Competitive Squash highlights 3rd day action

By Sean Devers
COMPETITIVE Squash highlighted the penultimate day of the Guyana Squash Association’s (GCA) Senior National Squash Championships at the Georgetown Club on Wednesday night.

The Championships, which is set to conclude tonight, saw six matches completed on an entertaining night.

The largest gathering of the Championships so far which included Guyana’s most acclaimed female Squash player Nicolette Fernandes, saw a repeat of the Senior CASA semi-finals in Jamaica earlier this year as Taylor Fernandes got the better of Ashley DeGroot 3-1 in a fiercely contested encounter which ended 11-5, 13-11, 8-11, 11-8.

Caribbean Singles Champion, Ashley Khalil beat Larrissa Wiltshire in three games – 11-4, 11-2, 11-6 – after defeating her sister Alika in the other semi-final at CASA.

An exhausted Regan Pollard beat Louis DaSilva 3-2 in a gruelling battle; 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 while in the other men’s matches Jason Van Dijk beat Jonathon Antczak 11-7, 11-5, 4-11,9-11, 11-8, Alex Arjoon defeated Samuel Ince-Carvalhal and Jason-Ray Khalil got the better of Daniel Ince 11-7, 11-6, 6-11, 14-12.

Ashley easily won the first two games before getting off to a 5-love leading in the third game.

However, Larissa scored four consecutive points and at 5-4 it seemed Larissa would take the match into a fourth game but Ashley eventually took the game 11-6 and the match 3-0.

In one of the most entertaining matches of the evening, the left-handed pair of Arjoon and Ince- Carvalhal matched each other shot for shot. Highlighted by long rallies and good cross-court shots, it was Alex who took the opening game 11-9

A 20-shot rally ended with Samuel taking the point as both players executed some powerful forehand shots and demonstrated good use of the court.

Samuel, coached by Nicolette, tried to target Alex’s forehand but lacked consistency and made some unforced errors.