Squash team looking to do well at Games

By Morissa Lindsay

A strong five-member team will seek to make Barbados proud in both the singles and doubles at the XXII Commonwealth Games scheduled to commence next Thursday, July 28th, in Birmingham, England.

Head coach Aidan Harrison spoke last night at the Barbados Squash Club and said he is extremely pleased with how preparation has gone and wants players Meagan Best, Amanda Haywood, Jada Smith- Padmore, Khamal Cumberbatch and Shawn Simpson to give a good account of themselves.

“These players that we are coming up against are top ten in the world and I would love for our players to make a statement and show that they have what it takes to medal at such a major event,” Harrison told Barbados TODAY.

“Preparation has been great with some good solid training, especially on the physical and technical sides and we have done a lot of group sessions with a really great atmosphere within the camp. Within this past week of training especially I can tell that the players are ready to compete.

“Four of the five players came from college squash this year and they have been in a good groove already. Then there is the senior and mature side with Shawn in the mix which has really helped as well. So, the focus has been to tidy up the technical side but also match tactics, especially for the doubles because that is where we have a really good chance of doing well,” the coach explained.

Two-time Caribbean squash champion and national number one ranked female player Meagan Best got her first baptism at the Commonwealth Games when she
competed (2018) in the Gold Coast of Australia.

It was that same year she led her country proudly as flag bearer and now the 20-year-old student at the University of Virginia (UVA) said she is looking forward to making her second appearance for Barbados in Birmingham.

Best has developed into a much fitter player with great endurance thanks to work both on and off the court. “It is a good feeling having had that experience and knowing what to expect this time. I’ve put in a lot of work, a lot of training and I am just excited to see what I can do at the games.”

Best placed 17th overall in the singles at the last Commonwealth Games and has her sights set on a top ten finish this time around. She is also expected to team up with childhood friend Khamal Cumberbatch, one of the leading men’s players in the country for the mixed doubles while she and Amanda Haywood will feature in the same-sex doubles.

Similarly, Haywood who recently graduated from UVA knows what it takes to compete at this level in what will be her second appearance having had her first opportunity in 2018 and is confident of putting on a good showing this time around.

“I am looking forward to the doubles event with Meagan and just being aggressive on the court. I play the forehand side while Meagan plays the backhand and just being able to have that chemistry with Meagan on the court to communicate or get the ball. I think that chemistry is more important than how good our opponents are so I am looking forward to us playing together on the big stage,” Haywood expressed.

First-timers, Cumberbatch and Smith-Padmore are also looking forward to the experience with both upbeat in terms of putting on a really good showing and they thanked the Barbados Olympic Association and the Barbados Squash Association (BSA) for making the trip a reality.

Part of the Hobart and William
Smith College family located in Geneva, New York, Smith- Padmore revealed she is
slightly nervous about her first outing but intends on making her country and team
proud.

Meanwhile, Cumberbatch, a student of Trinity Academy in Hartford, Connecticut, added: “Physically, I feel great. This is what I have been looking forward to all year, training with this in mind. I have my collegiate season but I knew once I returned to Barbados this was the big game.”

With 11-time national champion Simpson as part of the team, it further adds depth to the squad and he is happy to see the younger players being allowed to represent the island.

“I feel very proud to see that we have a number of young individuals stepping up to the highest level and that they are being given the opportunity to play at this level,” Simpson told Barbados TODAY.

As the squash team and several other disciplines departed Barbados today for the Commonwealth Games, manager of the team Monty Cumberbatch who is a past president of the BSA and stalwart of the sport, described this opportunity as the Olympics of squash and was confident that the team will do well. While Barbados hasn’t done as well as they should have over the years, Cumberbatch is banking on the fact that he has a good team that is used to playing together.

“The Commonwealth Games is the highest level in squash, it is like the Olympics and we are fortunate that several of our players are in North America playing in championships which is good competition. In addition, having Aidan here as a coach and workingwith the team, I think the team is well prepared,” Cumberbatch said.

(morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb)