C’bean Squash Queen Ashley Khalil starts with win
By Sean Devers
Caribbean Squash Champion Ashley Khalil eased though her opening match at the Guinness National Senior Squash Championships at the Georgetown Club on Wednesday evening.
Watched by a small but vocal gathering which included Guyana’s only Masters World Champion Nicolette Fernandes who was expected to go into action last evening, there were several high intensity matches contested.
The matches between Jerazeno Bell and Louis Da Silva and between Steven Xavier and Deje Dias were among the high intensity and riveting battles.
Bell romped to a one to nothing lead after taking the first game. Da Silva fought back as both players executed an array of quality shot to level the scores at 10-10.
But after a 20-shot rally, a ‘let’ was called, Bell eventually triumphed 12-10 before winning another competitive game 14-12 to take the game 3-0.
The match involving Dias and Xavier was a high energy affair which left both players dripping in sweat and total exhausted at completion of four games which was won 3-1 by Xavier.
The pulsating battle that had all the shots in Squash including an expertly executed ‘Nick’ from Dias in the second stanza to level the match 1-1.
Such was the commitment from both players that Xavier dived full length on the wood floor to retrieve the ball and win the point.
But when the epic battle was done and dusted, it was Xavier who emerged victories 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8.
In the other results:
In the Women’s draw Mary-a-Fat beat Avery Arjoon 11-4, 11-2, 11-3, Ashley de Groot 11-1, 11-1, 11-1, Akeila Wilshire beat Victoria Arjoon 11-6, 11-1, 11-7 and Ashley Khalil beat Kirsten Gomes 11-4, 11-4,11-4 as she failed to reach five in any of the games despite leading 3-nill in the last game.
In the Women’s Veterans Lydia Fraser defeated Tian Edwards 11-7, 11-4, 11-2
In the Men’s Veterans Over 50s:
Brian Young beat Narendra Singh 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 while Joseph Mekdeci beat Rob Edwards 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-2
Men’s National Draw:
Louis Da Silva beat Reagan Rodrigues 11-2, 11-2, 11-3, Shomari Wiltshire beat Jason Van Dijk 11-2, 11-4, 11-6, Samuel Ince-Carvalhal beat Ragan Pollard 11-7, 11-5, 11-3.
Alex Arjoon beat Peter de Groot 11-6. 11-1, 11-7, Michael Alphonso beat Mohryan Baksh 11-6, 11-4, 11-4, Nicholas Verwey beat Ben Mekdeci 4-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, Demetrius De Abreu beat Andrew Peroune 11-3, 8-11, 11-4,11-6, Josh Verwey beat Jeremy Ten Pow 11-2, 11-3, 11-5, Miguel Wong beat Nandishraj Singh 11-5,11-7,11-4, Avenash Oditt beat Justin Ten Pow 11-6, 11-6, 11-7, Jason Ray Khalil beat Jonathan Antczak 11-1,11-0, 11-1 and Lee Fung-a Fat beat Reagan Rodrigues 8-11, 11-6,11-7, 11-6
The action was scheduled to continue last night
