Female squash players finish runners-up to Guyana
Jamaica’s women finished second place after losing to hosts Guyana in the final of the Team Competition of the Caribbean Area Squash Association’s (CASA) Junior Championships in Georgetown on Thursday.
The boys team placed fourth to give Jamaica a second place finish overall in the competition.
Alyssa Mullings, Mary Mahfood, Lauren Mahfood, Jessica Perkins, Ericka Robertson and Dana Saulter, who made up the girls team, went into the final looking to avenge their loss to Guyana in last year’s championship which was held in the Cayman Islands.
However, Guyana, no doubt bolstered by home court advantage, came out in a show of force and defeated the Jamaicans by four matches to one.
All Jamaica and Caribbean Under-13 girls champion, Mullings won her match against Guyana’s Lydia Alphonso 11/2, 11/0, 11/0. However, Mullings’ teammates did not fare as well in their own outings as Mary Mahfood was beaten 6/11, 11/9, 6/11, 11/6, 9/11 by Caribbean Under-15 champion Akeila Wiltshire and Lauren Mahfood lost to Ashley Khalil 6/11, 6/11, 6/11.
In addition, Jessica Perkins lost to Victoria Arjoon, 7/11, 2/11, 7/11 and Ericka Robertson was defeated by Mary Fung-a-Fat 2/11, 4/11, 4/11.
National junior team coach Karen Anderson said she was pleased with the performance of her girls. “Overall, I am happy with the girls’ performance. After coming second in 2010, we were definitely going after first place this year and the girls played hard, but we still have some work to do to beat Guyana,” she said.
The Jamaican boys, who were defeated by Guyana in semi finals, finished in fourth place after losing to Bermuda in the third place play-off.
All Jamaica Under-15 champion Jake Mahfood and Under-13 Champion Stephan Morrison won their matches by defeating Kion Knights 11/9 11/8 5/11 11/3 and Dylan Pratt 11/8 12/10 8/11 11/8, respectively.
However, All Jamaica Under-17 and Under-19 champion Ashante Smith was defeated by Noah Browne 11/3 11/3 11/4, David Mullings was beaten by Micah Franklin 11/3 11/4 11/4 and Julian Morrison lost a five-setter to D’Vario Thompson 9/11 3/11 11/13 11/5 7/11.
