Eight Guyanese in finals at Junior Caribbean Squash championships

Guyana is assured of at least two gold medals with two of the finals being all-Guyanese at the ongoing Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago.

In total, eight Guyanese have reached a final in their respective category.

The blockbuster match-up comes in the Under-15 category, with Guyanese rivals Michael Alphonso Jr and Nicholas Verwey, who will square-off on Tuesday (July 16) for Caribbean gold.

Alphonso, who is the number two seed in the tournament, won his semi-final against Barbados’ Aiden Paris 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 while Verwey came from behind to top number one seed Jace Jarvis of Cayman Islands 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-6. The final is slated for 12:20h.

In the Girls’ division, Kirsten Gomes breezed to the final after toppling Jamaica’s Savannah Thomson 11-0, 11-6, 11-5.  Gomes will now clash with number one seed Sumairaa Suleman of Barbados in the final from 11:40h.

For the Under-11s, Christiana Fernandes is still to be beaten in the round-robin finals and will play her final match against Phoebe Gittens from 09:00h on Tuesday. On Monday, she topped Trinidadian Josie Marie Thong 11-7, 11-1,11-6.

Fellow Guyanese Tiana Gomes will have chance to finish third should she defeat Thong. Gomes lost to Fernandes (3-11 7-11, 0-11) and Gittens (3-11, 1-11 and 5-11). Grant Fernandes will play the consolation final for fifth place against Zevieh Abraham of Cayman Islands.

The talented Mohryan Baksh will have a chance to win his first Caribbean title when he clashes with Seth Thong of Trinidad and Tobago in the Under-13 final.  Baksh won his semi-final 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 against Jaydon Williams.

Williams faces Guyanese Louis DaSilva in the battle for third.

In the Under-17, Samuel Ince-Carvalhal could have made it another all-Guyana final had he not slipped up against Barbadian Darien Benn 6-11, 11-7, 12-14, 9-11.  Benn will now play the ace player Shomari Wiltshire, who will hunt for his fifth Caribbean title.

Wiltshire topped Matthew Elliot of Bermuda 11-4, 11-2, 11-1 in his semi-final.

Madison Fernandes and Abosaide Cadogan will contest the girls final after some rather comfortable semi-final victories.

The latter won 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 over Chole Walcott of Trinidad, while Fernandes defeated Abigail Brewer 12-10, 11-7 and 11-6. Makeda Harding and Gianni Carpenter will be in action for consolation spots.

After the singles, attention will shift to the team matches, which Guyana seeks to excel in order to secure their 13^th overall title in 15 years.