Normal service resumed in Barbados

All seeded players made it safely through to the next round without dropping a single game between them as action continued in the First Citizens Barbados Squash Open, which is being held this week at the Barbados Squash Club, Marine Gardens.

All the top four seeded ladies progressed smoothly into their respective semi-finals with the #3/4 seed Nadia McCarthy being given a little scare by national over-50 representative, Lynn deCambra-McLeod, who had four game balls in the second game and a further three in the third game but could not convert any of them, with McCarthy eventually winning 11-7, 14-12, 15-13 to reach the Barbados Open semi-final for the first time.

There she will face the #2 seed, Cheri-Ann Parris who defeated Lucyla Seale 11-5, 11-5, 11-3.  Parris is now back home for the summer after another successful year away at Bates College in the USA where she captains the ladies squash team.

The top seed Karen Meakins was impressed with her opponent, 12-year old Amanda Haywood, the current National U-13 champion, who put in a gutsy display and ran after every shot before Meakins prevailed, 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 to reach her 14^th consecutive Barbados Open semi-final.

There she will face the ever-improving national representative Alex Jordan in a repeat of this year’s National Championship final. Jordan easily beat another very promising national junior team member, Meagan Best,  11-4, 11-7, 11-4.

In the Men’s A competition all the big guns were in action with the top four seeds looking in ominous form as they swept past their opponents in straight games. #1 Richard Chin (Guy); #2 Shawn Simpson; and the #3/4 seeds, Gavin Cumberbatch and Colin Ramasra (TRI) all played well within themselves as they defeated Jonathan O’Dowd; Stewart St. John; Zaki Williams and Cliff Nolan respectively.

The top four ladies will have tonight off as attention turns to the Men’s A plate, Men’s B, and the Ladies plate semi-finals which will begin this afternoon (Thursday) from 4:45 p.m. followed by the Men’s A quarter-finals which will commence at 6:30 p.m. All matches will be at the Barbados Squash Club, Marine Gardens, Hastings and admission to the venue for the public is free.