Vincies dominate squash tourney

Team SVG once again dominated the 5th Annual O.E.C.S Junior Squash Championships (April 22-24), winning 5 of the 7 titles up for grabs. The tournament featured over 30 players from British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Vincent and hosts St. Lucia, competing for top spots in the Under 13, 15, 17 and 19 age groups. {{more}}

In the Boys Under 13 division, Kinnison Cyrus defeated Daniel Piper (LCA) 9/3, 9/3, 9/4 and then Alexander Nassief (DMA) 10/8, 9/4, 6/9, 9/5 to win the title in his first-ever tournament.

In the Girls Under 15 division, Sherina Slater defeated compatriots Isis Gonsalves (2nd), Gabriella Ambrose (3rd) and Lisa Deane (4th) to claim the title. Diarra Venner cruised to his much-anticipated clash with defending champ Joe Chapman (BVI) in the Boys Under 15 division, thrashing Emad Zarkha (DMA) and Adam DeFreitas (LCA) 9/0, 9/0, 9/0 respectively, while defeating John-Henri Sweeney (LCA) 9/0, 9/1, 9/0.

In the final match, a much-improved Chapman proved to be too much for the 13-year old Vincentian, with Venner losing 5/9, 0/9, 0/9. In the Girls’ Under 17 division, Amber Glasgow continued to stamp her dominance of OECS junior squash, extending her winning streak to a 5th consecutive year.

In the group stages, Glasgow emerged on top of Box A, defeating compatriot Isis Gonsalves and Blossom Paul (LCA) 9/0, 9/1, 9/0 and 9/0, 9/0, 9/0 respectively, while Gonsalves also beat Paul 9/0, 9/0, 9/0 for 2nd position in the group.

In Box B, Aiko Roudette also emerged as the winner, defeating St. Lucians Melissa Rivers and Mikaela Devaux to advance to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Glasgow and Roudette defeated Gonsalves and Rivers respectively, to set up the final battle for the title. Glasgow took revenge in the final for her first loss to her rival earlier this month, powering past Roudette 9/3, 9/0, 9/3 to remain undefeated in the event, since its inception in 2001.

Isis Gonsalves settled for 4th place, losing to Melissa Rivers 1/9, 1/9, 0/9. In the Boys Under 17 and 19 divisions, Shane Slater continued his good form, soundly beating his 9 opponents to win both titles. In the Boys Under 17, he defeated compatriot Alex Alexander 9/0, 9/0, 9/0 and Marlon James (LCA) 9/4, 9/0, 9/0 to advance to the semi-finals, where he defeated Josh Defreitas (LCA) 9/0, 9/0, 9/0 to face Joe Chapman (BVI) for the title. The 14-year old Chapman made a valiant comeback in the 2nd game, but was unable to deter the defending champ, falling 2/9, 7/9, 0/9. Meanwhile, Alex Alexander defeated Phillip Macleod (DMA) 7/9, 9/4, 2/9, 9/5, 9/3 for 5th place. In the Boys Under 19, Slater was even more dominant, handling St. Lucians Dominique Rivers and Michael Bergasse 9/2, 9/1, 9/1 and 9/2, 9/0, 9/0 respectively, while also defeating compatriots Bradley Glasgow, Kevin Bailey and Anson Alvis in straight games. The trio of Glasgow, Bailey and Alvis settled for 4th, 5th and 6th place respectively.

Following the competition, special awards were given to Kinnison Cyrus (Best Sportsmanship) and Joe Chapman (Most Promising Player). The OECS junior team is now being selected to compete at the Caribbean Junior Squash Championships in Trinidad, scheduled for July 22-30.