3 podium finishes for VI at first national representation at Caribbean Senior Squash Tournament

September 3, 2019 by
Joe Chapman (Men’s Individual), Neville Sorrentino (Men’s Over 50), Mike Adamson (Men’s Over 40) each placed 3rd at 2019 CASA Championships

The Virgin Islands Senior National Squash Team competed in the Senior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Championships held in Guyana from August 18 – 24. This was the first time that the VI was able to compete as a nation as previously the territory had to join forces with other Eastern Caribbean Nations to form an OECS Team. VI finished 5th out of the 8 competing Caribbean Nations with Joe Chapman, Mike Adamson, and Neville Sorrentino placing third in their individual events.

National VI Squash Team at CASA Championships 2019

The Women’s team comprised Zoe Sorrentino, and CASA debutants Natalie Fay and Nicole Toppin.

Chapman, Dion Anselm, Jonathan Addo and Tony Campbell made up the Men’s team with Addo and Campbell competing in their first CASA event.

Adamson (Men’s Over 40), Sorrentino (Men’s Over 50) and Winston Findlay (Men’s Over 60) formed the Veteran team. Adamson and Sorrentino finished 3rd in their respective events with Findlay narrowly missing out on a top 3 finish after a 3-2 loss in his final match.

CASA Individual Event:
Chapman, Anselm, Addo, Zoe Sorrentino, Fay and Toppin, who all participated in the Individual event, fought well against strong opponents but only Chapman managed to progress past the 1st round.

Chapman, winner of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Men’s Plate, played some focused and professional squash to navigate his way through to the semi final of the main draw where he faced 8-times CASA champion, Chris Binnie. Chapman played well and pushed Binnie hard but the Jamaican team player eventually proved too strong an opponent and ran out a 3-0 winner. Binnie impressively went on to win the event without dropping a single game. Chapman was awarded 3rd place due to the withdrawal of his opponent (who Chapman beat in the team event).

Sorrentino put together a great run in the plate event in which she narrowly lost out in the semis to the eventual plate winner.

Men’s Doubles Event:
Adamson and Anselm lost out to the 1 seeds from the Cayman Islands 11-7, 11-7 (the doubles is played as best of 3). Both men played excellent squash in a fast and furious match, and were very close to stealing a game. It was only a few unforced errors at the end of the games that prevented a win becoming a reality.

“Overall it was a great performance against a very accomplished pairing,” said Murrills.

Mixed Doubles Event:
Neville Sorrentino and Zoe Sorrentino caused a stir as the only father/daughter pairing in the event and also due to having the biggest age differential between teammates!

Playing against Trinidad’s male and female no.1 players was always going to be a tough match. With Doubles being an exceedingly fast game, the Sorrentino duo lacked a little composure in the 1st game but played a much better 2nd. Unfortunately, at 7-7, Zoe got hit exceedingly hard by a drive by the opponents’ male player which halted the momentum that the Sorrentinos had. The two however went on to string together several solid points and closed out the match 3-0.

Points gained in the 6 events – Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, VETS Team, Men’s Team, Women’s Team – provide an overall standing at the end of the tournament.

“All our players can be proud of some fantastic performances and for the effort and team spirit they showed throughout,” said Murrills. “This year has really helped show us all the level that we’re aspiring to and I’m confident that the standard on island will improve and that we will bridge the gap to the strongest nations (Guyana and Barbados) over the coming years. With youngsters coming through our junior programmes who are improving very quickly, this again only serves to strengthen our future teams.”

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Team BVI wraps up Gold Coast 2018 with historic Gold medal and fanfare

April 16, 2018 by

Team BVI at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Queensland, Australia. Photo: BVICGA

Team BVI was led by flag bearer and four-times Commonwealth Games athlete, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott in the Gold Coast 2018 Closing Ceremony on April 15 marking the end of the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games.

“This has been an amazing and emotional Games,” said Ephraim Penn, President of the BVI Commonwealth Games Association. “We saw Gold Coast 2018 as an opportunity to inspire the Virgin Islands through sports after the devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria and hoped that the athletes’ achievements would motivate the territory to tackle new beginnings. Our athletes rose to the occasion with their tremendous effort and individual and team achievements. We believed that this was the strongest team we had yet taken to the Commonwealth Games and their performances have proved it to be the case. We are exceptionally proud of each, and every one of them and thank them for showcasing our nation on the world stage with grit and grace.”

At the end of 10 days of competition in Queensland, Australia, 10 of the VI’s athletes had participated in 9 track and field events and 2 squash events. All track and field athletes completing their events made it through to semi-finals and five went on to compete in the finals. In squash, the VI won the Plate of the men’s singles.

British Virgin Islands Kyron Mcmaster won the men’s 400m hurdles final in a time of 48.25 seconds during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast on April 12, 2018. Photo credit: SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The crowning moment came on April 12 when Kyron McMaster took to his starting blocks in front of a packed stadium in the 400m Hurdles and made history with his 1st place finish in a time of 48.25 seconds and winning the territory’s first medal ever in the Commonwealth Games.

Competing in his first Commonwealth Games, Kyron triumphed for his hurricane ravaged country and in memory of his beloved coach, the late Xavier ‘Dag’ Samuels. “My first phase of the race wasn’t what I wanted but I remembered what coach would have told me ‘just in case something like that happens, just stay calm and relax’” said Kyron. “When I saw I was in a position to take control of the race, I did and ran home with the gold. I am very proud that I was able to bring it home for the Virgin Islands.” 2nd and 3rd places went to Jeffrey Gibson of the Bahamas (49.10) and Jaheel Hyde of Jamaica (49.16) respectively.

That same evening, Chantel Malone landed a 5th place in the Long Jump final with a leap of 6.48. This was Chantel’s second appearance in a Commonwealth Games, the first being at Glasgow 2014 where she landed a 4th place with a jump of 6.41. Podium finishers of the long jump were Christabel Nettey of Canada (6.84), Brooke Stratton of Australia (6.77) and Shara Proctor of England (6.75).

Next up were Commonwealth Games debutants, twin sisters Tynelle and Trevia Gumbs competing against a field of 13 in the Discus final. Tynelle hurled the disc 47.04 to place 9th. Top spots went to Dani Stevens of Australia (68.26), Seema Punia of India (60.41) and Navjeet Dhillon of India (57.43). Tynelle’s performance was in her second event of the Games – the first being the Hammer Throw in which she placed 7th overall and attained a Seasonal and Personal Best as well as beating her previous National Record with a distance of 60.97.

Trevia retired early in the Discus final to avoid irritating an injury and to save herself for the Shot Put final.  On April 13, and the last day of competition for the VI, Tynelle improved on her Shot Put qualifier round result of 14.08 with a third attempt throw of 14.12. Top three putters were Danniel Thomas-Dodd of Jamaica (19.36), Dame Valerie Adams of New Zealand (18.70) and Brittany Crew of Canada (18.32).

Eldred Henry joined Trevia in rounding off the VI’s performance at the Games with his seasonal best throw of 50.96 when he competed in the Discus final. The mark was an improvement of his 50.43 achieved in his qualifying round. Medalists in the event were Fedrick Dacres of Jamaica who set a new Games Record with a throw of 68.20, Traves Smikle of Jamaica (63.98) and Apostolos Parellis of Cypress (63.61). On April 9, Eldred had competed in the shot put final. GC2018 was Eldred’s second Commonwealth Games.

Earlier in the Games, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott ran her last race of a Commonwealth Games on April 8 when she crossed the finish line of the 100m semi-finals with a time of 11.63 to place 7th in her field and 13th out of 24 runners in the semi-finals.

On April 10, Ashley Kelly closed out her GC2018 performance with a 53.00 finish in the 400m semi-finals. The time placed her 5th in her race and 14th out of an overall line up of 23 semi-finalists. This was Ashley’s second Commonwealth Games, the first being Glasgow 2014 where she competed in the 200m and 400m semi-finals.

Khari Herbert Jr was disappointed when he pushed out of the blocks in his 400m qualifying round on April 8 and had to retire due to a hamstring injury. This was Khari’s first Commonwealth Games.

Squash Round Up

In squash, Joe Chapman and Neville Sorrentino ended their GC2018 competitions on April 12 when they played in a hard-fought doubles match against Pakistan’s duo, Tayyab Aslam and Farhan Zaman.

The first game was an exciting round with the BVI taking 8 points. The crowd watched a strong performance from both players with Neville playing some of his best squash for an edge-of-the-seat game. The second game to decide the match was ultimately won by Aslam and Zaman 11-4.

This was the second doubles match that Joe and Neville played at the Games, the first being on April 10 when they were defeated by England’s James Willstrop (CWG 2018 Singles Gold Medal winner) and James Declan (World ranked #25).

GC2018 was Neville’s Commonwealth Games debut and in which he played in the Men’s Squash singles and doubles, and Joe’s fourth appearance at the quadrennial event. The pinnacle for Joe was his win of the Men’s Singles Plate on April 9 when he beat Cameron Stafford of the Cayman Islands 3-1 (11-9, 4-11, 11-8, 11 – 7).

The VI delegation to GC2018 included Mark Chapman, Chef de Mission; Athletics coaches Winston Potter, Joey Scott, Dwight Phillips and Omar Jones; and Squash coach Adam Murrills; Physio Mark Latimer; Attaché Julie-Anne Pearson; CGA Assistant Katrina Pfeffer; BVICGA Secretary General Lloyd Black; and Deputy Premier, Dr. The Honourable Kedrick Pickering.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Gold Coast 2018 News, Squash Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Squash players launch first day of competition for Team BVI at Gold Coast 2018

April 5, 2018 by

By BVI Commonwealth Games Association

Squash players, Neville Sorrentino and Joe Chapman with Coach Adam Murrills on the first day of competition at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Photo: BVICGA

The GC2018 competition schedule for the VI started on day one of the Commonwealth Games with Joe Chapman and Neville Sorrentino playing matches in the men’s Squash singles at the Oxenford Studios on April 5.

Joe Chapman (PSA world ranked #292) played with strength in his match against Farhan Zaman of Pakistan (PSA world ranked #87) to take it to four games but ultimately losing 11-6,11-13,11-4,11-6. “I feel good with how this match went,” said Joe. “Farhan is a great player who had a career ranking of 47 and who’s a really great shot maker.  I was going toe-to-toe with him until the end and playing some of the best squash in my life especially considering everything that happened after the storm and the lack of squash facilities at home.

Neville Sorrentino competing in his first Commonwealth Games, was defeated by Tayyab Aslam of Pakistan 11-3, 11-4, 11-4. “It was a tough match and I was a bit nervous but I enjoyed it,” said Neville. “The result is what it should be but the game was played in good spirits and I’m just happy to be part of these Games and to have this experience of a lifetime.”

Joe and Neville will continue with matches in the Plate round which will be played on Friday, April 6. The two will then compete in the men’s doubles on Tuesday, April 10 when they come up against Declan James and James Willstrop representing England. The VI duo will meet the Pakistani players, Aslam and Zaman again in a doubles match on Thursday, April 11.

Joe and Neville trained almost daily in the 3 months prior to the Commonwealth Games and were coached by Adam Murrills.

Track and field competitions for the VI’s athletes will begin on Sunday, April 8 and continue through April 12.

The Games will be broadcast via Flow Sports Live and Flow’s mobile customers will also have live access via WiFi or Mobile Data to the Games via the Flow Sports 1 App. Live coverage on the Flow Sports Networks will start each evening at 7pm Eastern Caribbean Time and extend well into the late-night hours. Caribbean fans can also follow live Commonwealth Games events each morning, which is evening in Australia.

Supporters who want to follow the events and competition live must subtract 14 hours from the times scheduled on the official Gold Coast 2018 web site (www.gc2018.com).

Updates and photos will be posted regularly on the BVI Olympic Committee’s  social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.

 

Filed Under: BVI Olympic Committee, Gold Coast 2018 News, Squash Tagged With: , , , ,

Harneys BVI Squash Championships 2018 underway

February 20, 2018 by

By BVI Squash Racket Association

18-year old Jesus Camacho (Mexico), beat PSA World ranked #82 Adam Murrills, (England), 3-1 to win the 2016 PSA British Virgin Islands Open Championships.

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour returns to the BVI as the Harneys BVI Squash Championships 2018 and gets underway at the Tortola Sports Club in Pasea Estate from Tuesday, February 20 to Saturday, February 24, 2018.

Professional Squash players from USA, England, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Guatemala and Liberia will mix it up on court with home-grown entries. 

Local squash players, Neville Sorrentino, Dion Anselm, Jonathan Addo, Joe Chapman and Mike Adamson will be competing against the accomplished international players.

Last year’s runner up Adam Murrills from England, seeded in the #2 slot, will be looking to take this year’s trophy but faces tough competition from the #1 seed, USA’s Christopher Gordon. Matches will be toughly contested with $5,000 in total prize money up for grabs.

Last year’s final was 63 minutes of thrilling squash when 18-year-old, Mexican Jesus Camacho took on seasoned England campaigner, Adam Murrills with both players delighting the crowd with intense squash for over an hour.

Game 1 was neck and neck throughout with Jesus saving match ball at 10-9 then taking the next three points to win game 1. Adam came out aggressively in game 2 and marched out quickly to an 8-0 lead. Jesus conserved his energy, only trying to hit winners, and Adam squared the match easily winning game 2 by 11-1.

Another momentum change at the start of game 3, as Jesus quickened the pace dramatically putting extreme pressure on Adam for the first time in the match. The smoothness from Adam’s game was gone as he had less time on every shot and Jesus had taken game 3 by 11-3 in double quick time. Adam regrouped for game 4 and it was neck and neck throughout. Adam was hitting some grand winners including an overhead backhand crosscourt into the nick but it came at a cost as a few errors were creeping into his game.

With all to play for at 8-9, Jesus sharpened his concentration and quickened the pace once more to take the last two points and the championship by three games to one. The crowd roared its approval at the vintage gladiatorial spectacle as the players were clearly physically and emotionally drained.

Jesus Camacho, current champion said at the time,“My first PSA win. I must tell my family. I am so happy! Thank you!”

Adam Murrills, runner up said, “I gave it my best shot today but Jesus keeps it so fast and tight and doesn’t make many mistakes. A tough loss today but congratulations to the youngster. But what a great tournament and a fabulous country! I’ve lost count of the number of times I have visited the BVI and its always extraordinary.”

Mark Chapman, BVI Squash President said, “Without doubt, whether you know Squash or not, this will truly be amongst the best in the sport ever seen in the BVI. Our thanks to our platinum sponsor, Harneys, who have joined us this year and also to Deloitte and National Bank of the Virgin Islands who have been our sponsors since inception in 2012.”

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