Mixed results for badminton teams
THE Jamaican senior team rolled past the Dominican Republic with a 3-1 victory at the CAREBACO championships in the Dominican Republic on Monday night.
Jamaica, represented by top player Gareth Henry, and Canadian-based Dayvon Reid, moved easily past William Cabrera and Nelson Javier 21-9, 21-12 in the men’s doubles. Henry made easy work of Remi Cabrera 21-13, 21-19 for the team’s men’s singles. Top female player Katherine Wynter easily disposed of Sanchez of the Dominican Republic in a 21-15, 21-17 straight set victory.
Jamaica’s only loss came in the women’s doubles, with Wynter and Williams losing to Sanchez and Saturria 21-12, 21-19.
The senior team and defending champions play a round robin with the Dom Rep, Trinidad, and Barbados. The team was scheduled to take on Trinidad yesterday.
Jamaica’s junior team was not as successful in their opening round. The team lost to the Dom Rep 3-0. Cesar Brito and Argenis Marinez defeated Jamaica’s Mathew Lee and Kenneth Anglin 21-10,16-21, 21-19.
In the girls’ doubles, Jamaica’s Shezelle McTyson and Alana Bailey lost to Bermary Polanco and Nairobi Jimenez 21-11, 21-15. Further losses came in the girls’ singles when Bermary Polanco defeated Alana Bailey 21-14, 21-16 for the final match of the draw.
There is still time for Jamaica to make corrections and recover from these losses, as yesterday they defeated Suriname 3-2 in a tough encounter.
Individual silver medal winner Mathew Lee again lost to Opti from Suriname in the boys’ singles 19-21, 23-21, 21-11. However, assisted mainly by the effort from the girls, Jamaica pulled out the win, as Alana Bailey dispatched Imani Mangroe 21-18, 21-10, and, in the girls’ doubles, Bailey and Shezelle McTyson defeated Anjali Parasagingl and Joy Yzer 21-8, 21-8 in straight sets.
The final match was won by mixed doubles pair of Shaquille Palmer and Shezelle McTyson as they defeated Mitch Nai Chung T and Imani Mangroe 21-17, 21-16, allowing Jamaica to move to the semi-finals.
Jamaica are grouped with Suriname, the Dominican Republic and Panama. The other group comprises Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, and Puerto Rico.
