Gold for King, Da Silva at jnr. C/bean squash
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
July 25, 2002
Guyana’s junior squash players contesting the Junior Caribbean Squash Championships, currently underway at the Liguanea Club, Kingston, Jamaica, had to be content with two gold medals, four silvers and a bronze, when competition in the individual category climaxed on Tuesday.
Damien DaSilva and Kristina King won gold medals, Ryan Farnum, Tiffany Solomon, Andrea King and Stanley Marcus Jr. all won silvers, while Chantelle Fernandes won a bronze medal. Kristian Jeffrey and his sister Kimberley Jeffrey along with Raphael DeGroot, placed fourth in their respective categories.
According to reports from Jamaica, Damien DaSilva and Ryan Farnum, the numbers one and two seed respectively, engaged each other in a competitive and thrilling match with DaSilva, a former under-12/13 and under-15 champion at this level, winning the gold medal by a narrow 3-2 margin (8/9, 9/1, 9/6, 5/9, 9/7). Farnum received the silver.
This is DaSilva’s third individual championship winners trophy and might very well be a record.
Kristina King (seeded two) came from one game down to defeat number one seed, Barbados’ Nadia McCarthy 4-9, 9-1, 9-3, 9-6, in taking the gold medal, while Fernandes lost in the third place play-off to Jamaica’s Tracy Binnie, 9/0, 10/8, 9/3.
In the girls under 19 main draw, Jamaica’s Melissa Lue-Yen, seeded one, defeated Solomon, the number two seed, in five games 9/3, 6/9, 5/9, 9/1, 9/3.
It has been reported that Solomon who won the girls under-17 title last year, gave a very good account of herself.
Andrea King (number two seed) went into the girls under-17 final against Cayman Islands’ Chantal Day (seeded four) as the odds on favourite. However, Chantal, who according to reports, has been having a dream run at this championships, continued her good showing by beating King in three straight games 9/5, 9/6, 9/6.
In the boys under-15 final, Marcus, the number two seed, failed to get past the number one seed, Bryant Cumberbatch of Barbados. Cumberbatch won by a 3-1 margin 8/10, 9/2, 9/1, 9/3.
It has been reported also that the match started with Marcus taking the game to Cumberbatch but in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th games, Cumber-batch “schooled” Marcus to take the match easy in four.
Raphael DeGroot (Guyana) was narrowly edged 9-7, 9-7, 2-9, 0-9, 9-1 by Trinidad’s Justin Sanguinette for the bronze medal in his boys under-13 third place play-off. The gold medal was won by Bermuda’s Robert Maycock who defeated Barbados’ Nkosi Ross 3/0.
Jamaica’s Chris Binnie beat Kristian Jeffrey 9/4, 9/6, 0/9, 6/9, 7/9 in the boys under-15 third place play-off, while Rori Leigh-Mighty, also of Jamaica, defeated Kimberly Jeffrey 9/2, 8/10, 9/1, 9/7, in the girls under-17 third place play-off.
In the plate final of the boys under-17 division, Guyana’s Gerard Greaves beat Venezuela’s Daniel Guidi 9/3, 5/9, 9/5, 9/5, while Chelsea Fung (Guyana) made light work of Cayman Islands’ Jessica Harvey 9/0, 9/2, 9/1 in the girls under-13 plate final. Daina King, the other Guyanese in this age group, lost in the third place play-off to Barbados’ Cheri-Ann Parris, 5/9, 9/1, 9/0, 5/9, 9/1.
Play in the team competition started yesterday and this is where the real excitement sets in, since based on the results in the individual competition, the team events should prove to be quite eventful.