Atherley, Stewart make squash finals

Under-19 players Eboni Atherley and Alex Stewart secured places in the final when the 2024 NAGICO/Interpath Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association Championships got underway on Monday at the Tortola Sports Club in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Straight from the Junior Pan American Squash Championships in Quito, Ecuador, Atherley showed why she is top two in the Caribbean region with a thrilling semi-final match against Jamaica’s Sanjana Nallapati.

Atherley, a student of Christ Church Foundation School, won convincingly 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 as the tournament returned to BVI for the first time since 2007. She is set to face top seed Katherine Risden of Jamaica in what promises to be an electrifying final.

No stranger to representing Barbados at the junior squash tournament, Stewart, who is based in Canada as a student-athlete, first dominated Guyana’s Mohryan Baksh in the quarter-finals, winning emphatically 11-4, 11-1, 11-4.

Stewart continued his winning streak by defeating fellow Guyanese Michael Alphonso 11-7, 11-9, 12-10 in a competitive semi-final encounter. He will meet the No. 1 seed, Verwey of Guyana, in what promises to be an exciting final.

Stewart will look to go all the way this time, having lost the Under-19 Boys’ final last year. Meanwhile, Atherley, winner of the Under-17 Girls’ Division in 2023, will hope to win her first title at this level.

Fellow Under-19 national players Dominic Wilson and Aidan Parris fought fiercely in the boys’ quarterfinals but were defeated by top-seeded opponents.

Wilson, who recently gained valuable experience competing at the Junior Pan American Games, lost in straight sets 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 to Verwey. Meanwhile, Parris faced a tough battle against Alphonso but lost 11-6, 14-12, 11-9 despite a valiant effort.

Top performance

Another top performance was the keenly contested showdown between 3/4 seeded player Sarrayah Yearwood of Barbados and No. 2 seed Elle Wilson of Jamaica. In a nailbiting best-of-five sets contest, Wilson emerged victorious with scores of 11-8, 15-17, 13-11, 2-11, 11-8 after nearly 50 minutes of entertaining action.

Daniel Sealy, the talented son of one of Barbados’ most decorated male squash players, Mark Sealy, advanced to the Under-15 Boys’ final.

Sealy, carrying on the legacy, defeated Owen Rosorea of BVI in a challenging semi-final match with scores of 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9.

He will compete against Jayden George of St Vincent and the Grenadines in the final. Unfortunately, fellow Barbadian Ben Shepherd fell to George in straight sets 11-6, 11-0, 11-6, missing the chance for an all-Barbadian final.

In the Under-13 Girls’ category, Barbadian Olivia Watts, seeded number two, showcased her dominance with a commanding victory over Caeli George from St Vincent and the Grenadines, winning 11-6, 11-3, 11-3. Watts is slated to clash with top seed Kaylee Pierre, from the Cayman Islands, in an eagerly anticipated final. (ML)

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