NICOLETTE Fernandes captured her fourth title and Chris Binne was crowned champion for the third time when the individual events of the CASA (Caribbean Area Squash Association) Championships concluded Tuesday night at Cascadia Squash Club, St Ann’s. Fernandes, ranked in the top 30 in the world until an injury set her back about two years ago, turned in a scintillating display to convincingly beat Karen Meakins 12-10, 11-2, 11-1 to retain her title.
In fact, the Guyanese has beaten the Briton who has being residing in and representing Barbados for about a decade for all four of her titles.
After losing to Jamaican Marlene West in back-to-back finals in 2001 and ’03, Fernandes was triumphant in ’05 and again four years later when the tournament became an annual affair.
Meakins has now been in the title match six times in a row and her only title came in 2010 when Fernandes did not compete.
Kerrie Sample, the Briton of local parentage who won the Caribbean Under-19 title for T&T the year before, lost that final to Meakins and ended up third on this occasion after losing to Fernandes in the semi-finals.
Binnie has not been quite as dominant as queen Fernandes, but the Jamaican was involved in his fourth straight final and came away with the title for the third time by beating ’09 Caribbean Under-19 champ Cameron Stafford of the Cayman Islands 11-7, 11-6, 11-4.
After upsetting T&T Colin Ramasra for his first title in ’09, the Jamaican lost to then 40-year-old Richard Chin in the final the following year, before gaining revenge over the Guyanese for last year’s crown.
Chin was upset in the quarterfinals by Stafford this time, but he ended up fifth after beating three-time national champ Josh Pinard, who was competing in this tournament for the first time in four years.
Micah Franklin, the Caribbean Under-17 champ two years ago, defeated five-time Barbados national champ Sean Simpson 12-10, 7-11, 11-2, 11-8 for third place.
Garvin Cumberbatch, the ’07 champ, rounded out the top eight as the Barbadian finished just behind Guyanese Julian Chin.
Cheri-Ann Parris defaulted the third-place playoff to Sample with the virus, while Ashley Khalil, Caribbean Under-19 champ Mary Fung-A-Fat, — the conqueror of 17-time national champ Rhea Khan — Victoria Arjoon, all from Guyana,  were fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively, and Barbadian Nadia McCarthy rounded out the top eight.
The team events are being contested until tomorrow.  (Trinidad Express)