Fernandes reclaims crown, Badrinath wins men’s title
By Isaiah Chappelle
Guyana Chronicle
August 20, 2004
PROFESSIONAL player Nicolette Fernandes outclassed Karen Meakins to dethrone the Barbadian in the Ladies’ Individual competition of the Banks Mini Malta Southern Caribbean Squash Championships, but declared it was not as easy as it looked.
In the individual final at Georgetown Club, Wednesday night, a large crowd witnessed Fernandes reclaim the crown she won in 2000 at age 17, while Shawn Badrinath won the Men’s title for the first time in the biennial championships, staged between biennial Senior Caribbean Championships.
And the two champions dedicated the victories to the late Gerard Greaves who perished in an accident, cutting short a career that was gaining momentum. Both players wore black in his memory.
Fernandes was the star of the encounter, as clearly, the crowd had turned out to see her play and she delivered with a sparkling performance.
“The score lines might show it was easy, but it wasn’t,” Fernandes told Chronicle Sport.
“No match at this level is easy; then the home crowd, with everybody expecting me to win.”
Fernandes won 9-6, 9-3, 9-2. She dubbed the first game, ‘the battle of the nerves’. She raced to four points before Meakins broke her service. Then after losing the service three times, she eventually put on two more, then another service loss and one more point. From there, another five side-outs ensued and Meakins raced to five points. After losing the service, Meakins took it back to add one more point, before Fernandes regained service and wrapped up the game.
“It was just nerves. This is a big tournament for me. I got to six because she was nervous. My nerves were still in disarray when she regained hers and she started scoring points.”
In the second game, Fernandes lost the service early and Meakins registered the first point. She got it back and raced to six, before Meakins could register two, which turned out to be her last as Fernandes wrapped up the game, but not before losing service two more times.
Fernandes reached three points in the third game before Meakins registered one, and when she was on six, the Guyanese was hit on the brow as Meakins went for a stroke. Meakins then scored two more points, before Fernandes wrapped up the game and took the title.
“I’m really happy. I am overjoyed,” Fernandes told Chronicle Sport.
Badrinath’s victory was more or less routine for him now, having already beaten opponent Gavin Cumberbatch of Barbados in the Jamaica Open quarterfinals 3-0. He also disposed of him in three games 9-2, 9-5, 9-2.
“The level of the championships is the same, but my game’s gone up higher with the overseas exposure.”
But the second game seemed to have gone awry, as Cumberbatch fought back, breaking Badrinath’s service several times.
“I started to slow down a little bit. Then I looked up and saw Damien (Da Silva in the balcony) who said I must go back to the game plan. I then moved him about the court and he began making mistakes. And so I came out on top.”
Cumberbatch mustered the first two points in the third game, from where Badrinath clobbered all nine to wrap up the game and take the title.
“It was a good win; a big victory. But I could not do it without my coach Carl Ince. I must also say a big thank you to my supporters who came out in numbers. This was one for Gerard Greaves.”
With victory in the individuals completed, Badrinath sees the team competition as an easy one for the locals.
“There is no threat,” he opined.