Binnie continues regional domination - Jamaican captures ninth straight Caribbean championships title

It’s becoming part of the fabric of things that are inevitable in life: death, taxes and Christopher Binnie winning a Caribbean championship.

The 30-year-old Jamaican captured his ninth Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) men’s singles championship in commanding fashion, defeating Cameron Stafford from the Cayman Islands in straight sets, 11-8, 11-2, 11-5 in the final on Tuesday night in Guyana.

Binnie, who began the tournament as the number-one seed, was satisfied with his performance and pleased at bringing yet another title home to Jamaica.

“I’m just grateful to take home another title,” Binnie said. “At the beginning of these events and as the years go on, you are not looking at just winning another title, you have to get through each round just to get there, and I was just focusing on each round and trying to play well and trying to execute my game plan.”

The number-one player in the Caribbean not only secured his ninth overall title, but also his eight straight championship, a streak that began in 2011, when he avenged his finals defeat the year before to Richard Chin of Guyana, winning the championship rematch.

Binnie was rarely tested in his run to the 2019 championship, having not dropped a set in all his matches played. His fellow Jamaican teammates Julian Morrison and Bruce Burrows were also hoping at a run at the title, but were defeated in the round of 16.

He insists that his most recent triumph felt just as special and rewarding compared to when he won his first title in 2009.

“I wouldn’t say that this is any more important than any other title I’ve won over the past 10 years. It just shows the consistent work that I’m putting in and I’m able to keep getting results when I need them,” he commented.

Injuries

It could be argued, however, that it was a fitting result to what has been a trying period dealing with various injuries, the latest of which he suffered five weeks before the start of the 2019 Pan American Games, which left him unable to compete in the singles competition.

“It’s been a rough year. I’ve had one [injury] after the other, after the other, which I think has come from a bit of change in my training and a combination of events. I had a torn abductor, an Achilles injury, torn calf. It just seems that it was a rough period all on the right side, that unfortunately I had to deal with. So I have really taken a step back to look at what I’m doing and what I can do differently now. And I think moving forward, it’s going to be a lot different,” Binnie reflected.

Binnie hopes for more success, as Jamaica chase the CASA team championship as the tournament continues through to this Saturday.

“We now look to the team event, where, hopefully, we can bring home a men’s team title, which we haven’t done in a couple years now. We hope [that] we can bring all the silverware back to Jamaica after this event,” he said.

– D.W.