The squash community turned out in full force for the finals of the inaugural All Jamaica Masters Squash Championships on Saturday at the Liguanea Club, and they were not disappointed.

The two finals in the Over 40 and Over 50 age groups delivered long rallies; skilful shot-making; and a true test of patience, strategy, and fitness. When the dust settled, Kyle Chin, in the Over 40, and Craig Mair, in the Over 50 age groups, respectively, were crowned worthy winners.

In the Over 50 final, number one seed Gerry Wright and number four seed Mair delighted the crowd with a tense contest. Mair got the better of Wright after dropping the first game, fighting back to win 2-1 with scores of 9-11, 11-5, and 11-3.

After a short delay, number one seed Jerazeno Bell and number two seed Chin entered the court for their long-awaited matchup in the Over 40 final. Chin had a score to settle after his team, Badman Fu, lost the KPMG League to Bell’s Saints, and he was out for revenge.

Bell is well known as a calm, controlled, and deliberate player who forces opponents to earn every point, and that was on full display in the opening game. Bell took it 11-7 after making Chin run the full length of the court while landing a string of power shots. Chin came out business-like in game two and made Bell work hard for every point. He levelled the match at 1-1, taking the game 11-7

Game three must have been the longest game of the championship as none of the players got a decisive score at the regulation 11 as they were both 11-all. The game winner needed to be two points clear. That was achieved at the 16-game mark to Bell and 14 to Chin. Bell began to look tired after getting hit on the elbow with the scores on 5-4 in his favour during the game.

Game four saw Chin getting the upper hand with his power plays. He got the first four points before Bell got on the scorecard with three straight points. He tried to catch-up with Chin but at no point did he take the lead after making mistakes at crucial points. Both players began to slow down the game while trying to rest between points; however, Chin had enough in his tank to force the win at 11-9.

The start of game five meant that the match and the championship was on the line, and with both players looking spent, it appeared that whoever could hold it together would be able to take the coveted trophy for the first time.

Chin was the first to score, but it was not an easy game as Bell kept coming back into the game with some smart plays. Chin was, however, able to close out the game on 11-9. It was a fitting end to a very exciting championship that Chin won three games to two, with scores of 7-11, 11-8, 14-16, 13-11, 11-9.

“It was a hard, hard, hard match. And honestly, me and Jerry should have played the finals of the league (KPMG League). We got to have our finals, finally. And it was so hard fought. Like really, every game went down to the wire. And the last game, I don’t think either of us had anything left,” said Chin.

“Honestly, if I’m being very honest, I’m the huge underdog, Jerry’s the huge favourite. I expected him to win, but I just knew I was going to come in here and fight. I had a game plan, I had a vision, and I came in, tried my best to execute.

“I feel amazing. I feel so, so good, man. Like I said, I knew I had a chance, but I thought it would be a slim chance to beat Jerry. So it was just about determination, just about fighting to the end,” he added.

Bell was gracious, crediting Chin for his match-winning performance.

“It was a good game. It was unpredictable. Kyle is a pretty good player. He’s not a player to take for granted. I think we kind of had some good rallies. Both of us had our good sessions and a couple of good games and bad games, but at the end of it, I think he had a better night, and congratulations to Kyle,” Bell said.

The inaugural All Jamaica Masters Squash Championship was sponsored by Legend Beer.

Craig Mair, All Jamaica Masters Squash Over-50 champion, receives the winner’s trophy from Karen Anderson, president of Jamaica Squash, after the finals at Liguanea Club in New Kingston on May 16, 2026.