Bermuda team finish Junior CASA on a high note
Posted by on 30-Jul-2007Categories: Juniors, News Add Trackback
Bermuda’s junior squash players ended their trip to the British Virgin Islands on a high note when the Boy’s Team won their play-off match against Barbados to finish 3rd overall in the Junior CASA (Caribbean) Squash Championship. Meanwhile the Girls Team went one better and reached the final of the Girls Team event before taking 2nd place overall after an epic match against Guyana.
In their play-off for 3rd the Bermuda Boy’s team had the closest of matches with the outcome depending on the key match between Micah Franklin (Under 17) and Barbadian Matthew Hutchinson. Kristian Muldoon (U15) totally dominated his match and triumphed without dropping a single point, Robert Maycock (U19) also crushed his opponent 9-1, 9-2, 9-3, while Beckett Simmons lost in straight games. Noah Browne fought brilliantly against the Barbadian No 2 in Under 19 after stepping in as a last minute replacement although he is actually Under 15. Browne lost 4-9, 8-10, 7-9. The crucial match was between Franklin and Garcia, and what a match it was. Franklin lost the first, leveled at 1 all, then fell behind 2-1 before making a strong recovery in the 4th to take it 9-2. It was all down to the 5th and final game and at 7-7 there was no predicting the outcome. Franklin, though, has a habit of never admitting defeat, and despite looking exhausted he rattled off the last two points to take the match and seal the Boy’s Team 3rd place finish.
Results of the Girls Final are not yet available (ED:now available see below) but the team lost in the Final to Guyana. Their performance in the Girls Team event has been described as the “surprise package of the tournament” according to Shane Slater reporting in Squash site (see http://www.squashsite.co.uk/caribbean-juniors.htm )
With their 2nd place in the Girls Team event, and 3rd place in the Boys Team event, the Bermuda Team placed 3rd overall which is considered to be an excellent result according to squash spokesman Roger Sherratt who says , “We sent the largest ever contingent to this year’s Junior CASA with quite a few comparative newcomers who were getting their first taste of international competition. These included 11 year old Becket Simmons, D’Vario Thompson, Juliette McComb, Jason Shrub and Korin Knights. Our Girls Team had the advantage of being led by Laura Robinson (U19) who is an experienced competitor while our youngest girl, 11 year old Emma Keane had the benefit of having played at this level last year. She finished up 3rd in Under 13 which is all the more remarkable because she will still be playing in this age group next year. Emma was also awarded CASA’s 2007 “sportsmanship award”.
“Our Boys Team was led by 17 year old Robert Maycock was has already established himself as a top player in the Caribbean. As last year’s Under 17 CASA champion he had to move up an age group and was one of the youngest players in Under 19. He should be very competitive next year in Under 19. But the strength of the Boys Team lay in the fact that we have a nucleus of 4 exceptionally strong players in Under 15. Kristian Muldoon held his No. 1 position in this age group to play in the Team Event, while his fellow Under 15 team members battled it out in both Under 17 and Under 19. For example, Micah Franklin proved he could hold his own even when playing in an older division when he triumphed as an Under 17 in the final play-off match against Barbados. Noah Browne and Chris Stout complete this formidable group of young squash stars and they will be force to be reckoned with in Caribbean squash for years to come.
Another newcomer, 11 year old Beckett Simmons also played exceptionally well and has a promising future in the Team.
All the members of our young team deserve tremendous credit for their performances during the tournament. They all gelled together as a Team, and by all accounts they thoroughly enjoyed the trip to BVI.”
Girls Teams
FINAL:
(1) GUYANA bt (5) BERMUDA 4-1
U19#1 Laura Robinson (BER) bt Daina King (GUY) 9/1, 9/7, 5/9, 9/6
U19 #2 Kayla Jeffrey (GUY) bt Alex Furtado (BER) 9/1, 9/1, 9/0
U17 Ashley Khalil (GUY) bt Kelly Barnes (BER) 9/2, 9/6, 9/2
U15 Keisha Jeffrey (GUY) bt Rachel Barnes (BER) 9/0, 9/2, 9/1
U13 Victoria Arjoon (GUY) bt Emma Keane (BER) 9/0, 9/0, 9/2
Boys Teams
3rd Place Play-off:
(1) BERMUDA bt (7) BARBADOS 3-2
U19#1 Robert Maycock (BER) bt Alex Garcia (BAR) 9/1, 9/2, 9/3
U19 #2 Nkosi Ross (BAR) bt Noah Browne (BER) 9/4, 10/8, 9/7
U17 Micah Franklin (BER) bt Liu Ross (BAR) 7/9, 9/3, 7/9, 9/2, 9/7
U15 Kristian Muldoon (BER) bt Moishe Steinbok (BAR) 9/0, 9/0, 9/0
U13 Matthew Hutchinson (BAR) bt Beckett Simmons (BER) 9/0, 9/5, 10/9
FINAL OVERALL TEAM STANDINGS:
1. GUYANA
2. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
3. BERMUDA
4. BARBADOS
5. JAMAICA
6. CAYMAN ISLANDS
7. O.E.C.S
8. BAHAMAS
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