SVG retains OECS Junior Squash Championship

St. Vincent and the Grenadines used home court advantage to good effect to retain the National Lotteries Authority OECS Junior Squash Championships held at the National Squash Centre at Paul’s Avenue in capital, Kingstown.

The defending champion though had to fend off a strong challenge from arch rivals St. Lucia to clip them at the tape.{{more}}

The home team bagged four of the major titles that were at stake in the two-day championships.

Kalina Browne defended successfully the Girls Under-13 singles, while last year’s Under-15 Girls singles winner Sherina Slater was again in winner’s row, when she took the Girls Under-17 title.

The Boys Under-15 title went to Kevin Hadaway who moved up this year to Under-15, after his triumph last year in the Under-13 category.

Completing the Vincentian quartet of titles was Amber Glasgow who made it two in a row in the Girls Under-19 category.

Preventing the Vincentians’ repeat of a 2006 clean sweep were Michael Poole of the British Virgin Islands who copped the Boys Under-13; St. Lucian Megan Piper won the Girls Under-15; Jon Henry Sweeney also of St.Lucia, the Boys Under-17, with his teammate Josh De Freitas procuring the Boys Under-19.

Two other titles were secured by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines. However this category saw only Vincentians participating. The newly introduced Under-11 age grouping saw Kenica Lewis winning the girls’ category and Storm Halbich triumphing among the boys. This category was introduced to give the upcoming players a feel of competition conditions.

Hannaway was declared the championship’s Most Outstanding Player, while Johann Haywood of Dominica was voted the player who displayed the best sportsmanship.

The British Virgin Islands finished third and Dominica fourth in the four team race for honours.

And as expected both St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St.Lucia gained the most selections on the OECS team for the Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association championships set for July in Tortola, the British Virgin Islands.

Browne, Hannaway, Slater, Glasgow and Andrez Bascombe were the Vincentians named, with St. Lucians Daniel and Megan Piper, Sweeney, DeFreitas and Melissa Rivers getting the selectors’ nod.

The OECS provisional squad is completed by Haywood and Erica Sorrentino of the British Virgin Islands.

Vincentian James Bentick returns as the team’s coach.