Simpson, Arjoon win semis in Men’s 30-44 age group

By Sean Devers
WATCHED by a large and raucous gathering with Reggie songs being played by Ras Camo’s Steel Pans, the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic at the Georgetown Club for the semi-finals of the BCQS Masters Squash Championships on Friday night.

The semi-finals in the Men’s 30-44 age group were the most entertaining matches on the penultimate night as former national champion Alex Arjoon beat Daniel Ince in a fierce battle while the multi-talented Barbadian, Shawn Simpson defeated Pan Am Gold Medalist and over 35 World Masters Champion, Nicolette Fenanades.

Fernandes, Guyana’s most accomplished female squash player, has been competing in several local men’s tournaments, even winning both the Men’s and Women’s titles in 2010.

The 2023 National Sports Woman of the year was very competitive against one of the top Caribbean male players who participated at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Fernandes took the match into a fourth game by winning game two, 19-17.

In what was the match of the night, Fenanades, who will be 40 this year, showed the type of fitness levels and court speed usually seen in females half her age, to push Simpson (at 6ft, 6 inches, the tallest player in the PSA) hard in a game of high intensity squash.

Fernandes, who also plays competitive hockey, took a five-point lead (6-1) in the first stanza as she executed perfectly placed drop shots to end some lengthy rallies.

But the 38-old Bajan, who also represented his island in volleyball, soon found his rhythm and, playing several forehand and backhand crosscourt drives, scored eight consecutive points before Fernandes, managed one. She would eventually lose 11-8.

In game two, both players played fast-paced Squash and demonstrated excellent use of the court as they matched each other; shot for shot, to delight of the partisan home fans.

Simpson used his height as he stretched to retrieve shots that would have been difficult for most others.

Fernandes incorporated lob shots into her armoury as the heated tempo slowed down a bit.

Fernandes raced to 10-6 and game point, as she scored four unanswered points from the Bajan, who played in last year’s first-ever Professional Squash Association (PSA)-sanctioned Queen’s Park Cricket Club Professional Squash Tournament in Port-of-Spain.

However, Simpson, after being involved in a near 30-shot rally, which included powerful drives and volleys, produced a stupendous nick shot with the ball never getting off the ground after hitting the wall. There was nothing Fenanades could do and the score was now tied 10-10.

The long rallies tested the fittness of both players and everytime one player got ‘game point’ (two clear points to win) the other would score a point to extend the game, which would eventually end 19-17 to Fernandes.

The third game was won by Simpson 11-3 as Fernandes began to tire as some of her drives hit the ‘tin’ when under no pressure.

Despite never giving up, Simpson was too good for her and the final game ended 11-6 as Fernandes lost 3-1.

The other semi-final was also competitive with long rallies between Ince and Arjoon, who won the Bounty Farm handicap squash title last year and attended the 2022 Pan American Championships in Guatemala.

After losing the first two games (11-8, 11-4) Ince, the Grandson of National Coach Carl Ince, dug deep and with some excellent Squash, took the third game 13-11 before going down 11-8 in the final game in hard fought match which Arjoon won 3-1.

Javid Ali beat Dane Pereira 3-0, Regan Pollard beat Jonathan Antczak 3-0, Nicolas Narine defeated Javid Rahaman 3-2 and Jason van Dijk beat Lee Fung-a-Fat 3-0 in the other 30-44 games played on Friday.

In the 45-54 division, T&T’s Peter Pirtheesingh beat Bajan Don Benn 3-2.

In the over-65s Barbadian Orson beat BVI’s Winston Findley 3-0.

In the Women’s over-35s, Guyana’s Kathy Ten Pow beat Vincentian Hazel-Anne Sandy 3-0.

In the 55-64 category, World Masters Semi-Finalist Mark Sealy beat Guyana Joe Mekdeci 3-0, Guyana’s Narendra Singh beat Bajan Sanjay Amin 3-0 and Brian Edwards beat Rob Edwards 3-0.

The tournament was scheduled to conclude last night with the presentation Ceremony after Arjoon and Simpson battle for the BCQS Masters Squash tittle.