The Junior Caribbean Area Squash Championships (CASA) served off Sunday at the Georgetown Club Courts and the National Racquet Centre, with a series of matches, many of which the top junior Guyanese players won and moved ahead in a bid to cop individual titles.
For the likes of ‘Mr. Consistent’ Shomari Wiltshire, who is in his final year of Junior CASA, the Under-19 title seems destined for his hands, as he showed his clear intentions with a dominant 11-1, 11-2, 11-1 win over Jamaican Arjan Trehan.
Samuel Ince-Carvalhal, who is tipped to meet Wiltshire for an all-Guyanese final, won against Jace Jarvis of Cayman Islands 6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4.
However, Ince-Carvalhal has moved on to play number-two seed Darien Benn of Barbados in the semi-final, while Wiltshire will play Matthew Elliott. Both semi-finals are slated for 18:30h on Monday.
In the Girls Under-19 category, Guyanese Abosaide Cadogan and Kirsten Gomes came and conquered, as the former swept Trinidadian Charlotte Sutcliffe 11-0, 11-2, 11-4, and the latter had a tougher opponent in Bermuda’s Ariana Lowther, but won 15-13, 11-9, 11-3, 11-5.
Cadogan will now play the talented Sumairra Suleman of Barbados in the semi-from 19:00h on Monday, while Gomes will clash with Chole Walcott, also from 19:00h.
U-17
The majority of the Guyanese contingent all progressed as Nicholas Verwey breezed past Calem Maloney 11-4, 11-2, 11-1 and will now play Brady Holmes of Jamaica in the quarter-final on Monday from 11:30h. Holmes defeated Guyana’s Nathan Rahaman 11-6, 11-6, 11-1.
Mohryan Baksh dominated Luke Wilson 11-4, 11-4, 11-0 to set up a clash against Trinidad’s Seth Thong, while Caribbean Under-15 champion Michael Alphonso defeated Oliver Henderson 11-4, 11-2, 11-1 and will now meet countryman Louis DaSilva, who won 11-7, 11-2, 11-9 over Xavier Marshall.
In the Girls category, Guyana is out of medal contention as Kassia Walcott lost to Barbadian Eboni Atherley 2-11, 1-11, 11-0 in the quarter-final.
U-15
Chad De Abreu has set a quarter-final date with Jaydon Williams of St. Vincent on Monday from 11:00h as he won his Round-of-16 match 11-2, 11-4, 11-4 over Barbadian Benjamin King.
Compatriot Noah Rahaman lost to Williams 2-11, 3-11, 1-11, while Shiloh Asregado had an intense battle with Bermudian Eli Carpol, which ended 11-8, 15-13, 8-11, 6-11, 3-11.
Joshua Verwey is also through to the last eight as he won 11-4, 11-0, 11-2 over Joshua Henriques and now faces Daniel Henderson. Guyana’s Demetri Lowe lost to Trinidadian Nicholas Lequay 3-11, 4-11, 3-11.
Safirah Sumner has earned herself a semi-final spot to play Jamaica’s Mehar Trehan at 16:00h on Monday.
Sumner topped Milanna Lamontagne 12-10, 11-4, 11-5, 14-12 in the quarter-final, while Rylee Rodrigues went down 3-11, 3-11, 4-11 to Trehan.
In the Round-of-16, Malia Mikoo lost to Doireann Lynch 2-11, 4-11, 11-13, and Paige Mendonca was beaten by Paulos Rose 7-11, 7-11, 7-11.
U-13
No Guyanese Boy was able to progress to the semi-final as Justin TenPow lost to Owen Rosorea Bermuda 3-11, 4-11, 4-11 and Brenno DaSilva lost to St. Vincent player, Jayden George 2-11, 2-11, 0-11.
However, for the Girls, there will be an all-Guyanese semi-final between Avery Arjoon and Tiana Gomes after they defeated Lenna Hamati of Barbados (11-5, 11-2, 11-3) and Gomes got victory over compatriot Emily Fung-A-Fat 11-5, 11-9, 11-7.
Guyanese Jnae Singh went down to Josie Thong of Trinidad 0-11, 1-11, 2-11, while compatriot Kaylee Lowe suffered a 5-11, 5-11, 5-11 defeat to Trinidadian Mckenna Kyme.
U-11
The Under-11 category for both boys and girls is a round-robin format, and Guyana’s Ben Phang went down to Trinidadian Dylan Inniss 5-11, 4-11, 5-11, and will now play Evan Inniss in round three on Monday at 10:00h, then Varad Maharaj at 15:00h.
Dwillen Coates defeated her Guyanese teammate Zoe McDonald 17-19, 11-9, 16-14, 12-10, and now shifts attention to Gia Ghuran of Trinidad on Monday at 10:00h. Coates heads the standings in her category.
All of the finals of the individual competition will be contested on Tuesday, followed by the start of the team segment on Wednesday.
