GUYANESE players opened their fight at the 2014 Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Championships with a number of wins, led by Makeda Harding, when the individual division of the competition started in Hamilton, Bermuda last Sunday.

Guyana had six wins and three losses on the opening day, leading largely in the younger categories with Harding, Shomari Wiltshire, and Daniel Islam triumphing in the Under-13 category.
Playing on the Girls’ side, Harding captured Guyana’s first win of the day when she took on Bermuda’s Casey Morris and blanked her 3-0.
Wiltshire secured Guyana’s second win, taking out Morris’ compatriot Mathew Elliot in an effortless 11-3, 11-2, 11-2. The torch was next picked up by Islam, who achieved an 11-6, 11-1, 11-5 victory against Bermuda’s Ethan Furbert.
However, Guyana’s Anthony Islam was not so fortunate in the Boys’ Under-13. Pitted against the defending champion in his first round match, Anthony found himself largely outmatched, but gave a good account of himself as he went down 4-11, 4-11, 4-11 against Barbados’ Khamal Cumberbatch.
Guyana’s other three wins were captured by Alex Cheeks in the Boys’ Under-15 category, Taylor Fernandes and Ben Mekdeci.
Cheeks was confident as he took on Bermuda’s Sam Morris in his Boys’ Under-15 match and it showed as he easily won 11-0, 11-3, 11-0.
Fernandes, playing in the Girls’ Under-17 category, had an easy time as she demolished Cayman Island’s Mischa Kluyver 11-4, 11-1, 11-0, while Mekdeci was just as clinical in his Boys’ Under-17 matchup against Zachary Proverbs-Harris winning 11-4, 11-1, 11-1.
Meanwhile, losses were also recorded by Guyana’s Sarah Lewis, and Alec Melville.
Playing Guyana’s last match of the day, Melville played the match of his life in a losing cause, going down to Bermuda’s Dylan Muldoon 11-8, 10-12, 10-12, 10-12. Lewis lost 7-11, 1-11, 4-11 in the Girls’ Under-17 against Bermuda’s Olivia Lindsey.
Matches in the competition continued yesterday with the commencement of the quarterfinals and semifinal rounds of the individual category.
Boys’ Under-17 champion Nyron Joseph was scheduled to debut in the Boys’ Under-19 category with a match against Cayman Island’s Daniel Murphy, while in other matches Larissa Wiltshire will clash with Bermuda’s Tye Williams in the Girls’ Under-17 category, Victoria Arjoon will challenge Emma Keane and Gabriel Fraser will face Charlotte Knaggs.