After a hectic opening day, the pace slowed a little with just two main draw rounds to play - quarters in the morning, semis in the evening - plus consolation matches of course.

Semi-Finals:

[1] Karen Meakins (Bar) 3-1 [3/4] Daniela Schumann (Ecs)
               9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 13-11 (38m)
[2] Runa Reta (Ber) 3-0 [3/4] Ashley Khalil Guy)
              11-3, 11-5, 11-9 (20m)

[1] Chris Binnie (Jam) 3-0 [3/4] Sunil Seth (Guy)
               11-9, 13-11, 11-7 (50m)
[3/4] Cameron Stafford (Cay) 3-2 [2] Lewis Walters (Jam)
               12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 17-15 (85m)

Cameron denies an all-Jamaica final

It was an astonishing finish to the last semi-final as Cayman's Cameron Stafford denied the all-Jamaica men's final predicted by the seedings.



But let's start at the beginning. The ladies' semi-finals were first, and it was top seeds Karen Meakins and Runa Reta who won through to the final.

Reta, the Bermuda-based Canadian playing in her first CASA, maintained her run of straight game victories as she beat Ashley Khalil, who was getting stronger and stronger as the match progressed but couldn't quite get there in the third.

"It's a while since I played in front of a crowd as noisy and enthusiastic as this," admitted Runa, "but I'm really enjoying my first CASA, the atmosphere is great and I'm looking forward to the final now."

Defending champion Meakins was up against Daniela Schumann, the former German international who has been based in the British Virgin Islands for seven years. 

There was nothing to choose between them for four games - Schumann held a narrow lead throughout the first which she took 11/9, and led for most of the second too before Meakins accelerated at the end to level 11-9.

Schumann's accuracy and hard driving were causing Meakins all sorts of trouble, but the 15-time Barbados champion is nothing if not a fighter, and she recovered from 7-9 in the third to take the lead 11-9.

She was in even more trouble in the fourth as Schumann led 10-7 but once again Meakins' determination was the decisive factor as she saved four game balls before taking the match 13-11 to reach a ninth consecutive CASA final.

"That was such a tough game," admitted Meakins. "She played really well, so much better than when I played her two years ago. It was just a couple of points in each game and I had to really fight to win the third and the fourth. I'm so happy, and relieved, to get through to another final!"

the end of the match

Jamaica's Chris Binnie won through to his seventh final in a row, but as in the morning quarter-finals he was made to work hard for a straight-game win. Sunil Seth showed little sign of his 80-minute quarter-final in the first two games in which he pushed the five-time champion close all the way.

Binnie came from 7-9 down in the first and saved a game ball before extending his lead 13-11. Only in the third did Seth seem to flag as the Jamaican finished off the match 11/7 in 50 minutes.

"I think I played the big points well tonight," said Binnie, "but I needed to. I found a better length than I did this morning and he made a few errors at crucial points. His match this afternoon must have taken its toll but I'm not complaining, I'm very happy to make the final again. 



The other men's semi-final, second-seeded Jamaican Lewis Walters versus home favourite and 3/4 seed Cameron Stafford, had started well before Binnie took to the court, and it finished well after too.

Long story short the first four games were very well contested with both players urged on by their noisy support.

Stafford twice took the lead but twice was pegged back, setting the scene for an astonishing decider.

the end of the fourth game

They matched each other point for point all the way up to 9-all. Walters had the first match ball, Stafford saved it with some brilliant play, then snatched at his first match ball at 11-10.

They would each have more chances, Walters diving to all corners of the court, Stafford firing in winners then tins.

Eventually, on his third match ball - having saved four - Cameron punched a ball deep that Lewis' final dive couldn't reach and the place erupted.

"The fifth was so nerve wracking, I've never played a game let alone a match like that," said a delighted winner, "I was running on so much adrenalin in the fifth.

"I've been talking to my good friends Charlie Johnson and Jack Jago in America and they gave me a game plan which I stuck to and it worked, I owe it all to them!

"I'm delighted to make the final for the third time, and I'll be playing my good friend Chris in the final for the second time in a row. I hope it will be a good final, and I hope it will be third time time lucky for me!"

Men's Quarters: 

[1] Chris Binnie (Jam) 3-0 Noah Browne (Ber)
                  11/8, 11/8, 12/10 (42m)
[3/4] Sunil Seth (Guy) 3-2 [5/8] Micah Franklin (Ber)
                 5/11, 11/4, 11/6, 5/11, 12/10 (80m)

[3/4] Cameron Stafford (Cay) 3-0 [5/8] Kale Wilson (Tri) 
                  11/4, 11/3, 11/7 (20m)
[2] Lewis Walters (Jam) 3-1 [5/8] Richard Chin (Guy)
                  11/6, 11/5, 6/11, 11/2 (40m)

Women's Quarters:  

 [1] Karen Meakins (Bar) 3-0 [5/8] Mary Fung-A-Fat (Guy)
                 11/4, 11/7, 11/3 (20m)
[5/8] Daniela Schuman (Ecs) 3-0 Meagan Best (Bar)
                 11/0, 11/5, 11/6 (18m)
[3/4] Ashley Khalil (Guy) 3-1 [5/8] Charlotte Knaggs (Tri)
                 11/5, 11/5, 7/11, 11/5 (24m)
[2] Runa Reta (Ber) 3-0 [5/8] Akeila Wiltshire (Guy)
                  11/2, 11/1, 11/6 (19m)

Quarter-Finals:

No upsets in the men's quarter-finals as the top four seeds won through to tonight's semi-finals, but there was some contrast in the way they got there.

First up was a straightforward three-nil win for Cayman's Cameron Stafford over his former junior rival Kale Wilson, taking just 20 minutes.

Top seed Chris Binnie also won in straight games, but unseeded Noah Browne made the defending champion work for it.

The first was close all the way, Binnie pulling through at the end to lead 11/8, then having to come from 1-7 down on the way to doubling his advantage with another 11/8.

From 4-all to 10-4 in the third it looked all over, but a couple of tins from Binnie gave Browne a sniff, and soon enough it was 10-all, courtesy of a nick on the back wall, much to Browne's delight. The comeback ended there though as Binnie took the next two points to finish the match off in 42 minutes.

"I've seen him play a bunch in the US, so I knew it wasn't going to be easy," said Binnie. "It was an early morning match, a bit difficult to get started but he played well, kept it tight and stopped me attacking. I almost paid the price for trying to finish it off too quickly at match ball, so in the end I'm glad to get it done in three!"

Second seed Lewis Walters beat former champion Richard Chin in four games. The Jamaican was in control for the first two, but let Chin build up a 10-2 lead in the third from which there was no escape. But Walters was back in control for the fourth to book his first-time semi-final place.

While the two top seeds were winning, Cameron Seth and Micah Franklin were embroiled in a brutal exchange that took 80 minutes to complete. Evenly matched, and playing on a warm court, the rallies were extended and at time emotions high. Franklin took the first and third games, Seth levelled twice to force a decider, each game taken by the early leader.

The fifth was nip and tuck until 7-all when Franklin took three points in a row to earn match balls. A dropshot tinned, a midcourt shot tinned, a stroke at the front ("questionable" according to Micah, and it certainly looked that from my corner) and it was 10-all.

A dropshot from Seth, then a sidewall nick to finish off a final long, long rally and the 3/4 seed had survived.

"Brutal," said Franklin afterwards. "I had my chances so it's disappointing not to get through ... now I need to get ready for the 5/8 playoffs!" [he beat Bruce Burrowes 3-1]

Little drama in the women's quarters with the seeded players all progressing as expected - in a total time of just one minute longer than the Seth/Franklin affair!