The St Lucia Squash Association hosted the 2014 annual Junior OECS Squash Championships at the St Lucia Yacht Club, April 24 – 27, 2014. Approximately 35 competitors from St Vincent, the BVI, and St Lucia played matches in male and female categories in U11, U13, U15, U17, and U19 age groups. All matches were played on a round robin basis with the U15 category being the most competitive in both boys and girls.
In the U11 category there were only two girls who both played their first OECS. In second place was Brianna Findlay of BVI and in first place was St Lucia’s, Isabella Segovia.
In the U11 boys also playing their first OECS, were Joshua Devaux of St Lucia who placed third, second place went to Jlan McMaster of St Vincent and first place went to Luca Reich of the BVI.
In the girls U13, third place went to St Lucian, Isabella Segovia who played two divisions. Second place went to Natalie Fay of the BVI and in first place was Giovanna Miller Alexander of St Vincent.
In the boys U13, third place went to Samuel Childs of the BVI, second place went to Rashid Constance of St Vincent and in first place was Kai Bentick also of St Vincent.
In the girls U15 there was a clear winner however, the technical team had to break the game results down to select a second and third place winner since three girls tied in both matches won and points won for the next few positions. Third place went to Lauryn Doyle of St Vincent, second place went to Emily Abrehart of the BVI, and first place went to Thandi Myers of St Vincent.
In boys U15, third place went to Tyler Segovia of St Lucia, second place went to Leo Forte of the BVI, and first place went to 12 year old, Kai Bentick of St Vincent, who not only played two divisions but won both divisions.
In U17 girls there was also a tie for third place but the eventual winner was Abayomi Maddox of the BVI. Second place went to Derai Myers of St Vincent and first place went to Thandi Myers who not only played two divisions but also won both divisions.
The boys U17 was an all Vincentian winning slate with third place going to Akeem Constance, second place going to Geronimo Ross and first place to Jason Doyle.
There were no U19 female participants and in the male U19, third place went to Vincentian, Omari Wilson, second place to St Lucian Andre Segovia and first place went to 16 year old, Jason Doyle who played two divisions and won both.
The Junior OECS team is selected from the participants of the Junior OECS squash tournament. This year the team will play in the Caribbean Squash Championships in Bermuda in July.
David Piper, President of the OECS Squash Association announced the team. The boys will be represented by Vincentians, kai Bentick and Jason Doyle, Leo Forte of the BVI and Andre Segovia of St Lucia. The girls will be represented by Vincentian sisters, Thandi and Derai Myers, and Abayomi Maddox and Kirsten Gordon of the BVI.
Following the matches on Sunday morning, the Association closed with a prize giving ceremony which started with a moment of silence in remembrance of the Association’s Vice President, Oliver Gobat who went missing over the weekend and is presumed to have died tragically. Gobat was also the island’s #2 player and was in intense training for a number of tournaments coming up over the next few months including OECS to be held in May in St Vincent and culminating with the Commonwealth Games this summer.
