.
GSA president Fernandes (+10), who was the 2010 runner-up at this tournament defeated Lee Fung-A-Fat (9-15, 15-12, 13-15).
The tournament, which concludes this Sunday, continued last night with more matches in the main draw as well as the Plate round for the players who were unsuccessful in their first round encounters.
Tuesday’s results are: Mary Fung-A-Fat defeated (+10) Dwayne Yan 15-13, 5-15, 15-11, Jonathon Antczak(+6) defeated (+5)  Mehdi Ramdhani 15-11, 15-9, Benjamin Meckdeci (0) defeated (+11) Lydia Fraser 16-14, 15-13, Joven Benn defeated (+8) Alysa Xavier (2-15, 16-14, 15-13), Nicholas Narain defeated (+12) Mahendra Khusial 16-14, 15-13.
Ingram Edwards(+4) defeated by (+12) Kiev Chesney 15-13, 15-13, Antonio Joseph (+12) defeated (+6) Alec Mellville11-15, 15-13, 13-15, Lloyd Fung-A-Fat (+6) defeated (+7) Avinash Odit 15-13, 15-12, Taylor Fernandes (+9) Hapoei Yang (+10) 15-13, 15-9, David Fernandes (+10) defeated (+8) Lee Fung-A-Fat (9-15, 15-12, 13-15) and Ashley deGroot (0) defeated (+7) Pablio  Munduni 15-13, 15-8