SVG to host 2010 Caribbean Squash Championships

St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be the host of the 18th Caribbean Squash Championships after winning a majority of the votes among the 9 member associations.{{more}}

SVG beat bids from Guyana and Venezuela for the honour. The 10-day event will feature individual and team competition between players from Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and the OECS (comprising players from the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Lucia and SVG).

The preliminary dates are August 13-22, with sponsorship being sought. The event will be the largest squash tournament ever held in St. Vincent, with approximately 150 players and coaching staff expected. In preparation for the event, national players have already begun seeking international exposure, with top junior players Jules Snagg and Kevin Hannaway competing at the recent United States Junior Open in Hartford, Connecticut.

In the Boys Under 17, Hannaway defeated American James Yacobucci 11-5, 11-7, 11-3, before falling to Colombian Juan Vargas 6-11, 6-11, 8-11 in the Round of 64. Meanwhile, in the Under 19 division, Snagg prevailed 11-5,10-12,11-9,14-12 over William Hanley (USA) before bowing out 12-10, 6-11, 2-11, 8-11 to Julian Kirby (USA) in the Round of 64. In their consolation matches, both won 2 matches before exiting the tournament. Hannaway defeated New Zealand’s Michael Vorster 11-1, 11-3, 11-3 and Guatemalan Esteban Martinez 11-2, 11-1, 11-3, before going down 11-6, 3-11, 9-11, 9-11 to long-time nemesis Noah Browne of Bermuda. Snagg also accounted for 2 New Zealand opponents in his wins over Cameron Stackurski (11-2, 11-2, 11-1) and Matthew Gray (11-4, 11-3, 11-5) before bowing out 14-16, 9-11, 10-12 to Colombia’s Santiago Parra.

The event is expected to be a major boost to squash in SVG, with other major events leading up to it. These events include the National Junior Championships (March 11-13), OECS Junior Championships (April 9-11), National Senior Championships (April 26-30), OECS Senior Championships (May 20-23) and Caribbean Junior Championships (July 10-17). The SVG Squash Association is grateful to those who have made, and continue to make our participation in these events possible.