Spirited TT girls second in Caribbean squash

GEORGE TOWN: A spirited Trinidad and Tobago were narrowly defeated for the girls team crown on Friday at the Caribbean Squash Championship. Barbados seized their fourth Caribbean Junior Squash overall team crown in six years when they captured the girls title and finished runners-up in the boys category as the tournament ended at the South Sound Courts. The Barbadians dismissed a determined challenge from Trinidad and Tobago to win the girls’ final 3-2, and although the Barbados boys team lost 3-1 to Jamaica in their final, they topped the final team standings ahead of Jamaica, with defending champions Guyana third and Trinidad and Tobago fourth.

Having whipped Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 in the preliminaries, Barbados entered the girls final as hot favourites, but TT lifted their performance and threatened in a couple of pivotal games. Cheri-Ann Parris, the Caribbean Under-15 champion, who played unbeaten all week, gave the Barbadians a winning start when she defeated Tessa Martin 9-4, 9-5, 9-7. Nakita Poon Kong levelled for Trinidad and Tobago when she got past Maia Blackman 9-2, 9-4, 9-0. The Barbadians regained the ascendancy when the talented 14-year-old Bo Harris, playing in the Under-19 category, outlasted TT’s Jamie Galt 9-7, 9-6, 9-7 in a tight game for a 2-1 Barbados lead.

Tanya Marshall clinched the tie for the Barbadians when she fought off Emily Barnes in a tense four-game battle. Marshall rallied from a game down to defeat Barnes 6-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-7, and when Nadia McCarthy took the court to face the Under-17 gold medallist Joanna Scoon, the Barbadians had already wrapped up their 12th girls title. McCarthy retired (ill) after Scoon had won the first two sets at six and five and the third game was locked at 1-1.