Stena Drilling Junior’s Skill Level Squash C/ship eyeing exciting conclusion this Saturday

Nov 15, 2024 Sports

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(Squash C/ship)

Kaieteur Sports-Stena Drilling’s first-ever sponsorship of Guyana’s Junior Squash has launched the 2024-2025 season with a roar, energizing the Georgetown Club Squash courts and bringing new excitement to the country’s squash talent. The Stena Drilling Skill Level tournament, designed to match players with similar skill levels, is ensuring fierce competition in each match.

The tournament, divided into six distinct categories named after job titles from Stena Drilling’s oil rigs, showcases Guyana’s best junior squash players. Here’s how the competition stacks up across each category:

Category A (The Roughnecks) – This group features Guyana’s top juniors with Caribbean Championship titles under their belts. With David Verwey and Michael Alphonso set to age out mid-season, Louis Da Silva has his final shot at toppling his older rivals. The rivalry between Verwey and Alphonso has been a main attraction, with Verwey often emerging victorious by the narrowest of margins.

Category B (The Safety Gurus) – All eyes are on Justin Ten Pow, who has displayed unmatched speed and strength, making him the favorite. However, the rising star of this category is 11-year-old Ethan Bulkan, who has beaten players much older and taller than him. Their Thursday night clash could set the stage for the category’s outcome.

Category C (The Marine Queens) – This category’s round-robin format, with two pools of six players each, adds a unique twist. Kaylee Lowe and Emily Fung-A-Fat are leading their pools without a loss, making their potential final match-up a highly anticipated showdown. Lowe and Fung-A-Fat have dominated so far, with clean wins over tough opponents.

Category D (The Grease Monkeys) – The sibling rivalry here is electric. Brothers Nijad and Nidal Bacchus are on track to top the category and may face off in a head-to-head clash this Saturday. Their consistent wins show that they’re primed for a Saturday showdown that could bring some family drama to the court.

Category E (The Mud Rats) – Featuring a mix of national players, this category showcases talent with Caribbean tournament experience. Zoey McDonald and Tehani Munroe have swept through their games undefeated, and Munroe’s recent victory over third-seed Kristian Viapree in a five-game thriller shows the fierce competition brewing among the Mud Rats.

And Category F (The Electronic Wizards) – Newcomers from Guyana’s Junior Programme make up the Electronic Wizards. Jude Gobin and Nandishraj Singh, after strong performances, are set to meet on Saturday, marking a key stepping stone for junior talent.

The tournament’s first few days have been packed with memorable matches. So far, highlights include: Saturday, some standout performances in the “Safety Gurus” Category B. Top-seed Shiloh Asregado started strong, defeating sixth-seed Ethan Bulkan in straight sets (3-0). Asregado then faced Justin Goberdhan in a more challenging matchup, ultimately securing a 3-0 victory, though Goberdhan put up an impressive fight, particularly in the first game, which Asregado won 11-7, before claiming the next two games 11-5, 11-5.

The action continued on Monday, November 11, with intense matches across Categories B, C, D, and E. In Category B, Ethan Bulkan emerged victorious in a five-game battle against Safirah Sumner, ending 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 7-11, 11-6. Justin Ten Pow, after dropping the first two games 4-11, 7-11 to Blake Edwards, staged an impressive comeback, winning the next three games 11-5, 11-5, 11-5. Richard Rodrigues wrapped up the day with a 3-1 victory over Justin Goberdhan.

Category C saw Kaylee Lowe sweep Tiana Gomes 3-0, while Nandishraj Singh defeated Jibril Alli 3-1. Emily Fung-A-Fat continued her dominance, beating Kaiden Alli 11-2, 11-7, 12-10. Other winners included Zion Hickerson and Brenno Da Silva, who each secured wins against Jacob McDonald and Malia Maikoo, respectively. In the “Grease Monkeys” division (Category D), Nijad Bacchus and Paige Mendonca both achieved clean 3-0 victories. Top seeds in Category E—Zoey McDonald, Tehani Munroe, and Kristian Viapree—also advanced with solid performances.

Tuesday’s packed lineup opened with Category A, where second-seed Michael Alphonso defeated third-seed Louis Da Silva in a 3-0 showdown. In Category B, Justin Ten Pow, Justin Goberdhan, Ethan Bulkan, and Shiloh Asregado all notched wins. The Category C action included Kaiden Alli’s comeback win over Zion Hickerson (8-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-9) and a 3-1 victory for Emily Fung-A-Fat over Brenno Da Silva. Namishraj Singh and Jude Gobin emerged victorious in Category F, with Mandisa Munroe narrowly edging Ella Fernandes 6-11, 13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 in Category E.

Wednesday’s matches were a pivotal moment for many players. Justin Ten Pow secured the second spot in Category B by defeating Richard Rodrigues 11-5, 11-6, 11-2. In Category C, Kaiden Alli bested Jacob McDonald, and Kaylee Lowe claimed a 3-0 win over Nandishraj Singh. Zion Hickerson and Brenno Da Silva clashed in a 3-1 showdown, with Da Silva prevailing. Category D saw dominant 3-0 victories from Asha Edwards and Nidal Bacchus. In Category E, Zoey McDonald defeated Mandisa Munroe, Tehani Munroe overcame third-seed Kristian Viapree in a five-game nail-biter, and Maxwell Viapree bested Ella Fernandes in straight games. The day wrapped up with wins from Jude Gobin and Namishraj Singh in the Electronic Wizards category.

This week’s matches have set the stage for an exciting finish with matches continuing today and tomorrow at the same venue. (GSA)

(Stena Drilling Junior’s Skill Level Squash C/ship eyeing exciting conclusion this Saturday)

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• David Verwey, Georgetown Club Squash, Guyana's Junior Squash, Michael Alphonso, Squash C/ship

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