By Akeem Greene
Nicholas Verwey and Michael Alphonso Jr. produced a cliffhanger in the blockbuster Boys’ U-19 match at the Woodpecker Junior National Squash Championships, powered by ENet.
Parents, players, and other supporters glued their eyes to court one at the Georgetown Club on Friday evening as during play, the only noise that could be heard was the echo from the impact of the ball being struck.
As expected, the match went the distance, but no one envisioned the deciding final set would go the extreme of 15-13
It ended in favour of current Caribbean Champion Nicholas Verwey.
The writings were on the wall that Alphonso would triumph and likely go unto to win the national title after he led the final set 10-7, but Verwey erased such to paint his own story of resilience, an epitome of mental fortitude.
Though Verwey came surging back for victory, Alphonso was no rollover. He took the sets back to duce multiple times after Verwey got the match-point advantage.
The scenes on the court were a mixture of agony and determination to the extent that one might have wanted to drag the players off the court.
When it seemed the match was over, either of the two pulled a shot out to keep them ‘alive.’
One coach said, ” At this point, it didn’t matter who won; it was fantastic squash.”
Verwey won the first 12-10, after which Alphonso came charging back with 2-11 and 8-11 triumphs. The Caribbean champion won the fourth set 11-5, laying the platform for the thrilling end.
The two will likely finish in the top two positions at the National Championships, and one could see an epic rematch at the Caribbean Championship final in early July.
More so, Louis DaSilva once again outlasted Mohryan Baksh, returning from a 9-11, 6-11 deficit to win 11-8, 11-1, 11-5.
Other impressive performers on the night were Ethan Bulkan, who defeated Zion Hickerson and Nidal Bacchus, and Kaylee Lowe, topping Emily Fung-A-Fat.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday afternoon, after which a preliminary squad will be selected to prepare for the Caribbean Championships in the British Virgin Islands in late June.
