‘Women’s team should qualify for Pan Am Games’ says Coach Chan-a-Sue

By Sean Devers

THE Guyana squash unit leaves on Friday for the Pan Am qualifiers in Columbia with USA-based coach, Ramon Chan-a-Sue quietly confident that the Nicolette Fernandes-led Women’s team will qualify for the Pan Games.

“I think we have a great opportunity especially on the women’s side. For the men’s it could be a challenge but I think the guys are up for it.

We have a nice blend of experience and youth on the team.

Alex (Arjoon) and Jason (Khalil) are seasoned campaigners now and Sam and Daniel (Ince cousins) provide that youthful energy that will be required to compete with some of the elite players in the world

The women are an experienced group now, led by Nicolette (Fernandes) and Ashley (Khalil). “We are a much more experienced and improved group from the four that qualified four years ago for the Peru Games,” disclosed Coach Ramon.

“We did a prep camp a week ago, to get everyone focused and to help everyone to start to peak for the event. It was a good three days of training and I think everyone came out energized” informed Ramon who has been Guyana’s senior team coach for the last nine years.

“These qualifiers bring out some of the Pan Am Region’s best players, including current

World #1 Diego Elias of Peru and Miguel Rodriquez of Colombia (WR #12), Olivia Clyne (WR #13) and Sabrina Sobhy (#15) of the USA.

These are just a few of the great players taking part. It will be a battle for a top eight

West Indies A vs Bangladesh A Chanderpaul; Da Silva notch half centuries

CMC – Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Test counterpart Joshua Da Silva both squandered golden opportunities to notch their first hundreds of the tour, as West Indies A dominated Tuesday’s day one of the final four-day “Test” against Bangladesh A.

The left-handed Chanderpaul top-scored with 83 at the top of the order while captain Da Silva chipped in with a fine 82, two of four half-centuries which helped the Caribbean side to 320 for six at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Alick Athanaze also struck 59 and fellow lefthander Raymon Reifer an unbeaten 56, to further underline the touring side’s dominance after they won the toss and chose to bat.

Nasum Ahmed, a 28-year-old left-arm spinner who has played 40 white-ball internationals, finished with three for 92 while 20-yearold rookie seamer Mushfik Hasan claimed two for 50.

Entering the contest with a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after winning the last “Test”, West Indies A endured a nightmare start when they lost in-form opener Kirk McKenzie without scoring positions on both sides,” Coach Ramon added.

“I think we will have a great opportunity to win a medal if we qualify for the Games, especially in doubles, we came close the last time and I think we are more experienced this time around.

Since Squash was introduced at the Pan Am Games in 1995, Nicolette has won Guyana’s only medal (Bronze) in the individuals and won the only gold medal for Guyana at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia before suffering a knee injury the following year which kept her out of action for 23 months.

But the ageless Nicolette, who turns 40 on June 19, has returned to Court in the second chapter of her illustrious career and last year won the Senior Pan American Squash Championships in Guatemala in April before becoming the first Female Guyanese to win Gold at the

World Master's Championship in Poland in August.

“I think she is playing as good as I have ever seen her play and I was there when she started her competitive career as a junior. She is as fit as usual and has made adjustments to her game to conserve her body now,” said Coach Ramon, who played for Guyana from 1990 to 2015.

“It’s going to have to be a team effort, they are all going to have to be drivers on this trip, we can’t have passengers, everyone has to contribute, and if we can do that, we have a great chance of qualifying.

I would like to thank the GOA for their support and we look forward to making Guyana proud again,” stated Coach Ramon.

The Pan Games is set from October 20 to November 5 in Chile.

Chanderpaul thankful despite missing century SCOREBOARD

dozen fours and a brace of sixes in a 94-ball knock.

He failed to add to his tea time score with West Indies A on 215 for three, however, yorked by the very first delivery after the resumption from Nasum, leading to a slide which saw three wickets tumble for 45 runs.

CMC – Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul said he was ‘thankful’ for his form despite twice missing out on hundreds in the ongoing three-match “Test” tour of Bangladesh.

TOTAL (6 wkts, 82 overs) 320

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-1, 3-83, 4-215, 5-241, 6-260 and number three Zachary McCaskie for one, with only two runs on the board in the three over of the morning.

To bat: A Jordan, V Permaul, A Phillip.

Bowling: Mushfik Hasan 13-4-50-2, Shoriful Islam 13-1-58-1, Tanzim Hasan 15-1-53-0, Saif Hasan 12-2-49-0, Nasum Ahmed 26-5-92-3, Mominul Haque 2-1-11-0, Mahmudul Hasan 1-0-2-0.

McKenzie feathered a defensive shot behind off one from left-arm seamer, Shoriful Islam, which held its line while McCaskie, on his West Indies A debut, got turned inside out by a Mushfik leg-cutter and also edged behind.

Any hopes of running through the West Indies A top order were then quickly squashed, however, as Chanderpaul put on 81 for the third wicket with Athanaze before adding a further 132 for the fourth with Da Silva, to stage a recovery.

Chanderpaul struck nine fours and a six in a patient 160-ball stay while Athanaze faced 66 deliveries and counted seven fours and two sixes in a fluent knock before perishing half-hour before lunch, brilliantly caught at slip by Mahmudul Hasan off Nasum, to leave West Indies A 98 for three at the interval.

There was no further erosion following the resumption, Da Silva combining well with Chanderpaul to keep the Bangladesh A bowlers wicket-less in the second session.

Da Silva easily outscored Chanderpaul, transferring the pressure back on Bangladesh A’s bowlers as he punched a

Chanderpaul, unbeaten at tea on 71, was caught at the wicket off Nasum and Tevin Imlach missed a straight one from Nasum and was lbw for 10.

Stumbling on 260 for six, West Indies A once again showed their resilience, Reifer provided the rearguard action in a 90-ball innings which has so far featured half-dozen fours and a six.

More importantly, he inspired a 60-run, unbroken seventh wicket stand with Kevin Sinclair (22 not out), which frustrated the hosts’ attempts at further inroads in the final session.

BANGLADESH A –

*Saif Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Yasir Ali, Nasum Ahmed, Mahmudul Hasan, +Nurul Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Mominul Haque, Tanzim Hasan, Zakir Hasan, Mushfik Hasan.

The 26-year-old, who has played six Tests since making his debut Down Under late last year, made 83 on Tuesday’s opening day of the final four-day “Test”, as West Indies A reached 320 for six at the close at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

For Chanderpaul, the knock marked the second time he had flirted with a century in the series, following his 83 in the drawn opener a fortnight ago.

“Most definitely I would like to hit the three figures. It’s my second score of 83 again but I’m thankful. I will hopefully try and get past it the next time,” Chanderpaul said following the day’s play.

Chanderpaul’s initiative was required after West Indies A, choosing to bat first, slumped to two for one in the morning’s third over after Kirk McKenzie (0) and debutant Zachary McCaskie (1) fell cheaply.

The left-hander then combined with Alick

Athanaze (59) in an 81run, third wicket stand before partnering with captain Joshua Da Silva (82) in a 132-run partnership for the fourth wicket, the latter keeping Bangladesh A wicket-less in the second session.

Chanderpaul struck nine fours and a six in a patient 160-ball stay before finally departing in the final session.

“Obviously the pitch has got a bit of grass on it so I tried to get through the new ball and after that, I started scoring a bit easier,” said the Guyanese, the son of Test legend Shiv Chanderpaul.

“The weather was hot today so I had to dig deep and try and go as far as possible.”

West Indies A ended the day on 320 for six after Raymon Reifer struck an unbeaten 56, in a 60-run, unbroken seventh wicket stand with Kevin Sinclair (22 not out), and Chanderpaul said the visitors would look to build further on Wednesday’s day two.

“With the position we’re in right now, we’ll just look to bat as long as possible and try and see if we can bat out another session.”