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Barbados Open 2010,
21-26 June, $3k |
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26-Jun-2010:
Meakins and Simpson are
Barbados Open Champions 2010
Men's A Final: (1) Shawn
Simpson beat (2) Bryant Cumberbatch
w/o
Ladies Final: (1) Karen Meakins beat (2)
Cheri-Ann Parris
11-7, 11-4, 12-10
Men's B Final: (1) Stuart Tippleston beat (3/$/ Cliff Nolan
11-9, 11-6, 11-5
Karen Meakins claimed
her eleventh Barbados Open Squash Championship to add her to
her ever growing collection of silverware. The 37 year old
was facing the reigning Caribbean Under 19 champion
Cheri-Ann Parris in a repeat of last month's Barbados
National Championship. On that occasion Parris was able to
take a rare game against Meakins who has been dominant on
the island for the last decade.
However, on this occasion Meakins asserted her control on
the match from the very start aided by a string of errors
from Parris. Meakins was quickly into a 4-1 lead and
maintained this gap to take an 11-7 first game. Parris was
struggling to impose her game with the weight of shot and
precision of Meakins. The second seed made no impact in the
second game losing it 11-4.
It looked all but over at 6-2 in the third when Meakins led
6-2. Some more aggressive play from Parris eventually closed
the gap to 6-5 and then 9-8. A solid winner from Parris and
a controversial call from the referee gave her a game point
at 10-9. Matches can turn on a few points and had Parris
managed to take that point then perhaps she could have
mounted a serious challenge in the remainder of the match.
However, it was Meakins who kept calmer at the business end
of matters and took the last three points and with it the
Championship.
The Men's event was also an all Barbados final between the
top two seeds Shawn Simpson and Bryant Cumberbatch.
Simpson in his third consecutive final having lost to the
USA's Richard Chin in 2008 and 2009. This promised to be an
exciting and entertaining match between two very talented
players. However, Cumberbatch had to default due to his
religious commitments and the match was awarded to Simpson.
In the Men's B event top seed and local photographer
Stuart Tippleston withheld the challenge of Cliff
Nolan taking a close first game before tightening his
grasp on the match in the final two games.
An exhibition doubles match was shown in front of the local
television and media with the medal winning pairing of
Meakins and Simpson against Parris and national coach,
Jonathan Gallacher. This was followed by the presentation
where Patrick Hinkson, Vice President Finance from
Telebarbados awarded the prizes. Our thanks go to all the
sponsors Barbados Shipping & Trading; Italk international
calling cards, powered by TeleBarbados; and POWERADE.
During the week referee certification clinics were conducted
by two of Barbados’ top referees, Craig Archer and Orson
Simpson, who are currently the only certified referee
assessors based in the Caribbean. These clinics resulted in
four persons from Barbados and one from St. Vincent being
assessed and successfully achieving their initial refereeing
certification. The Caribbean Officiating Programme for
Squash (COPS) was launched in 2005 by the Caribbean Area
Squash Association (CASA), with technical assistance
provided by Squash Canada. Since then a total of seven
certification clinics have been held in three Caribbean
countries and, to date, sixty three persons from eight
Caribbean countries have been certified as referees under
that programme.”
The presentation was followed by a Tiami catamaran cruise
which was a wonderful evening with the full moon and
food and drinks provided.
And so the 2010 Barbados Open comes to an end but we will be
back next year with a bigger and better event. My personal
thanks go to Jeannette Cullen, Ronald Watson, Michael
Best, Paul McLeod, Craig Archer and Orson Simpson who
contributed massively to making this such a successful
event.
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Photo Gallery |
25-Jun, Day Five, Semis:
Top seeds progress into
finals
All threats were brushed aside as the top two seeds in both
the Ladies and Men's Barbados Open Squash Championships
progressed into their respective finals.
Kevin Bailey was unable to repeat his heroics from earlier
in the tournament when he came up against the Caribbean no.
3 player and top seed for the tournament, Shawn Simpson. An
aggressive start by Bailey saw him storm into a 10-4 lead.
Although Simpson recovered to 10-9 the game went to Bailey
with a fist pump that showed he was very much up for the
challenge.
Simpson's recovery at the end of the first game set the tone
for the rest of the match. In recent months Simpson is
playing with an ever increasing maturity and poise. The
deception of Simpson's shots meant that Bailey was unable to
play at the pace he had in the first game. At 8 all in the
second Bailey was still very much in it and was not far off
taking a two game lead. But Simpson pulled away when it
mattered to win 11-8 and closed out the last two games with
something to spare to record a 3-1 victory.
The other semi-final was between the second seed Bryant
Cumberbatch and Barbados national coach, Jonathan Gallacher.
This was a clash between the experience of Gallacher and the
raw talent and speed of 22 year old Cumberbatch. Gallacher
quickly took a 7-1 lead in the first game subduing the
strengths of Cumberbatch. A one sided affair was never
likely and Cumberbatch recovered to take a 9-8 lead with a
number of long hard hitting rallies and won the game 11-9 to
the disappointment of Gallacher who felt he should have
capitalized on that lead.
The second game was close, Gallacher recovering from 4-1 and
then 9-7 to equalize the match at one game all. Gallacher
took a 4-3 lead in the third game but from that point on the
match turned. Cumberbatch's relentless speed and fitness
meant that Gallacher was being made to work hard for every
point and the 36 year old was clearly tiring. The third game
went to Cumberbatch 11-6. In the fourth Cumberbatch sensed a
place in the final was in his grasp and exhibited fantastic
skill hitting nicks at will as soon as the opportunity
arose.
3-1 to Cumberbatch to set up a repeat of last month's
Barbados Closed Championship against Shawn Simpson with the
winner taking a cheque for US$ 600.
In the ladies event Caribbean no.2 Karen Meakins and
Caribbean U19 Champion Cheri-Ann Parris were hot favourites
to reach the final. Meakins was up against 3/4 seed from
Barbados Lilianna White.
White fresh from her marathon in the quarter finals put up
some resistance in the first game but the outcome was never
in doubt. Meakins reaches yet another final and will be
looking to add her to the ten Barbados Open titles she has
already accumulated.
Second seed Cheri-Ann Parris will be her challenger in the
final. Parris is a very strong athlete was always in control
against the Baltimore based Jenny Armstrong winning 3-0.
In the Mens 'B' event top seed Staurt Tippleston was made to
fight hard for the second consecutive day as he overcame
Barbados Squash Association President Craig Archer 3-1. He
will play Cliff Nolan in the final who had a mammoth match
against Curtis Gittens winning 3-2.
So we go into Finals day at the Barbados Squash Club. As
well as the three finals there are plate matches and
playoffs to decide placings from 5th to 8th. With prize
money being offered down to 5th place there will be lots to
play for.
Men's A:
(1) Shawn Simpson beat Kevin Bailey (St Vincent)
9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6
(2) Bryant Cumberbatch beat (3/4) Jonathan Gallacher (Eng)
11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3
Ladies:
(1) Karen Meakins beat (3/4) Lilianna White 11-7, 11-3,
11-4
(2) Cheri-Ann Parris beat (3/4) Jenny Armstrong 12-10, 11-8,
11-7
Men's B:
(1) Stuart Tippleston beat (3/4) Craig Archer 11-7,
11-8, 6-11, 11-6
(3/4) Cliff Nolan beat (5/8) Curtis Gittens 13-15, 13-11,
11-5, 4-11, 11-8 |
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Bailey
takes out another seed
Jonathan Gallacher reports
Kevin Bailey continued his onslaught against the
seeded players in the Barbados Open on quarter-final night.
He followed up his victory against Gavin Cumberbatch with a
hard fought 44 minute win against the experienced Mark
Sealy. This was a controversial match with a number of
discussions with the referee.
Bailey managed to hold on to an early lead in the first game
to secure it 11-8 but there were signs that Sealy was
beginning to find his range. Sealy responded in the second
playing a much better tactical game that were asking
questions of Bailey and limiting his attacking prowess.
However, Sealy was unable to continue this form into the
crucial third as the younger player upped the pace of play.
The fourth involved further controversy when the players
collided full on leaving Sealy with a bloody nose. The
injured player left the court for treatment and the highly
accomplished referee Craig Archer rightly allowed Sealy as
much time to recover as necessary. There was a significant
break and the next match due on the show court was completed
before play resumed some 40 minutes later. When they did
return Bailey had only to win a few more points to close out
the match which he duly did 11-7 to set up a much
anticipated semi-final against number one seed and Barbados
National Champion Shawn Simpson.
There were no knockout blows in the next match between
Shawn Simpson and Andy Gill but at over 6ft 5 both
players have to duck to get into the court in the first
place. They both showed why they have both been National
Champions with great volleying and retrieval skills. It was
Simpson who prevailed and marches on his quest to become
Barbados Open Champion for the first time.
The bottom half of the draw saw both the higher seeded
players book their place in the last four without dropping a
game. Second seed Bryant Cumberbatch had too much
pace for Nigel Griffith and next takes on Jonathan
Gallacher (3/4) who took out one of the three
Cumberbatch brothers, Rhett.
Men's
Quarter-Finals:
(1) Shawn Simpson beat Andy Gill
11-6,
11-8, 11-2
Kevin Bailey (St Vincent) beat (5/8) Mark Sealy
11-8, 4-11,
11-7, 11-7
(3/4) Jonathan Gallacher (Eng) beat (5/8) Rhett Cumberbatch
11-6,
11-2 ret
(2) Bryant Cumberbatch beat Nigel Griffith (aka The Dragon!)
11-3,
11-4, 11-8
The quarter-finals in the
Ladies event very nearly had an equally significant upset.
The all Barbadian duel between Lea Solomon (5/8) and
Lilianna White (3/4) was always going to be a tense
match but few would have foreseen Solomon taking a two games
to love lead. White has represented Barbados for some
sixteen years but found herself on the verge of defeat at
8-3 down in the fourth game with the game score at 2-1 to
Solomon. The edgy performance of White now transferred to
Solomon who must have sensed an unexpected victory. White
showed great character to reel of seven consecutive points
to give herself game ball at 10-8. Solomon recovered to
11-10 to give herself match ball and when White saved that
one, she had a second chance at 13-12 match ball. Again
White hung in and closed out the game to her relief 16-14.
The power hitting and composure of White combined with a
clearly fatiguing Solomon who was no longer throwing herself
around the court gave a one sided fifth game to White.
White next faces top seeded Karen Meakins who was in
dominant form dropping just six points in her win against
Alex Jordan. Equally impressive was second seed Cheri-Ann
Parris who had too much pace for Natalie Chesham. In the
semi-final she will be playing Jenny Armstrong.
Armstrong, who has flown in from her home in Baltimore to
play in this event did not have things her own way against
the young Trinidadian player Tessa Martin. However, it was
Armstrong who won the important points in all three close
games.
Women's
Quarter-Finals:
(3/4) Lilianna White beat (5/8) Lea Solomon
7-11, 6-11, 11-7,
16-14, 11-4
(1) Karen Meakins beat (5/8) Alex Jordan
11-2, 11-2,
11-2
(3/4) Jenny Armstrong beat (5/8) Tessa Martin (TRI)
12-10,
11-8, 11-7
(2) Cheri-Ann Parris beat (5/8) Natalie Chesham
11-6,
11-3, 11-7
In the Men's B event all the
seeded players got through as expected. Top seed Stuart
Tippleston was made to fight all the way against Andrew
Nunes finally wrapping up victory in four games. In
tomorrow's semi-final he will play the President of the
Barbados Squash Association, Craig Archer who had a
comfortable win against Ricky Edwards. The other semi-final
will feature Cliff Nolan against Curtis Gittens.
Gittens got the better of 14 year old Sebastian Straker who
showed great maturity and nearly took the second game.
Men's B
Quarter-Finals:
(1) Stuart Tippleston (Eng) beat (5/8) Andrew Nunes
13-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7
(3/4) Craig Archer beat (5/8) Ricky Edwards
11-6, 11-1, 11-7
(3/4) Cliff Nolan beat Oliver Gale w/o
(5/8) Curtis Gittens beat Sebastian Straker
11-3, 11-8,
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Bailey creates upset on Day 3
Jonathan Gallacher reports
St. Vincent's Kevin Bailey created the only upset on
Day 3 of the Barbados Open as the Men's A and Ladies A
events got underway.
Bailey's win was a significant one as he ousted former
Caribbean champion Gavin Cumberbatch, the 3/4 seed from
Barbados in 23 minutes. Although the initial exchanges were
fairly even it was Bailey who was putting the points on the
board and he took a 6-1 lead. Cumberbatch responded with
some excellent play but he had left himself too much to do
and lost the opening game 11-8. The following two games were
close affairs but too many short lengths provided the
attacking opportunities for Bailey.
Kevin Bailey (St Vincent) beat Gavin Cumberbatch (3/4)
11-8, 11-7, 12-10
Elsewhere in the draw the seeds were largely untroubled all
notching up 3-0 victories. Barbados youngster Matthew
Mackenzie had the unenviable task of taking on National
Champion and number one seed Shawn Simpson. The 16
year old acquitted himself well and should be pleased with
his form with the Junior Caribbean Championships just two
weeks away.
Shawn Simpson (1) beat Matthew Mackenzie 11-5, 11-6, 11-7
Barbados junior team mate Jonathan O'Dowd was up against
former national champion Andy Gill. Gill's record
representing Barbados is second and he always looked under
control in this match against another junior who promises
much. Gill next faces Simpson in a battle between the two
tallest men in the tournament.
Andy Gill (5/8) beat Jonathan O'Dowd 11-5, 11-6, 11-7
48 year old Mark Sealy is in impressive form and his
fitness defies his years, and also most opponents. This
coupled with an immaculate choice of shot makes him a
formidable competitor and Charles Chambers was his victim
3-0 this evening.
Mark Sealy (5/8) beat Charles Chambers 11-5, 11-3, 11-5
Tournament organiser and new national coach Jonathan
Gallacher defeated Leon Truss in straight games. Truss
is one of the favourites to win the Caribbean (CASA) Over 60
Championship in August but in this match the cunningly
deceptive player was clearly saving himself for the plate
competition.
Jonathan Gallacher (3/4) beat Leon Truss 11-3, 11-1, 11-1
19 year old Ryan Foster played some outrageous winners in
his first round match against the wily Nigel Griffin
aka The Dragon. The all out attack made life more simple for
The Dragon who could wait for a stroke to be awarded or pick
off Foster's overhit shots.
Nigel Griffin (5/8) beat Ryan Foster 11-4, 11-6, 11-8
The final match of the evening featured two of the most
talented players in the draw, 2nd seed Bryant Cumberbatch
against Jules Snagg. The speed of Cumberbatch around the
court is comparable to players in the top 60 in the world,
making it extremely difficult to outmaneuver him. Despite a
spirited performance Snagg wasn't able to contain the
effervescent Cumberbatch.
Bryant Cumberbatch (2) beat Jules Snagg (St Vincent)
Women's Seeds safely through
The ladies first round matches were fairly one sided with
all the seeds progressing in straight games.
Two of the local juniors, 13 year old Gylla Mackenzie and 17
year old Zoe Lisk will have gained valuable experience and
in fact meet each other in tomorrow's ladies plate which
will be a repeat of the Barbados U19 Final earlier this
year.
In only one of the matches did the victor drop more than ten
points. This came in the encounter between 5/8 seed Alex
Jordan and Bo Harris. Both players are vying for places on
the plane to St Vincent for the CASA championships to
represent Barbados. And a hotly contested duel was expected.
Neither player was willing to give an inch in the first game
but it was Jordan who prevailed. After this, the silky
movement of Harris was beginning to deteriate as she tired.
Jordan possesses an admirable steely determination and she
was never going to let Harris back in once ahead. A quality
match which bodes well for the Barbados Ladies Team ended
with a 3-0 victory for Jordan.
(1) Karen Meakins beat Lucyla Seale 11-4, 11-2, 11-2
(5/8) Alex Jordan beat Bo Harris 13-11, 11-7, 11-4
(5/8) Lea Solomon beat Kenica Miller 11-3, 11-1, 11-1
(3/4) Lilianna White beat Gylla Mackenzie 11-5, 11-0, 11-4
(3/4) Jenny Armstrong beat Nicole Jordan 11-4, 11-5, 11-3
(5/8) Tessa Martin beat Zoe Lisk 11-4, 11-3, 11-3
(2) Cheri-Ann Parris beat Ayoni Bradshaw
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Photo Gallery |
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Men's B Draw
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Day Two in Barbados - Men's B
Jonathan Gallacher reports
Day two of the Barbados Open
Squash Championships saw the winners of last night's matches
join the seeded players to fight for a quarter-final place
in the Men's 'B' event.
There was one remaining first round game to be played
between 15 year old Zaki Williams and Sanjay Amin, who flew
in from Toronto earlier in the afternoon. Williams is a
talented young player and Amin was no taking no chances as
he took a 3-0 victory and saved himself some energy for his
encounter against 5/8 seed Curtis Gittens later in the
evening.
Sanjay Amin beat Zaki Williams 11-5, 11-2, 11-5
 On
the adjacent court 2 Ran Dana, a former national junior
player from Israel, was facing 5/8 seed Andrew Nunes. This
promised to be one of the closest matches of the evening.
Dana took a 7-6 lead in the first game before Nunes
delivered a run of five points.
Dana came out strongly in the second and was quickly ahead
5-0. He increased his lead to 8-2 and despite a brief
comeback by Nunes from 10-4 down the match was level at a
game a piece.
So often the third game is vital. Lapses in concentration
from both players allowed the other to create runs of 4
points, the first from Nunes to take a significant 8-3 lead.
Dana responded well to reduce the gap to one point. Nunes
appeared to have the ascendency but squandered two games
balls from 10-8 before finally closing it out on his third
game ball.
Nunes pressed home his advantage in the fourth, never
letting the Israeli player back in. The match finished
slightly prematurely at match ball with Dana having to
retire with a calf injury.
5/8 Andrew Nunes beat Ran Dana (ISR) 11-7, 7-11, 12-10,
10-3
Ricky Edwards (5/8 seed) will have felt confident going into
his match with Daniel Jordan who had endured a five set
marathon the previous evening. Jordan showed no ill affects
from this as the match started and moved five points clear
with a confident display before Edwards notched up his first
point. Unfazed by the score-line Edwards continued his
comeback dropping just two more points to reach game ball.
Although Jordan saved that one the damage had been done and
Edwards took the first game.
The second game started off much more closely up to 4-4. A
string of winners from Jordan took him to a 9-4 advantage.
Surely he would learn from the previous game and level the
scores. All credit to Edwards as he mounted another
comeback, saving one game ball in the process before taking
the game 12-10. There was only going to be one winner from
this stage as Edwards closed it out 11-2.
5/8 Ricky Edwards beat Daniel Jordan 11-8, 12-10, 11-2
With the number two seed Rawle Jackson withdrawing from the
tournament earlier in the day, the bottom half of the draw
has opened up for 3/4 seed Cliff Nolan. The experienced
campaigner was up against the Barbados U15 champion, Stewart
St. John. The initial exchanges were shared but from 3-3 the
stronger Nolan showed why he is one of the favourites for
the event as he won 22 of the next 24 points. St. John began
to get into his stride in the third game but Nolan always
looked to have the edge and he duly booked his berth in the
quarter-finals.
3/4 Cliff Nolan beat Stewart St. John 11-5, 11-0, 11-8
Next up for Nolan was the winner of the match between Oliver
Gale and Dave Lewis (5/8 seed). Gale was involved in an epic
match on Monday evening and another was to follow tonight.
The first three games could all have gone either way but it
was Gale who sneaked ahead and won the big points. Lewis
came on court determined in the fourth and there were signs
that Gale was tiring as he won 11-4. Nobody was predicting
who was going to win this one. Gale opened up a slender lead
in the fifth at 3-1 and this was enough as he maintained
this slim advantage throughout the fifth game.
Oliver Gale beat 5/8 Dave Lewis 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 4-11,
11-7
Sanjay Amin warmed up from his earlier match took to the
court before the scheduled time. His opponent was Curtis
Gittens (5/8). On paper this was going to be another tense
match. The first two games were both extremely close with
there rarely being more than a couple of points between the
players. Amin will have felt aggrieved to have nothing to
show for his efforts as he lost both 11-9. The third game
followed the same pattern although it was Amin who this time
came out on top. Gittens has been training hard recently and
his extra strength proved decisive as from 2-2 in the fifth
he swept Amin aside.
Gittens next faces 14 year old Sebastian Straker who enjoyed
a walkover against the injured Rawle Jackson.
5/8 Curtis Gittens beat Sanjay Amin 11-9, 11-9, 8-11,
11-3
Number one seed Tippleston hails from Northampton in England
but the self employed photographer has made Barbados his
home. Despite a brief challenge from Bradley Glasgow in the
second, Tippleston always looked like winning this one.
1 Stuart Tippleston beat Bradley Glasgow 11-3, 11-9, 11-3
 The
final match of the evening pitted the long standing
President of the Barbados Squash Association, Craig Archer
against the newly elected Junior Vice President, Michael
Best. In last year's event Archer lost to Sanjay Amin who
had previously been elected to the same role. The exuberant
crowd were wondering if a similar upset was on the cards
this year when Best opened up the match with some stunning
winners. However, it was not to be. Both players will have
been slightly disappointed with their performance but it was
Archer who moves into the quarter-finals which take place on
Thursday.
3/4 Craig Archer beat Michael Best 11-6, 11-3, 11-7
And so the Barbados Open sponsored by Barbados Shipping &
Trading; Italk international calling cards, powered by
TeleBarbados; and POWERADE moves into Day 3. Tomorrow sees
the challengers in the Men's A and Ladies looking to spring
an upset against the seeded players who will be out to
impress and stake their claim for the Championship.
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Photo Gallery |
Under way in Barbados
Jonathan Gallacher reports
The 19th edition of the Barbados Open sponsored by Barbados
Shipping & Trading; Italk international calling cards,
powered by TeleBarbados; and POWERADE looks likely be one of
the most hotly contested yet in what will be a tremendous
week of squash.
The winners will be looking forward to celebrating at the
presentation evening on Saturday night which will be aboard
a moonlight cruise in the Caribbean sea. However, there will
be some hard fought encounters before such festivities and
so it proved in this evening's Men's 'B' event which saw two
of the three matches played going to five games.
First up were local players, Bradley Glasgow against
Barbados Squash Club junior Maarten Edwards. An error
strewn first game, with Edwards finding the tin on too many
occasions, resulted in a straight forward 11-3 game to
Glasgow.
The second game contained some much longer rallies and
despite the similar scoreline there were signs that Edwards
was beginning to find his form.
This trend continued in the third game with more consistent
play from both players. However, Edward's reluctance to
volley made it to easy for Glasgow to put his opponent under
pressure and he claimed a 3-0 victory.
Bradley Glasgow beat Maarten Edwards 11-3, 11-3, 11-2
Barbados U15 no.2 Brandon Straker (who together with
his twin brother are the youngest players in the tournament)
took the first two games against Daniel Jordan. The
second game looked like it was going the way of Jordan.
Serving at 10-8 he hit the half court line and then
proceeded to lose the next two points as well. A perfect
forehand cross-court by Straker on his first game point gave
him a well deserved lead.
In the third game Jordan managed to force Straker to the
back of the court to turn the tide. At 10-4 Jordan once
again served out to set the nerves jangling but ultimately
he closed out the game 10-6 with a well struck backhand
cross-court. The fourth game was one way traffic and it was
soon all square.
Straker came out much more aggressively in the fifth game
volleying more. However, Jordan was able to contain this
pressure and opened up a 9-4 lead in the decider. A few
nerves from Jordan and some gutsy play from Straker saw the
younger player take six points on the run to give himself a
match ball at 10-9. Jordan managed to compose himself and
saved that match ball before closing out the next two points
to take himself into Tuesday's second round.
Daniel Jordan beat Brandon Straker 9-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-3,
12-10
The final match of the evening was another pulsating
encounter played between Peter Harris and Oliver
Gale. A fast and furious first game with neither playing
ever taking control went the way of Harris 11-9.
The second game continued in the same vain but a string of
errors from the racket of Harris from 6-6 gave the game to
Gale 11-6.
A less frantic pace in the third saw Harris establishing a
6-3 lead which he never relinquished as he closed out the
game 11-5.
Harris took a 4-0 lead in the fourth and victory looked
likely. Two perfect backhand drives by the left-handed Gale
brought him back to 2-5. Both players were visibly tiring
and a nip and tuck game was beginning to go the way of the
younger man. Gale closed out the game 11-6 to take the
second consecutive match into a fifth game.
A tentative start by both players saw neither taking more
than a one point lead up to 4-4, before Harris stretched
away to 7-4. The pattern of play now resembled the frantic
pace of the first two games. More Harris errors lost him the
lead and within minutes the match had escaped his grasp with
Gale winning the last six points to wrap up a courageous
victory.
Oliver Gale beat Peter Harris 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8
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Men's A
Women's
Men's B
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LOCAL NUMBER ONES ARE THE TOP SEEDS IN
THE 2010 BARBADOS SQUASH OPEN
Reigning National Champions, Karen Meakins and Shawn
Simpson, have been both seeded at #1 for this year’s
Barbados Squash Open which serves off at the Barbados Squash
Club, Marine Gardens next week.
Meakins is the defending ladies champion and has played in
this event, which is sponsored by Barbados Shipping &
Trading; Italk international calling cards, powered by
TeleBarbados; and POWERADE on eleven previous occasions and
has won it ten times, while Simpson has reached the last
three finals but has lost each one. This year, however, the
two time defending men’s champion, Richard Chin, has not
returned to defend his title so the way is clear for the
tall left-handed Simpson, the Caribbean #3 to claim his
first Open on his home court.
As in previous years there is a Ladies event, a Men’s A
event and a Men’s B event with a total of 52 competitors
from six countries, including Barbados, being represented.
The Men’s A and the Ladies draws have been limited to 16
each.
The other top eight seeds are as follows (all Barbados
unless stated otherwise):
Ladies - #2 Cheri-Ann Parris; #3/4 Jenny Armstrong &
Lilianna White. #5/8 - Natalie Chesham; Tessa Martin (T&T);
Alex Jordan & Lea Solomon.
Men A - #2 Bryant Cumberbatch; #3/4 Gavin Cumberbatch &
Jonathan Gallacher (UK) #5/8 - Rhett Cumberbatch; Andy Gill;
Nigel Griffith & Mark Sealy.
Men B - #1 Stuart Tippleston (UK); #2 Rawle Jackson
#3/4 - Craig Archer & Cliff Nolan #5/8 – Ricky Edwards;
Curtis Gittens; David Lewis & Andrew Nunes.
The Men’s B competition gets underway next Monday at 5:00
p.m. when four preliminary round matches are scheduled. The
Men’s B 1st round follows the day after beginning at 5:00
p.m. The top players (Ladies and Men’s A) will start playing
from Wednesday June 23rd beginning at 5:00 p.m. Matches will
continue for the rest of the week with the finals to be held
on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1:30 p.m. The last match
is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start.
All matches will be at the Barbados Squash Club and
admission for the public is free.
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As usual we hope to have an exciting event this year with
the top 16 seeded Men and Ladies playing for a total of
US$3,000 prize money in the Men’s A and Ladies’ A
competitions (N.B. Local winners may receive prize money in
BDS$ equivalent).
Everyone else (e.g. mere hackers like our President will be
playing for bragging rights in the Men’s B (or Ladies B)
competitions. Entry fee is BDS $60 for paid up BSRA members
and US$50 for non-members and overseas players.
We are working towards providing free / billeted
accommodation to the first ten (10) overseas entries, who
will be placed in the homes of friends of squash on a first
come, first served basis. Please note that this type of
accommodation is very limited so enter early and we’ll see
what we can do to assist. Players from overseas will need to
be available to play from 5:00 p.m. onwards on Wednesday
June 23, 2010.
If you wish to make enquiries
directly, two reasonable hotels near to the venue, the
Barbados Squash Club (246) 427-7913 include:
Hotels (in all cases please indicate you will be attending
the Barbados Squash Open)
Coconut Court Beach Hotel (10 mins. walk from venue)
The Garrison Historic Area, Hastings, Christ Church,
Barbados.
Phone (246) 427-1655 Fax (246) 429-8198
www.coconut-court.com
Pirates Inn (10 mins. walk in the other direction from the
venue)
Browne's Gap, Christ Church, Barbados.
Phone (246) 426 6273. Fax (246) 436 0957.
www.piratesinnbarbados.com
E-mail:
info@piratesinnbarbados.com |
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