Seven repping Barbados in Panam U23 Squash

A seven-member team is representing Barbados at this week’s Under-23 Pan American Squash Championships in Colombia. The tournament is being held from October 6-12, at Club Campestre de Bucaramanga in Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Team Barbados includes three men, led by two-time Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) individual champion Khamal Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch is a former collegiate athlete, having competed for Trinity College in the USA.

Along with Darien Benn, Cumberbatch has been seeded 5/8 in the men’s individual main draw. Their performances in the individual rounds will contribute to the overall team seeding The men’s team also includes Alex Stewart. Aidan Parris did not travel.

The women’s team includes the current and former CASA gold medallists in the Under-19 division, Sumairaa Suleman and Eboni Atherley. Suleman attended Westover High School in Connecticut, USA, and is now at Bates college in Maine, a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Atherley, who is also a capable badminton player, won the 2024 U19 Caribbean title in the British Virgin Islands in August. A student of Christ Church Foundation School, she also plays football.

The women’s team is rounded out by Jada Smith- Padmore and Jodi Smith-Padmore. The women did not receive individual seedings, but their efforts in the competition will impact the team rankings.

Action got underway at Club Campestre on Sunday. In men’s singles, Cumberbatch swept unseeded Peruvian Martin Leon 11-7, 11-9, 11-3 in the Round of 16, but lost to Uruguay’s Ramiro Albelo 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8 in the quarterfinals.

Benn lost in the Round of 32, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 to Ecuador’s Antonio Sebastian Vaca. Cumberbatch and Benn play El Salvador in the men’s doubles Round of 16 on Tuesday.

Stewart lost 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7 to Amaro Castillo of Peru in the companion boys Round of 16, a draw for the third and fourth seeds. He will team up with Jada Padmore-Smith to contest the mixed doubles quarterfinals on Wednesday against a team from Ecuador.

Suleman lost to Paraguay’s Nicole Krauch in straight sets in the Round of 32, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8. Atherley was beaten by Chile’s Camila Needham 6-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-3. Atherley and Suleman get their women’s doubles campaign underway on Wednesday against a team from Colombia.

In the companion draw, Jada Smith-Padmore is into the quarterfinals after downing Chile’s Catalina Lacroix in straight sets, 11-8, 11-2, 11-5. She will play Colombia’s María Camila Sabogal in the next round. Jodi Smith- Padmore had a solid run against Uruguay’s Lola Aznarez, but eventually lost in straight sets, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10.

This tournament is pivotal for the Caribbean’s future in squash, as Barbados and other regional teams strive for strong performances in preparation for the Junior Pan American Games 2025.

This prestigious event in fact serves as a key qualifier for the upcoming Under-23 hemispheric multi-sport competition, which is set for August 2025 in Asuncion, Paraguay.

The championships will provide nine qualification spots per gender for the Junior Pan American Games. Paraguay automatically qualifies as the host country.

14 countries will compete in the men’s category, while the women’s category features 10 countries following the withdrawal of strong contenders USA and Canada. This guarantees the Barbadian ladies’ team a place in Paraguay by their participation in Colombia.

Other Caribbean nations in attendance for the men’s competition include the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, and Guyana. (PR/TF)