Confident Guyana ready for Caribbean Junior Squash Championships
–Tournament serves-off on Sunday at Georgetown Club
Guyana is set to host the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships from July 1-9; and the Guyanese contestants are brewing with confidence ahead of Sunday’s opener.
At the launch of this tournament, on Thursday at the Georgetown Club Squash Courts on Camp Street, the general consensus among the local organisers was that the team can secure its 13th consecutive title.
President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA), Robin Lowe, declared GASA proud to host the event, and anticipated that the Guyana players would produce a performance to make all happy, given the amount of hard work its members have been engaged in.
The National Junior Squash Team pose with representatives of sponsors Digicel, Banks DIH, ExxonMobil and ANSA McAL at Thursday’s launch of the championships at the Georgetown Club
Event co-ordinator Tiffany Solomon explained that teams from the Cayman Islands, Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago will be visiting Guyana to participate in this tournament; and “though many say 13 is an unlucky number, we will be seeking to do opposite,” she promised.
Benjamin Mekdeci and Taylor Fernandes, who will be captaining the male and female teams respectively, urged their teammates to play to their best abilities and to remember the hard work they had to put in to reach this stage.
Both captains — in their final year of competing in the junior category, since they turn 19 later this year — are aiming to end on a high and cop respective singles’ titles.
Former marquee junior player Mary Fun-A-Fat also offered words of encouragement, stating: “You are ambassadors for your country, and must play with pride”. Fun-A-Fat explained that this is just the beginning, as there is even more to be achieved in the sport.
These championships have attracted sponors such as Digicel, Banks DIH under its Rainforest Water and Powerade brand, ANSA McAL, and Exxon Mobil. Banks DIH Public Relations Officer Troy Peters disclosed that the company has always supported the sport in the past, given that national player Ashley DeGroot had once been its brand ambassador and Rebecca Lowe is currently its brand ambassador.
Peters declared that, based on the talent he has seen displayed by some of the players, their chances of excelling in the sport are good.
ExxonMobil Senior Director Kimberly Brasington revealed that when the company was offered opportunity to be a part of the event, acceptance was immed[LM1]iate, given the team’s track record of success. She noted, “It is easy for us to give funds, but it is on you to do the hard work, combined with support from coaches and parents”.
ANSA McAL’s Non-Alcoholic Brand Manager Sean Abel also stated that that company is a proud supporter of sports, and will do what is necessary to help develop sports from a grassroots level.
The individual events will start on Sunday, while the team events begin on Wednesday. Some matches will be staged at the National Racquet Centre at Camp Road and Woolford Avenue, but the majority of matches will be held at the Georgetown Club. (Akeem Greene)
