Guyana Squash team competitive in Canada Move to USA from tomorrow for US Junior Open

Dec 13, 2019 Sports

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A four-member Guyana squash team left the country last week to participate in two tournaments in North America and was very competitive in the Canadian Junior Squash Open which ended on Tuesday at the White Oaks Conference Centre, Niagara on the Lake.The Guyanese will now compete in the US Junior Squash Open from December 14 – 17, in Allston, Massachusetts. The team comprise of Junior Caribbean U-17 champion

Shomari Wiltshire, Junior Caribbean U-15 runners- up Nicholas Verwey, Junior Caribbean U-13 runners-up Mohryan Baksh and Joshua Verwey.
The team performed well with Shomari Wiltshire, after finishing sixth in the U-13 division in 2015 and ninth in the U-15 in 2017, advanced to the finals this year before losing to Canadian Gabriel Yun 11 – 4, 4 – 11, 9 – 11, 8 – 11.
Wiltshire, seeded 13/16 going into the tournament defeated Canadian Max Shewchenko in the first round 11 – 4, 11 – 2, 11 – 5 and then in the second round defeated his Caribbean counterpart Caymanian Jace Jervis 11 – 9, 12 – 10, 11 – 5.
In the round of 16 he found himself matched up against the number 2 seed in the tournament, New Zealander Jack Conder. Shomari rose to the challenge and after a well contested match eventually upset the favorite; winning 4 – 11, 11 – 5, 11 – 7, 12 – 10.
In the quarter finals he played 9/12 seed Canadian Griffin Manley and defeated him in straight games, 12 – 10, 11 – 8, 11 – 7. In the semi – finals Wiltshire encountered 3-4 seed Canadian Amin Khan.
In 2015, playing in the U-13 division and a relatively unknown player, Wiltshire upset Khan and then two years later in 2017 when Khan was the number 1 seed in the U-15 category, Wiltshire had a two games to love lead but could not seal the deal eventually losing by three games to two.
This year, Shomari won the first game 13 – 11 but dropped the second game 9 – 11.
He would win the crucial third game 12 – 10 and then closed out the match 11 – 8 to reach his first Canadian Open final where he Shomari won the first game 11 – 4 but then Gabriel regrouped to win the second game 11 – 4.
The third game was vital as most of the time, the winner of this game goes on to win the match.
Wiltshire was up 9 – 7, two points away from taking this game but it was not to be as he would lose the game 9 – 11 and the fourth 8 -11 to finish runner up.
In the U-13 category Mohryan Baksh finished ninth place; seeded 5/8, the highest of the Guyanese players in any of the draws, Baksh had a bye in his first round match. In his round of ‘thirty-two’ match, he defeated Canadian Beckett Yuzpe 11 – 3, 11 – 2, 11 – 6. In the round of sixteen he came up against 9/12 seed Canadian Kamran Gwadry. Baksh played well but lost in three close games 10 – 12, 8 – 11, 9 – 11.
Due to this loss he then found himself in the second consolation draw where in the quarter finals he defeated Canadian Caleb Hickox 11 – 9, 11 – 5, 11 – 3. In the semis Baksh defeated Canadian Kent Rawlins in a hard fought match 12 – 10, 11 – 5, 5 – 11, 12 – 10 and then in the finals he defeated Canadian Dylan Scott three games to one. Baksh won the first game easily 11 – 6, and then took the second game 11 – 9.
He dropped the third game 6 – 11 but bounced back to win the fourth game 12 – 10 to finish in ninth position. In the U-15 category Nicholas Verwey, who was unseeded, faced Canadian Danny Leigh, an unseeded opponent in the first round.
Nicholas had an easy win 11 – 2, 11 – 2, 11 – 4. In his round of thirty-two match, Nicholas opposed 9/12 seed Santiago Medina of Mexico. Nicholas had a few game balls but eventually lost 13 – 15. He won the second game 11 – 9 to level the score but lost the third game 6 – 11 before losing the fourth game 9 – 11.
With this loss Nicholas would be placed in the consolation draw played Barbadian Dominic Wilson winning easily 11 – 2, 11 – 4, 11 – 4. In his second round match he faced Canadian Vishaal Mehta and had another good win.
After winning the first game 11 – 4, he dropped the second game 6 – 11 but bounced back to win the third and fourth games 11 – 8 and 11 – 9. In the consolation quarters Nicholas played Canadian Jack Jones and easily won in straight games 11 – 8, 14 – 12, 11 – 8. In the consolation semi- finals Nicholas’s good tournament run would come to an end when he lost to Canadian Jacob Marrison in three games 9 – 11, 9 – 11, 8 – 11 to finish in position 19 – 20.
Joshua Verwey played in the U-13 division and in the first round he defeated Bermudian William Frith 11- 3, 11 – 0, 11 – 3. In his round of thirty-two match young Verwey lost to Canadian Kamran Gwadry 1 – 11, 1 – 11, 3 – 11 before losing in the Consolation draw to Canadian Leo Roberge 6 – 11, 4 – 11, 2 – 11.
Guyana will participate in the 2019 US Junior Squash Open in Massachusetts from tomorrow; in the U-13 division Mohryan Baksh is seeded 49/64 and Joshua Verwey 65 – 96, Nicholas Verwey is seeded 33/48 and in the Boys U-15 and U-17 categories, Wiltshire is seeded 49 – 64.

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