Morrison confident of Jamaica claiming team title
WITH Jamaica and the Caribbean number one Chris Binnie already establishing his status, another elite performer Stephan Morrison is confident the country can also wrap up the men’s team title at the WATA-sponsored 37th staging of the Senior Caribbean Squash Championships.
Morrison, who was first in action for Jamaica’s five-man team, led from the front with straight sets 11-9, 11-8, 12-10 to win over Trinidad and Tobago’s Zachary Loquan on court four at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston on Wednesday.
Bruce Burrowes then made light work of Seth Thong, also in straight sets 11-3, 11-5, 11-3, before Binnie registered another straight sets win — 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 — over Chayse McQuan to give the Jamaican men a comfortable 3-0 lead over their counterparts from the twin island republic, at sports time.
Guyana were also leading Cayman Islands 3-1.
The early dominance by the Jamaican men, for Morrison, is testament to the quality of the team which will square off against the Cayman Islands today.
Tahjia Lumley and Julian Morrison are the other members of the team.
“Right now we have a really strong team and the positions give us a really good chance of taking the championship. Not to be overconfident, but I believe we can grab the title this year,” Stephan Morrison told the Jamaica Observer.
Reflecting on his own performance, Morrison is hoping to brush up on a few errors.
“The game wasn’t that bad because I’ve seen him [Loquan] play before and I saw how he lost. So I basically went out with the same game plan — to establish my length and keep him around the back — and then when I can, volley and cut him off.
“I made a few mistakes here and there which made the game kind of close but otherwise, I held my composure to complete the game,” he reasoned.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s women’s team lost 2-3 to Barbados while Guyana defeated Trinidad and Tobago 5-0.
In the veterans contest, the Jamaican team of Binnie’s mother Gill Binnie, Karen Anderson, Bruce Levy and Joey Levy romped Guyana 4-1.
— Sherdon Cowan