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Ja's Walker beaten in Under-19 final at CASA

Published:Wednesday | July 11, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Contributed
Newly crowned Caribbean Junior Squash champions, siblings Lukas Thomson (third left) and Savannah Thomson (centre) pose with (from left) special advisor to the minister of sport, Allie McNab; senior manager, distribution at JN General Insurance, Lynford Reece; president of the Jamaica Olympic Association, Christopher Samuda; and president of the Jamaica Squash Association, Chris Hind at the official opening ceremony of the 2018 JN General Insurance Caribbean Area Squash Association’s Junior Championships, which was held on Tuesday night at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston. Lukas won the boys’ Under-11 title, and Savannah won the girls’ Under-13 title. The championships will run until Saturday, July 14.

KINGSTON:

Jamaica's Jonathan Walker lost to the number one seed, Josiah Griffiths of Barbados, in the Under-19 boys' final of the 2018 JN General Insurance Caribbean Area Squash Association's (CASA) Junior Championships on Tuesday night at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston.

In spite of a determined effort, Walker was outlasted by his nemesis, Griffiths, who played excellent technical squash at a high tempo to wear the Jamaican down and post an 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 win to take the title

In the Under-17 girls' ' competition, regional star Meagan Best of Barbados beat Jade Pitcairn of the Cayman Islands 11-0, 11-4, 11-6. Best, who is also the reigning Caribbean women's champion, won her sixth consecutive junior title.

Barbadian hotshot Khamal Cumberbatch schooled Taylor Carrick of Bermuda, beating him 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 to win the boys Under-17 title.

In the Under-19 girls' competition, top seed Amanda Haywood of Barbados got the better of second seed Alexandria Yearwood of Trinidad and Tobago, beating her arch rival 11-5, 11-7, 11-3.

The competitors have now moved into the team competition, which will run until Saturday, July 14. Players from six countries; Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Guyana, and Jamaica are competing for the boys' and girls' team titles.

Rising regional power Barbados are tipped to have the edge in the competition, but former perennial champions, Guyana will be seeking to reclaim the top spot after losing to Barbados last year. Jamaica will be hoping to crash the party, no doubt boosted by wins from Lukas and Savannah Thomson who took the Under-11 boys' and Under-13 girls' titles, respectively, on Tuesday.