Guyana into Boys and Girls finals

THE Guyana Boys and Girls teams both made it into their respective team finals at the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships after both securing 3-2 victories yesterday when the competition continued in Hamilton, Bermuda. The Guyanese Boys, led by Nyron Joseph and Jean-Claude Jeffrey, will play against Jamaica’s Boys team today, after defeating the Barbados Boys team in yesterday’s semi-finals, while Guyana’s Girls will go head-to-head against the Trinidad and Tobago Girls team.
The Girls team blazed their way into the final with a win over the Jamaican team. Wins from Mia Mahfood and five-time Caribbean champion Alyssa Mullings were not enough for the Jamaicans to overcome Guyana, as wins from Rebecca Low, Victoria Arjoon and Akeila Wiltshire grounded Guyana’s victory.
Arjoon had an easy 3-0 win against Ashley Lynch defeating her 11-4, 11-6, 11-3, in the team’s opening match. Reigning national Girls’ Under-19 champion Wiltshire had a much more difficult time disposing of Mary Jo Mahfood, with whom she had clashed earlier this week in the Girls’ Under-19 semi-finals of the individual event. Despite an earlier 3-0 win against Mahfood in the individual event, Wiltshire was made to work arduously this time around as Mahfood led her to a tough five-set battle.
Taking the first two sets 11-7, 11-5, Wiltshire must have thought of winning another straight set but Mahfood had other plans. Mahfood, in a come-from-behind upset took the next two sets 11-7, 11-8 sending the game to that decisive fifth set. However, Wiltshire showed that she was not done yet and it was an easy 11-3 set that cemented Wiltshire’s triumph.
In other matches it was Guyana’s Taylor Fernandes who had the misfortune of coming up against Mullings, after she replaced Guyana’s Larissa Wiltshire who was out due to injury. Mullings, fresh off her 2014 Girls’ Under-17 champion, was not about to jeopardize her title and collected a straight set 11-9, 11-2, 11-8 win from Fernandes.
Also feeling the sting of a loss was Makeda Harding, who put up a good fight but went down 11-2, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 2-11 against Girls’ Under-13 finalist Mia Mahfood.
With the score even at two, it came down to the match-up between Rebecca Low and Sarah Conway. Representing Guyana, Low had defeated Conway earlier this week when the two faced off in a Girls’ Under-15 quarter-final match in which Low had prevailed then, and Low again yesterday finished off Conway 11-5, 11-4, 8-11, 13-11.
First on court were the Under-19 No 2 strings and Nyron Joseph easily took care of Dean Straker winning 11-4, 12-10, 11-6.
The match of the day was then to follow. Benjamin Mekdeci was matched against Benjamin Griffith. Mekdeci won the first game fairly comfortably 11-6 but then dropped a close second game 8-11. Mekdeci won the third game 11-7 but the heat of the court was taking its toll and when he lost another close fourth game 8-11 it seemed as if Mekdeci was in a lot of trouble.
He seemed to re-focus in the fifth game but the game moved back and forth with one player taking the lead then the other coming back. Benjamin Griffith was the first to reach match ball at 10-9 but Ben Mekdeci was giving his all. He saved this match ball and Griffith had several other match balls but all were saved by Mekdeci. Ben Mekdeci finally got a match ball of his own 14-13 but could not convert it. He then also had several match balls but finally he was then able to win the game 17-15 and the match three games to two.
It was then left up the Jean-Claude Jeffrey to secure victory for Guyana. Jeffrey, who was unable to play in the individual Under-19 event because of school commitments in Canada, had only arrived in Bermuda yesterday midday and had gone straight on to the court to win his match against Nku Patrick of Trinidad & Tobago in the final group game.
Today he was matched up against Stewart St John. He easily won the first game 11-3 and then won the second game 11-7 but the heat of the court was taking its toll but Jean-Claude still managed to take the third game 12-10. This meant that the Guyana Boys Team had secured their place in the final as they had secured the first three matches in the tie.
Shomari Wiltshire then took to the court against two-time Under-13 Champion Khamal Cumberbatch. He had lost in the semi-finals of the individuals to Khamal three games to love but today Shomari won the first game 11-6. Khamal took the second game by a similar 11-6 score. The third game proved to be the crucial game.
Shomari served for the game at 11-10 but Khamal held his nerve and won the next three points to take the game 13-11. The fourth game was also close throughout but Khamal finally won it 11-8 to win the match three games to one.
Alex Cheeks was next up against Under-15 Champion Shemane Griffith and was no match, losing in straight games 5-11, 2-11, 3-11.
The Girls final will take place at 09:00hrs tomorrow when Guyana will come up against Trinidad & Tobago and at 12:00hrs the Boys team will clash with Jamaica in the final.