Team photo of the departing Barbados Junior Squash Team accompanied by Manager, Mrs. Jo Haywood (2nd from Left) and National Team Coach, Rhett Cumberbatch (2nd from Right).
Strong Barbados Junior Team departs for Caribbean Squash Championships in Cayman
The strongest Junior Squash team that Barbados has ever assembled left Grantley Adams International Airport earlier yesterday for Grand Cayman to participate in the 34th annual Caribbean Junior Squash Championships. Team Manager, Mrs. Jo Haywood will be supported by National Junior Team Coach, Rhett Cumberbatch, and the Barbados team was accompanied by a large contingent of parents and supporters, including Barbados Squash Association (BSA) President, Monty Cumberbatch, who noted that in six of the ten individual age group competitions Barbadian players have been seeded at #1, including all five of the Barbadian gold medal winners from last year’s competition, who are all returning to defend their respective titles and are all expected to win.
These five reigning Caribbean Champions are: Sumairaa Suleman (GU-13);
Meagan Best and Khamal Cumberbatch (G&B-U15); the girls team captain, Amanda Haywood, and Josiah Shemane Griffith (G&B-U17). In addition, eight other local players have received a seeding this year, including Alex Stewart and Aiden Parris, seeded at #1 and #2 respectively in the newly created BU-11 category; Darien Benn, who is the BU-13 #2 seed; Reginald Brewster seeded at #3/4 (BU-17); and boy’s team captain, Benjamin Griffith, and Zachary Proverbs-Harris who have been seeded at #3/4 and #5/8 respectively in the BU-19 age group. In the girl’s contingent, little Rebekah Nichols is one of three players in the inaugural GU-11 competition and Chelsie Samuel has been seeded at #5/8 in the GU-15 category. Rounding out the Barbados contingent of 17 players this year are the twins, Jada and Jodi Smith-Padmore (GU-15); as well as Ryan Archer and Kemar Lord who will both play in the BU-15 age group.
The three day individual competition begins in Cayman this Saturday, July 16th and precedes the five day team competition that begins on July 19th and ends on Saturday July 23rd. The Barbados team will return home via Miami next week Sunday night, July 24th at 10:00 p.m.