The Jamaican girls’ team experienced significant success at the 30th edition of the Junior Caribbean Squash Championship held in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, bringing home six medals: two gold, three silver, and one bronze.
Mehar Trehan emerged as the sole gold medalist in the individual competition, successfully defending her title in the U17 girls category. Trehan dominated the competition, defeating her compatriot Elle Wilson 3-0 in the final, without dropping a set throughout the tournament. Wilson had a more challenging path to the final, overcoming Sarrayah Yearwood of Trinidad & Tobago in a grueling five-game match.
The doubles partnership of Sanjana Nallapati (captain) and Katherine Risden captured gold, defeating the top-seeded Barbadian pair of Eboni Atherley and Joanna Atkins 2-1. The Jamaican duo came from behind, overcoming a one-set deficit to win the closely contested final with scores of 9/11, 11/6, and 11/9.
In the girls U19 category, Jamaica was represented by Risden, the number one seed, and Nallapati, the captain and number three seed. Both were denied gold by Barbados’ Eboni Atherley, who defeated Nallapati in the semi-finals and Risden in the finals, both with 3-0 victories. Risden and Nallapati secured silver and bronze, respectively, in the U19 girls’ individual competition.
Varenya Singh, in her first Junior CASA tournament, reached the semi-finals of the U11 competition. Singh displayed composure and grit, ultimately finishing fourth in the U11 girls’ individual competition.
Team event
The Jamaican girls continued their winning streak in the team event, earning the silver medal after a close contest with Barbados, which ended in a 3-3 tie. Jamaica started strong in the final, with Risden overturning her individual loss to Atherley by winning 3-0. Captain Nallapati and U17 champion Trehan also secured 3-0 victories. However, Barbados equalized in the final tie at U13, forcing a countback in games.
Marley Price fought valiantly but lost to the number two seed, resulting in a tiebreak that was decided by a countback of games won. Price’s critical performance in the semi-finals ensured Jamaica’s place in the final by securing one game, which proved pivotal in the game countback.
Coach Tahjia Lumley praised the team’s fighting spirit and camaraderie, stating, “The team is one of the best in terms of their fighting spirit and camaraderie. From the youngest to the oldest, we are not far off! Gold in doubles and the girls going all the way in the team event! This has been an amazing experience for them, and they are looking forward to continuing to improve for next year’s event.”
Jamaica finished fourth in the overall standings, with the girls’ team securing second place and the boys’ team finishing eighth. The team’s medal haul included two gold, three silver, and one bronze.
The team was coached by Tahjia Lumley and managed by Nathlee Boreland.
