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TODAY in Cayman: Sat
13th, Team Finals
Steve Cubbins in Cayman |
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It's the last day, with the Team
Finals starting at 09.00, followed by a trip to Stingray City
and the awards dinner this evening ...
Men's Team Final:
[1] Jamaica
2-3 [4] OECS
3rd/4th: Cayman 5-0 Barbados
3. Dave Schweir 3-2 Kevin Hannaway
11/7, 11/3, 8/11, 6/11, 11/6
4. Chris Bicknell 3-1 Kevin Bailey
9/11, 11/9, 11/9, 11/7
1. Chris Binnie 0-3 Joe Kneipp
3/11, 8/11, 4/11
5. Joey Levy 1-3 Shane Slater
11/8, 2/11, 13/15, 9/11
2. Bruce Burrowes 0-3 Joe Chapman
4/11, 9/11, 8/11
Women's Team Final:
[1]
Barbados 5-0 [2] Cayman
3. Lilliana White 3-0 Chantelle Day
11/4, 11/7, 11/6
4. Alex Jordan 3-1 Eilidh Bridgman
5/11, 11/9, 11/6, 11/3
1. Karen Meakins 3-2 Marlene West
11/5, 13/11, 9/11, 7/11, 11/8
5. Nadia McCarthy 3-0 Kristina Myren
11/9, 11/9, 11/2
2. Cheri-Ann Parris 3-1 Ailison Strobridge
11/7, 5/11, 11/9, 13/11
Vets Final Round:
[1] Barbados
(1st)
4-1 [2] Cayman (3rd)
M50: Nigel Griffith 2-3 John MaCrury
6/11, 11/7, 11/4, 4/11, 6/11
W40: Kristina Evelyn 3-1 Janet Sairsingh
10/12, 11/9, 11/5, 11/2
M40: Mark Sealey 3-0 Frank Brennan
11/2, 11/1, 11/3
W50: Lynn deCambra-McLeod 3-0 Sheena Connolly
11/6, 11/3, 11/7
M60: Leon Truss 3-0 Ian Patrick
11/1, 11/3, 11/5
[4] Jamaica
(2nd) 4-1 [3]
T&T (4th)
M50: Eddie DePass 0-3 John Holley
4/11, 8/11, 7/11
W40: Anita Bicknell 3-0 Diane Julien
11/5, 11/4, 11/2
M40: Andrew Mahfoud 3-2 Peter Pirhesingh 5/11,
11/13, 12/10, 11/5, 11/3
W50: Gill Binnie 3-0 Sonia Carrington
12/10, 11/5, 12/10
M60: Douglas Beckford 3-0 Glen Massey
11/6, 11/5, 11/7
Overall Champions: Barbados
Individual Vets Champions
Men's 40+ Mark Sealy (Bar)
Men's 50+ John MaCrury (Cay)
Men's 60+ Douglas Beckford (Jam)
Women's 40+ Kristina Evelyn (Bar)
Women's 50+ Gill Binnie (Jam)
Presentation Photos |
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OECS Comeback
denies Jamaica - again
They like their 3-2 matches do the OECS (Organisation of Eastern
Caribbean States) team - having come from behind in both their
pool matches, they did it again in the final to claim the title
for a first time (well, at least since 1977), going one better
than last year's second spot.
 They
did it the hard way, coming from two-nil down to Jamaica, just
as they did less than 24 hours ago in their Pool A decider! In
between times both won their semi-finals to set up the rematch,
which, with a barely changed playing order, gave everyone
watching a weird sense of Deja Vu.
Of course, whether the two strongest teams should have been
seeded at #1 and #4 and pitched together into a three-team pool
(along with poor old Guyana, whom lost to both 3-2 before
winning both their playoff matches) is another matter and
outside the scope of this report!
Anyway, it was numbers four and five again, just like yesterday,
and again Jamaica managed to take both of them.
Dave Schweir let a two-game lead slip before reasserting
over Kevin Hannaway in the first match before putting
Jamaica one ahead, and Chris Bicknell's precise game and
superb reach was too much for Kevin Bailey, even though
the OECS man took the first game.
 So
once more the third match was individual champion Chris
Binnie against the player with the highest (previous) world
ranking in the tournament, Joe Kneipp.
Playing only in the team event, Kneipp was handed a crucial role
in all of OECS's matches - yesterday he first had to keep OECS
in the hunt by beating Binnie, then had the job of clinching
victory over Cayman in the semi-final.
He reprised that role well. Even though Binnie was more
committed than in their previous match, Kneipp still had too
much guile, too many shots to call on, and soon enough OECS had
pulled one back.
Jamaica's team manager Warren Burrowes yesterday talked about
needing to turn one or two of the results around in the final,
and the those two matchups were next on court.
 Joey
Levy came close to doing it for Jamaica - at one-all
Shane Slater was looking the more likely winner, but a
determined comeback from well behind almost, but crucially not
quite, gave Levy the lead. But after Slater sneaked the third
15/13 he led throughout the fourth to set up the decider.
When asked about the possibility of it all being on him, just
after Jamaica went two-nil up, OECS's Joe Chapman was
unconcerned. "We've had close matches all week and I've always
been on last so it doesn't bother me," he said.
With a 3-0 win over Bruce Burrowes already in the tank
from yesterday, Chapman certainly started the favourite, but if
you were wanting to build a cyber-squash player, Burrowes would
be near the top of your list for his never-say-die ingredient.
It was tougher than yesterday, it was much much noisier than
yesterday, but Chapman played just as well, just as determined
and just as relatively error-free considering the situation, and
it was again just enough.
Certainly Burrowes had his chances - a couple of points or
decisions going the other way could have swung either of the
last two games - but Chapman was again the hero, and didn't he
and his teammates enjoy it. |
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Barbados
too good
 Barbados
Ladies once again proved too good for the rest in a women's team
tournament which featured just three entries.
Both having beaten Jamaica, the defending champions faced hosts
Cayman Islands in the title decider.
Lillian White shrugged off her early exit in the
individual event to beat Chantelle Day in straight games,
and Alex Jordan recovered from losting the first to beat
a rapidly-tiring Eilidh Bridgman in four.
So the scene was set for Karen Meakins, the deposed
individual champion of last year, to regain the title, and she
started off well enough as she took a two-game advantage.
 But
this wasn't just anyone she was playing, and three-time champion
Marlene West had two game balls in the second to equalise
before Karen took it 13/11 with some typically determined play.
This was quality squash though, and Marlene was doing more than
just competing, she began to get the better of things as
Meakins' trademark fistpumps grew less frequent.
The third and the fourth both went Marlene's way, and at 8-6 in
the fifth the match looked as though it still had some legs in
it.
But five points in a row for Karen and the fistpump was back -
and as far as Barbados was concerned, so was the title, for the
fourth time in six outings.
Nadia McCarthy and Cheri-Ann Parris (on her 21st
birthday) rounded off the 5-0 win.
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