January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Maycock wins junior Caribbean squash title
Maycock wins junior Caribbean squash title
Maycock, one of the rising stars of Bermuda squash, defeated his rival Joe Chapman from BVI in straight sets 10-8, 9-2, 9-4 to end a disappointing finals day for the host country on a high note.
Earlier Bermuda's other finallists Emma Keene, in the Under-13 girls, and Noah Browne, in the under-15 boys, had lost in straight sets.
Keene was beaten 9-0, 9-1, 9-2 by number one seed Victoria Arjoon of Guyana while Browne lost 9-4, 9-4, 9-2 to Kevan Hannaway, the number one seed representing the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.
But Bermuda saved the best for last with Maycock recording a resounding victory.
This caps a great junior squash run for Maycock who has now won every age group title - Under 13, Under 15, Under 17, and now Under 19. The only other player in Junior Boys to achieve this feat was another Bermudian, James Stout, who is currently working as a professional in New York.
After the game he said: "I wasn't expecting it to be 3-0 like that. The last two matches with Joe it's been down to the wire 3-2. The home crowd played a huge role. I thought I played out of my skin, despite a few errors. I started nervously in the 1st. Maybe I felt the pressure, especially as I've won every other age group and had a lot to lose. I was down 1-6 before I settled. I just tried to play my game, steady, tight length, keep him trapped at the back and exploit the front when I had an opportunity.
"The first game we played at his pace - slowly - but in the 2nd I picked it up and volleyed a lot more to keep him pinned back,
"He seemed to tire as I grew in confidence. My shots seemed to come naturally, and the crowd got me pumped up and feeding on their energy.
"I felt he was more or less finished in the 3rd game so I just kept my focus because he's not the type to give up. I was solid and didn't really have to dig deep today."
Tournament round-up
Roger Sherratt reviews the performances of Bermuda's youngsters on finals day at the Junior CASA championships....
Hurricane Bertha did her best to dampen spirits at the Bank of Bermuda Foundation Junior CASA (Caribbean) Squash Championship, this weekend, but to no avail
Perhaps the spirits of Bermudian squash fans were dampened during the opening match in Girls Under 13, when Victoria Arjoon despatched Bermuda's Emma Keane in 3 straight games, Arjoon repeating her success as last year's Under 13 champion.
Emma was up against a very strong and experienced player in Victoria Arjoon. This tournament is a real test for these young players and Emma now gets an opportunity to test her skills against all of the best Under 13 girls in the Caribbean as we move into the Team Championships.
The Boys Under 15 final involved two protagonists who have played each other several times in Junior CASA championships. Number 2 seed Noah Brown (Ber) won their first encounter when he took the Under 13 title 2 years ago, and in 2007 #1 seed, Kevan Hannaway (OECS), had won their last junior CASA match.
On this occasion it was Hannaway who had the upper hand, despite enthusiastic support from Bermuda supporters for Browne. Hannaway was just too strong and won in straight games 9-4, 9-4, 9-2. Brown has made tremendous strides in his game this past year.
His opponent in the individuals final played brilliantly, but he will have a chance for revenge when Bermuda plays OECS in the Team Championships.
Bermudian squash fans had had a rather disappointing day, and their one remaining hope was the final match of the individual championship - the Boys Under 19 - between #1 seed, Robbie Maycock, the hometown hero, and OECS star, Joe Chapman, who had played in Bermuda in last years' PSA World Championship as a wildcard entry. Their last three encounters, all of which were close 3-2 matches, were won by Maycock, who had has previously won the Junior CASA title in every other age group. Maycock had just completed his "A" levels in the U.K. while Chapman had been training in BVI with their new coach, Joe Kneipp, a former professional from Australia and a regular visitor to Bermuda.
It was a restrained gallery watching anxiously as Chapman surged into a 6-1 lead in the first game with Maycock looking rather nervous.
However, Maycock slowly found his length and began to take advantage of his height and his ability to retrieve anything and everything Chapman threw at him.
He clawed his way to 8-8 and by this time had the confidence to go for his shots. Maycock took the first game 10-8,and this certainly seemed to rattle Chapman who continued to play well, but had no answer to Maycock who then picked up the pace and later said he played "out of his skin" in front of his home crowd.
Maycock was hitting to a tight length, keeping Chapman pinned to the back of the court, then exploiting any opportunity to drop or boast in the front corners.
He put on a terrific display of controlled squash, winning the 2nd game 9-2, and the 3rd 9-4 to take the Under 19 title in his last year as a junior.
From the Bermudian fans' point of view a great finish to the individual championships. Tuesday is a rest day, with Team Competition getting underway on Wednesday.
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