2009 Junior CASA Championships …
LOCAL squash players rebounded well on day three of the 2009 Junior CASA Championships in Barbados to secure two titles in the individual championships.
According to team manager Robert Fernandes, Victoria Arjoon took her third Caribbean title in as many years when she completely outclassed Jessica Perkins of Jamaica in straight games, winning 11-6, 11-3, 11-7 in the Girls’ U-15 final, while Keisha Jeffrey won the Girls’ U-17 title being even more dominant in her 11-6, 11-4, 11-1 demolition of teammate Ashley Khalil.
Fernandes said Jeffrey displayed excellent court movement, getting to the ball early and hitting with express pace which took Khalil out of her comfort zone and kept her on the defensive.
She (Keisha) was fast onto the ball and put it away with clinical efficiency, on her way to a surprisingly easy victory.
The Guyanese also took home two plate titles through Gabrielle Fraser and Jason Ray Khalil. But it was in the third place playoffs that the team really stepped up, winning six out of the seven that they featured in.
Attention now moves to the Team championships where Guyana has been seeded #1 in both the Boys and Girls, by virtue of being defending champions in both categories.
The boys have been drawn in pool `A’ with the OECS and the Cayman Islands while the Girls are in pool `C’ with Jamaica and Barbados.
The Boys were to have played the Cayman Islands yesterday and the Girls were to do battle with the hosts last evening.
In other results from Monday’s matches that featured Guyanese players, Gabrielle Fraser (GUY) defeated her compatriot Larissa Wiltshire 11-3, 11-5, 11-3; Taylor Fernandes (GUY) lost to Brittney Wall (BER) 10-12, 10-12, 11-6, 8-11 and Alysa Xavier (GUY) lost to Lauren Mahfood (JAM) 4-11, 8-11, 6-11. All matches were in the Plate semi-final.
In the Plate final, Gabrielle Fraser (GUY) defeated Wall (BER) 11-6, 11-6, 10-12, 12-10 to take the Girls’ U-13 age group, Steven Xavier (GUY) lost to Matthew Mudeen (CAY) 3-11, 11-8, 8-11, 9-11 in the Boys’ U-15 category and Jason Ray Khalil (GUY) defeated Ryan Bayne (T&T) 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 in the Boys’ U-17 category.
In the third place play off, Akeila Wiltshire (GUY) defeated Alyssa Mullings (JAM) 8-11, 5-11, 6-11 in the U-13 age group; Kayla Jeffrey (GUY) defeated Mary Fung-A-Fat (GUY) 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 11-3 in the U-15 category and Daina King (GUY) lost to Amy Gillezeau (T&T) 7-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7 in the U-19 age group.
In the Boys’ third place play-off, Nyron Joseph (GUY) defeated Kion Knights (BER) 11-0, 11-6, 11-0 in the U-13 age group; Jean-Claude Jeffrey (GUY) defeated D’Vario Thompson (BER) 9-1, 11-5, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9 in the U-15 category; Alexander Arjoon (GUY) received a walkover from Kale Wilson (T&T) in the U-17 age group and Raphael deGroot (GUY) defeated Kevin Ross (T&T) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5 in the U-19 category.
