Anderson, Binnie are AJ squash champs

Veteran player Karen Anderson took the women's title for a record 12th time and young Chris Binnie blew through the field to win the men's crown as the 2011 Allied Insurance Brokers All-Jamaica Senior Squash Championships wrapped up yesterday.

Anderson, who is in charge of the national junior programme, returned to the All-Jamaica Cham-pionships after a one-year break, having been sidelined by injuries. The seasoned sportswoman defeated defending champion Brooke Burrowes, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 to claim her 12th title.

"The tournament went very well for me. I only started playing competitively again in March, so it was good to come back and I'm very happy that I came out the winner," Anderson said.

Coming off an immensely successful season on the US College Circuit, red-hot Chris Binnie won the men's title without dropping a set. In an electrifying match, Binnie beat first-time finalist Bruce Burrowes 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 to take his second All-Jamaica Senior Men's Championship.

Burrowes, who had upset his father, defending champion Wayne Burrowes, in the quarter-finals, put up a fight, but the in-form Binnie needed only 28 minutes to wrap up the match.

Binnie, who was also named most outstanding male player, said his last two matches were more competitive than the scores reflected.

"Even though I won the semi-finals and the finals three-love, those were tough matches, but I was able to keep my head and stick to my plan and, thankfully, when the games got close, I got some of the lucky breaks and was able to win both matches," he said.

The championship win automatically qualifies Binnie to represent Jamaica at the Caribbean Area Squash Association's Senior Championships in the Cayman Islands next month.

Going for lost title

"I have the Caribbean Championships in two weeks and since I lost last year in the finals, I'll be looking to take back my title. And we also have a good men's team, so I think we can also win the team title," Binnie said.

Tournament sponsors Allied Insurance Brokers said their $300,000 investment in this year's All-Jamaica Championships was "money well spent".

"It was a very well-run tournament with a very high standard of play and we are extremely pleased with the results of this sponsorship," said Wayne Haye, senior broker.

"Squash is an honourable game that encourages mutual respect among players, which is in keeping with our values at Allied Insurance Brokers, and we look forward to continuing our support of the game," he added.

In the women's competition, the most outstanding player was Kim Scott, who won the Over-40 title and the women's Open Plate. All-Jamaica boys Under-15 champion, Jake Mahfood, who tested his skills against the senior men, was the tournament's most improved player.