St. Vincent will bear witness to some of the finest athletes in the region, as the 2010 National Lotteries Authority Caribbean Squash Championships (CASA) get underway on August 15th.
Over 100 players from 7 countries (Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, OECS and Trinidad & Tobago) will hope to bring home the titles in the individual and team events. Among these players are 8 medalists (singles, doubles and teams) at the recent Central American and Caribbean Games in Bogota, Colombia.
The Bermuda team will feature 11 time Bermuda Squash Racquets Association Champion and former number 63rd in the World Rankings Nick Kyme will lead the team along with 5 time Bermuda Champion and former number 69th in the World Rankings Patrick Foster.
Also in the team is 2008 Caribbean Champion Robert Maycock, 2009 Bermuda Junior Champion Micah Franklin and Multiple Bermuda Junior Champion Chris Stout.
In the men's side of the tournament, much excitement will undoubtedly surround the return of Guyana's Richard Chin to CASA squash. 6-time Caribbean Junior Champion in the 80's, Chin has since gone on to coach in the US and has played for various US national teams.
Chin will face stiff competition however, particularly from Jamaican Chris Binnie. The defending champion will be hoping to build on his historic performance from the CAC Games, where he became the first Caribbean male to win a medal in singles. As always, the men's field will be extremely competitive, with strong challenges expected from the likes of Trinidadian Colin Ramasra, Shawn Simpson (Barbados), Foster (Bermuda) and Cameron Stafford (Cayman Islands).
Following the individual event, Trinidad & Tobago will seek to repeat their winning performance of last year, returning most of the members from the 2009 squad, The men's team title will be hard to come by however, as many of the other teams have bolstered their lineups with strong additions from previous tournaments.
The dark horse will be hosts OECS, as they welcome the debut of former World #10 Joe Kneipp, an Australian who has been living in the British Virgin Islands for the past few years. Defending the women's title will also be difficult, with Barbados in particular hoping to regain their former glory. The usual suspects will be coming out in full force in the veterans team competition, with heated battles expected between the teams from Barbados, Cayman Islands, OECS and Trinidad & Tobago.
|
