Reigning Jamaican and Caribbean Men’s Squash champion Chris Binnie will host coaching sessions and outreach activities on Wednesday and Thursday while on a brief visit to the island.

The eight-time national and regional champion will conduct a special training session with participants in the Jamaica Squash Association’s outreach project at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston on Wednesday. Binnie will also be available for hitting sessions with players in the junior national squash programme on both days.

These activities are expected to be a boost for the youngsters who are currently in a six-month training programme to prepare for the 2018 Caribbean Area Squash Association’s Junior Championships (CASA), which will be held in Jamaica next July.

The short break comes as Binnie capped off a positive season during which he achieved several career firsts on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) circuit. Earlier this month, he became the first Jamaican to compete at the prestigious PSA World Championships after beating Micah Franklin of Bermuda 11/2, 11/3, 3/1 (retired) and Roberto Pezzota of Argentina 11/5, 7/11, 11/8, 11/5 to qualify for the main draw. He lost 13/11, 8/11, 8/11, 4/11 to world number 43 Joel Makin of Wales in the first round of the championships, but would have no doubt gained valuable points that should boost his own ranking which now stands at 70.

Another season highlight was the World Team Championships in Marseille, France, where Binnie scored the first win ever for Jamaica when he beat Leandro Romiglio of Argentina 11/9, 11/4, 8/11, 11/8 and also beat Hisham Al Saadi of Iraq 11/9, 11/6, 14/12.

During his week-long stay in Jamaica, Binnie is also expected to meet with existing and potential sponsors to seek support for the 2018 season.

Several major championships are scheduled for the coming year, including the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, in April; the CAC Games in Cali, Colombia, in July; and the Panamerican Squash Championships scheduled for August in the Cayman Islands.

“Twenty-eighteen is going to be a particularly exciting year with so many major international tournaments on the agenda, and my goal is to ensure that Jamaica continues to be well represented in global squash,” Binnie said.

“In 2017 I was able to achieve several ‘firsts’ for Jamaican squash and I’m working hard to make sure 2018 is a banner year,” he added.