Maycock & Franklin win in Zurich
Posted by Pat Foster on 28-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Roger Sherratt reports that Bermuda’s three Junior Squash players, competing in the World Junior Squash Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, have had a tremendous start in the individual championship, with 2 of our boys winning their first round matches.
Caribbean Under 19 champion, Robbie Maycock, won his first match against Colm Dolan of Ireland 9-1, 4-9, 9-0, 9-3, and will meet a Finnish player in the next round.
Micah Franklin also recorded a great win 9-6, 9-5, 9-2, against Loreno Colucci of Italy, and will meet a top ranked Egyptian in the 2nd round.
Bermuda’s youngest player, and one of the youngest in the championships, Noah Browne, lost to a Czeck player but not before he almost won the first game. He’ll now play in the Consolation matches, and later in the team championships.
Sherratt said this was an excellent start for our Bermuda team.
Roger Sherratt
BSRA Squash Spokesman
Follow all the results at http://www.myplayground.cc/IndividualCS/Draws/Default.aspx
Bank of Bermuda Foundation CASA Championships ends…
Posted by Pat Foster on 21-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
The BSRA was strangely quiet yesterday as a handfull of volunteers helped to restore the club to it’s previous state.
120 competitors, plenty of parents, coaches, spectators, press people, friends, ex players, brothers, sisters, cousins, grand parents and 10 days of thrilling competition all helped to make the 2008 Bank of Bermuda Foundation Junior Carribean Championships a massive success.
Reports on Bermuda’s results are available on this site and on www.squashsite.com
All of the event photos will eventually (there are a lot of them!) be archived in the gallery section.
Well done to the teams and everyone who volunteered.
Rogers Report…
Posted by Pat Foster on 21-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Reports by Roger Sherratt
Girls Final
Bermuda v Guyana
There was never any doubt as to which team would win the Girls Team Championship in the Bank of Bermuda Junior CASA Squash Tournament.
Guyana has completely dominated the Girls Division and had already won 3 of the 4 individual titles. They showed no mercy on hosts, Bermuda, completing a clean sweep of all five matches without conceding a single game.
Mary Fung-a-fat, in Girls Under 15, started the ball rolling with a comprehensive 9-0,9-0,9-0 win over Bermuda’s Alex Marshall. This was the 3rd successive match in which Fung-a-fat has not conceded a point. In the 2nd match, Kelly Barnes started well, taking the first 2 points from Guyana’s Under 17 individual champion, Keisha Jeffrey, and she continued to have some great rallies with the Guyana #1, but Jeffrey was just too strong in all aspects of the game, and always had the ability to kill the ball. The final score in this match 9-2, 9-0, 9-0 for Jeffrey.
At this point Bermuda had been completely outclassed, but during the next match, the Under 19 #1 between Rachel Barnes (Ber) and Daina King (Guy) the home spectators finally had something to cheer about as Barnes immediately went on the attack, playing deep and winning her share of points in the first game. It was close 9-7 for King but Barnes had shown that she does have the speed and power to play at a higher level. She continued to play well in the 2nd game but King began to ease ahead and won it 9-4. She conceded just one point in the 3rd game, and Guyana had by this time won the Girls Team Championship.
Next on court were the Under 13′s, with Bermuda’s Emma Keane facing the Girls Under 13 champion for the last 2 years, Victoria Arjoon (Guy), who is an exceptional young squash player. Arjoon won the first game 9-2 although Keane was still in the rallies and fighting hard. In the 2nd game Keane really came into her own, attacking the ball, driving well and causing Arjoon to look unsettled for the first time in the championships. Keane streaked ahead to 7-0 before Arjoon settled down and got back on track. She levelled at 7-7 and went on to win the 2nd 9-7. By this time Keane was beginning to tire while the young Guayana star was in full flow. Arjoon cruised through the 3rd game without dropping a further point.
The last match of the Team Finals saw Jenni Schroder for Bermuda taking on the Under 17 individual finalist, Kayla Jeffrey who’s twin sister had beaten her in the Final. Schroder and Jeffrey were playing as the Under 19 #2′s. Jeffrey was clearly the much stronger player and won the first two games without dropping a point, but as with all of the Bermuda players, Schroder showed fighting spirit and managed to score 2 points in the 3rd before it was over.
Boys Team Final
Bermuda v Guyana
The Boys Team Final proved to be the perfect finale to the championships for everyone, that is, except a disappointed Bermuda Team who can only wonder what might have been but for an unfortunate fall by one of their stars in the last match.
The Bermuda team started well as their Under 15, Noah Browne, stepped on court against Abhishek Singh. Brown, who is well over 6 feet tall, used his height and reach to great advantage, cutting off any loose cross court shots and being able to play winners without undue pressure. He dropped just 2 points in the 3rd game for a convincing win – first blood to Bermuda.
The 2nd match was a very fast paced encounter between Under 17′s Kristian Muldoon for Bermuda and Alex Arjoon for Guyana. Arjoon is a hard hitting attacking player but Muldoon was able to match him stroke for stroke. Both displayed great athleticism and stroke play, with Arjoon playing just slightly better length and with slightly more accuracy, especially on his forehand. He gradually eased ahead to win the first game 9-4. In the 2nd Arjoon maintained the furious pace, keeping Muldoon constantly changing direction and having to work harder for each point. As Muldoon began to show signs of tiring the young Guyanan began to utilize his effective drops to wins points. He won the 2nd game 9-4 and all looked lost for Muldoon, who then showed his grit and determination as he continued to chase every ball in the 3rd. On several occasions he had Arjoon running corner to corner, but Arjoon is clearly one of the fittest juniors in these championships and his “never say die” attitude won him points that other players might have given up on. He eventually proved too strong for Muldoon and won the 3rd game 9-6 to take the match.
At one match each, it was the turn of the Under 19 #1′s, with Robbie Maycock, the Under 19 individual champion stepping on court after his shock loss to Joe Chapman the previous day (Maycock had beaten Chapman comfortably in the individual finals by the same score), and Bermuda fans wondered with their star would have another uncharacteristic off day when it mattered the most.
Maycock was facing Raphael deGroot and he quickly dispelled any doubt about his intentions, starting confidently. He took an early lead in the first game, made few mistakes, and kept deGroot on the defensive. Maycock won it 9-3, and the 2nd game followed a similar pattern. deGroote, however, was still very much in the game and he chased everything Maycock could hit. At 2-0 for Maycock they had a superb rally, both making miraculous recoveries to keep the rally going. Maycock finished it off, or so everyone in the gallery thought, by playing a ball that was impossible for deGroot to retrieve but he hurled himself across the court, falling full length on the floor, while keeping the ball in play. Maycock flicked the ball to the back of the court, and deGroot made a superhuman effort to jump up and chase it – this time to no avail, but to the roars of appreciation from cheering spectators for his valiant effort.
Maycock continued to keep deGroot under pressure and took the 2nd game 9-2, then cruised through the 3rd game 9-0 to record the win for Bermuda. The captain had given his team the lead.
With possible victory in sight for Bermuda, their Under 13 hopeful, Beckett Simmons, was next, playing against Nyron Joseph for Guyana. Joseph proved too tough for Simmons and was able to coast through with a 3-0 win to level the overall match scores at 2-2.
The decider was between Micah Franklin for Bermuda and Oliver Kear-Downs for Guyana. With the combined hopes of both their teammates and fans, have these two youngsters ever played under such pressure? There was just one concern for the Bermuda contingent. Franklin had missed the semi-finals due to a slight groin strain and they wondered if he was match fit.
This promised to be a superb match – and it lived up to its billing at the start. Both players ran incessantly, played great shots, had lengthy rallies which had the gallery cheering every point. Kear-Downs won the first game 9-3, but Franklin fought back in the 2nd which he won handily 9-3, playing at a furious pace. The battle was on. The two continued at a fast pace at the start of the 3rd until Franklin, stretching for a ball deep in the back of the courts slipped, causing him to do the splits. The gallery was quiet for the first time in the Finals. He was given a couple of minutes to recover but at the re-start he was clearly limping. He continued to fight valiently although it was becoming obvious that he was having difficulty retrieving from the back of the court. He tried slowing down the pace but Kear-Downs was having none of it. He went on the offensive and won the 3rd game 9-5.
Although Franklin gamely played on, he looked uncomfortable, and exhausted, and Kear-Downs won the last game 9-0 to win the last match of the championship and secure the Boys Team Title for Guyana, to add to their Girls Team title. A clean sweep for Guyana.
This Championship has been played in the true spirit of the game of squash, and all credit to the players, their managers and coaches, the organizers and volunteers, the spectators, and all the parents who support their kids and their squash clubs throughout the Caribbean.
Denise Sommers, Bermuda National Coach
“I’m very pleased with the whole team. After working with them for the past 2 years I’ve seen an enormous improvement.
This year we were seeded 4th in both Boys and Girls Team championships, so reaching the finals and finishing 2nd in both is even better than expected. Guyana has an exceptionally strong Girls Team and were always going to win, but this year our girls gave them a good run around. Emma Keane played very well against Victoria Arjoon. Alex had a good tournament overall. She won a very important match in the semi-finals and I was pleased with her performance.
Rachel and Kelly Barnes both handled the extra pace well, and I hope it inspires them all to train more.
Our Boys Team also played very well indeed. Noah Browne was expected to win and he gave us just the start we needed.
Kristian Muldoon was on next and he played really well despite losing 3-0. He was always in the rallies. He just needs to be more patient and he needs more experience and exposure to international competition.
Robbie Maycock was clearly the better player in his match against Raphael deGroot. He plays the ball so well. He’s had excellent coaching and is very talented. Robbie plays at pace, knows where to hit the ball, and with his past experience he’s easy to coach. That experience overseas makes such a big difference. It was good to see him win his 4th individual title in his last year as a junior.
Beckett Simmons lost today but overall he has also played exceptionally well. He played what was really the deciding match in the semi-finals and kept his cool. He is a lovely lad to coach.
Micah Franklin played great throughout the championships. He has all the abilities. He’s mentally strong and very dedicated, and his racket skills are rapidly improving. He can handle a very fast pace technically and as he develops physical strength he has the potential to be a really great player.
We’re had an excellent performance by both of our teams; we have a young squad and they can only get better. After competing so well it should inspire them to continue improving. The future looks good for our juniors.”
Finals Day at the Bank of Bermuda Foundation Junior CASA 2008
Posted by Pat Foster on 19-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
It’s finals day!
9am Girls Final BERMUDA v Guyana
9am Girls 3rd/4th Jamaica v Trinidad & Tobago
9am Girls 5th/6th Barbados v Cayman
2pm Boys 5th/6th Cayman v Jamaica
2pm Boys 3rd/4th OECS v Trinidad & Tobago
2pm Boys Final BERMUDA v Guyana
All through the tournament we have been getting some great coverage on international web sites. Check out www.squashsite.co.uk
Bermuda Through to the finals!!!!
Posted by Pat Foster on 18-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Bermuda Boys and Girls teams both won there semi final matches against OECS and Triniday & Tobago respectively.
Well done kids!!!
Results to follow…..
Bermuda through to the semis….
Posted by Pat Foster on 18-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Jennifer, Kelly, Juliette & Rachel watching the boys…
The girls secured their spot in the semi finals after watching the boys team defeat #1 seeds Trinidad & Tobago early in the day to reach the boys semis.
The girls take on Trinidad & Tobago for a place in the final at 9am Friday morning whilst the boys will play OECS at 2pm. GOOD LUCK TEAMS!!
Bermuda off to a winning start….
Posted by Pat Foster on 17-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Bermuda Boys and Girls teams both won their opening matches in the Bank of Bermuda Foundation Junior CASA Team Championships.
The boys play Trinidad & Tobago at 2pm today (16th) whilst the Girls take on Guyana at 6pm tonight…
All supporters are welcome to come down and cheer the teams on… Check out the draws..
CASA 2008 Team event starts….
Posted by Pat Foster on 16-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
The team event of this years Bank of Bermuda Foundation CASA Championships started today with Trinidad & Tobago boys beating Barbados, Guyana boys beating OECS and Jamica boys beating Cayman.
Bermuda’s boys team will take on Barbados tonight at 6.00pm – Entrance is FREE and spectators are welcome.
Bermuda’s girls team begin their campaign tomorrow morning at 9am also against Barbados.
Bank of Bermuda Foundation CASA Championships 2008
Posted by Pat Foster on 15-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Rogers Report….
Hurricane Bertha – downgraded to a Tropical Storm – did her best to dampen spirits at the Bank of Bermuda Foundation Junior CASA (Caribbean) Squash Championship, being held in Bermuda, but to no avail as the finals in individual competition were held in front of a packed and raucous audience at the BSRA’s squash club in this semi-tropical paradise.
Perhaps the spirits of Bermudian squash fans were dampened during the opening match in Girls Under 13, when Victoria Arjoon despatched Bermuda’s Emma Keane in 3 straight games, Arjoon repeating her success as last year’s Under13 champion.
Emma was up against a very strong and experienced player in Victoria Arjoon. This tournament is a real test for these young players, and Emma now gets an opportunity to test her skills against all of the best Under 13 girls in the Caribbean as we move into the Team Championships.
#1 seed Nku Patrick (T&T) looked to be planning a similar victory over #2 seed Jake Mahfood (Jam) as he surged through the 1st game and looked to be in total command. He began to faulter a little towards the end of the 2nd game as Mahfood chased down every ball, but Patrick hung on to take the game 10-8 with his superior shot making skills still evident. But sometimes sheer grit and determination makes up for other skills, and Mayfood came firing back on all cylinders, simply refusing to give up a single point without a fight. As his confidence increased, Patrick began to make errors and found himself increasingly on the defensive. Mahfood won the 3rd 9-3, and powered through the 4th 9-5 to set up an intriguing finale to an excellent match. At this point Patrick calmed himself down and began to find his length, while Mahfood was beginning to run out of steam. Patrick cruised through the 5th, winning it 9-1, to take his first Junior CASA title. This exciting young 11 year old will still be eligible to compete in Under 13 again next year, and will be tough to beat – again.
The Girls Under 15 final saw the appearance of a star of the future as Mary Fung-a-fat of Guyana put on an exhibition in her match against fellow team mate Ashley deGroot. deGroot is a fine player, but Fung-a-fat has all the shots and then some! Her backhand cross court proved deadly, and she seems to always have time to think about where to play her shots. The result was never in doubt as she conceded just 2 points in the 3rd game.
Next up in Girls Under 17 were the Jeffrey twins from Guyana, #1 seed Keisha and #2 seed Kayla. Keisha raced into an early 7-1 lead in the opening game, only to have Kyla fight back to level the score, and even serve for game point at 8-7. Keisha then tightened up her game and when her sister made an unforced error she pushed through to take the game 10-8. These two young ladies played exceptionally well, with Keisha slightly the stronger. Game 2 was almost identical; Kyla served for game point at 8-7, and again Keisha maintained her composure to win back serve and take this crucial game 10-8. She went on to win the 3rd game 9-4 and the title in fine style. The score is not indicative of the closeness of this match. Both twins displayed superb racket skills, had extended rallies, and played in the true spirit of the game. Dare one call them the Williams (of tennis fame) sisters of Caribbean squash!
The Boys Under 15 final involved two protagonists who have played each other several times in Junior CASA championships. #2 seed Noah Brown (Ber) won their first encounter when he took the Under 13 title 2 years ago, and in 2007 #1 seed, Kevan Hannaway (OECS), had won their last junior CASA match. On this occasion it was Hannaway who had the upper hand, despite enthusiastic support from Bermuda supporters for Browne. Hannaway was just too strong and won in straight games 9-4, 9-4, 9-2. Roger Sherratt commented, “Brown has made tremendous strides in his game this past year and should play very well in the Team Championships phase of the tournament. His opponent in the individuals final played brilliantly, but Brown has another opportunity when Bermuda plays OECS in the Team Championships, and he should do very well against all the other teams.
The next Boys Final, in Under 17’s, proved a much closer match between Cameron Stafford (Cay) and Alex Arjoon (Guyana). Both played superbly, with Stafford using his excellent racket skills to dominate the first 2 games. The 3rd game was a cliffhanger, as Arjoon fought his way back into the match against a clearly tiring Stafford who hit the tin repeatedly with a series of poor drop shots. Arjoon took this game 10-8, and the gallery began to sense that Stafford was beginning to fade. Had he lost the 4th it would likely have been game over, but Stafford continued to play his shots, keeping Arjoon at the back of the court whenever possible, while finding his touch again for effective drops as Arjeen began to tire. Both players struggled in the humidity, and it was an exhausted Stafford who managed to find the extra reserves to win the 4th and take the title in a thrilling encounter.
With the wind and rain howling outside the Devonshire courts by this time, it was on to the last two finals, and by coincidence, one of the finalists in each match are students of Wycliffe College in England who had just completed their “A” levels.
In the Girls Under 19 Final, #2 seed Kerrie Sample was representing Trinidad and Tobago for the fist time (her mother is Trinidadian), while her opponent, #1 seed, Cheri-Ann Parris of Barbados, has won every other age group title in Junior CASA, and had just spent 3 weeks at a training camp in Egypt. Although little known in the Caribbean, Sample had been playing regularly at Wycliffe and in U.K. tournaments where she is currently ranked in the top ten in England Under 19’s. She is no slouch!
This was without doubt, the match of the championships – from start to finish – and held a packed gallery engrossed as these two young ladies put on an incredible display. Parris took the first game 9-5 against a slightly apprehensive Sample, who promptly came back to win the 2nd 9-4. Both were striking the ball beautifully, playing to a good length and chasing down every ball. The 3rd game was a no-holds-barred affair, as both sought to take control of the “T”. Parris looked to be the fitter of the two as she managed to stay ahead through the 3rd to take it 9-7. She extended her lead at the start of the 4th and looked to be in command, but Sample showed her experience in competition as she forced herself to chase every ball while avoiding mistakes. Quite frankly, she looked too tired to go to a 5th, particularly as the conditions were so hot and humid compared with the U.K. , but somewhat against expectations she overtook Parris in this crucial game and won it 9-5 to set up an exciting finale in the 5th.
If the standard of squash in this match was high in the first 4 games, it reached a peak in the decider. Both played at their best. Sample managed to slowly take command, and won several crucial points for a 7-4 lead, only to have Parris win back service and the next point. An extra long rally had spectators on their feet, and when Sample won back serve it seemed to be a case of now or never! She hung in to take the last two points and claim her first ever Junior CASA title. There was really no loser in this fabulous match.
Bermudian squash fans had had a rather disappointing day, and their one remaining hope was the final match of the individual championship – the Boys Under 19 – between #1 seed, Robbie Maycock, the hometown hero, and OECS star, Joe Chapman, who had played in Bermuda in last years’ PSA World Championship as a wildcard entry. Their last three encounters, all of which were close 3-2 matches, were won by Maycock, who had has previously won the Junior CASA title in every other age group. Maycock had just completed his “A” levels in the U.K. while Chapman had been training in BVI with their new coach, Joe Kneipp, a former professional from Australia and a regular visitor to Bermuda.
It was a restrained gallery watching anxiously as Chapman surged into a 6-1lead in the first game with Maycock looking rather nervous. However, Maycock slowly found his length and began to take advantage of his height and his ability to retrieve anything and everything Chapman threw at him. He clawed his way to 8-8 and by this time had the confidence to go for his shots. Maycock took the first game 10-8,and this certainly seemed to rattle Chapman who continued to play well, but had no answer to Maycock who then picked up the pace and later said he played “out of his skin” in front of his home crowd. Maycock was hitting to a tight length, keeping Chapman pinned to the back of the court, then exploiting any opportunity to drop or boast in the front corners. He put on a terrific display of controlled squash, winning the 2nd game 9-2, and the 3rd 9-4 to take the Under 19 title in his last year as a junior. From the Bermudian fans’ point of view a great finish to the individual championships. Tuesday is a rest day, with Team Competition getting underway on Wednesday.
Extra comments from Roger Sherratt – “This was a fantastic final appearance for Maycock as a junior representing Bermuda. We were all expecting a very tough match against Joe Chapman, but Maycock played superbly. His ball control was in a different class, and he constantly had his opponent on the defensive using a variety of hard tight drives down the walls and deft touch strokes, from immaculate drops to high lobs to the back of the court.
This caps a great junior squash run for Maycock who has now won every age group title – Under 13, Under 15, Under 17, and now Under 19. The only other player in Junior Boys to achieve this feat was another Bermudian, James Stout, who is currently working as a professional in New York.
Interview with Maycock
“I wasn’t expecting it to be 3-0 like that. The last two matches with Joe it’s been down to the wire 3-2. The home crowd played a huge role, and playing on my home court is a definite advantage. And maybe even the weather helped. Today it was a little cooler with all the rain – sort of made me think of England!
I thought I played out of my skin, despite a few errors. I started nervously in the 1st. Maybe I felt the pressure, especially as I’ve won every other age group and had a lot to lose. I was down 1-6 before I settled. I just tried to play my game, steady, tight length, keep him trapped at the back and exploit the front when I had an opportunity.
The first game we played at his pace – slowly – but in the 2nd I picked it up and volleyed a lot more to keep him pinned back, He seemed to tire as I grew in confidence. My shots seemed to come naturally, and the crowd got me pumped up and feeding on their energy.
I felt he was more or less finished in the 3rd game so I just kept my focus because he’s not the type to give up. I was solid and didn’t really have to dig deep today.
Now I’m off to the World Juniors with Micah and Noah. I know that will be a wake up call for me compared with here. It’s going to be really tough.”
Bank of Bermuda Foundation CASA 2008 – Photo Gallery
Posted by Pat Foster on 14-Jul-2008Categories: News Comments: [comments closed]
Click on the link to view the 1st set of photo’s available…. Junior CASA 08 Opening Ceremony
