SVG claims hattrick in OECS Squash

Team SVG maintained their stranglehold on squash in the region, as they were crowned Overall Team Champions for the 3rd consecutive year at the 2007 OECS Squash Championships on May 24-27 in St. Lucia.{{more}}

Leading up to the showdown against rivals St. Lucia, the Vincentians recorded 10-2 and 12-0 victories against the British Virgin Islands and Dominica respectively. The St. Lucians put up a slightly tougher challenge, as Cheryl Renwick (Women’s 40+), Lindy Alexander (Women’s #2), Charlie Sonson (Men’s #1) and David Piper (Men’s #4) picked up wins against Dierdre Myers, Greta Primus, James Bentick and Kevin Bailey respectively. Vincentians John Horne, Leroy Lewis, Vonnie Roudette, Leroy Edwards, Sherian Slater, Amber Glasgow, Paul Cyrus and Shane Slater defeated their opponents however, to record an 8-4 triumph. St. Vincent’s dominating performance lead to a clean sweep of the team titles, lifting the Men’s, Women’s, Veterans and Overall Champions trophies.

Prior to the team event, old rivalries were renewed as the players battled for supremacy in the Men’s Open, Men’s 40+, Men’s 50+ and Women’s Open divisions. The Men’s 40+ and 50+ divisions were both 4-man round robin draws with Leroy Edwards (VIN) and Mark Chapman (BVI) emerging on top. Chapman was untroubled for the 50+ title, as he accounted for teammates Ken Adamson and Jon Osman, as well as Vincentian John Horne without dropping a game.

The Men’s 40+ division was hard-fought however, as a tie resulted between Leroy Edwards (VIN), Stephen Joachim (VIN) and Neville Sorrentino (BVI). However, on final countback of games won and lost, Edwards was determined the winner, followed by Joachim, Sorrentino and Tony Campbell (BVI). In the Women’s Open, Vincentians crowded the top spots with Amber Glasgow 5th, Vonnie Roudette 4th, Greta Primus 3rd and Sherian Slater 2nd (after a tough 9/4, 3/9, 4/9, 7/9 final loss to St. Lucia’s Alana Simmons).

Meanwhile in the Men’s Open, Paul Cyrus, Shane Slater and Kevin Bailey finshed 3rd, 6th and 9th respectively, setting up a much-anticipated final showdown between old rivals James Bentick (VIN) and Charlie Sonson (LCA). However, the match proved to be a surprisingly one-sided affair, as Sonson took back the title of “OECS Squash King” 9/6, 9/4, 9/6, after a remarkable display of racquet skill.

Based on the results of the tournament, an OECS team will be selected to compete in the Caribbean Squash Championships to be held in Jamaica from August 10-19.