Good first day for Marley Price at All-Jamaica Junior Squash Champs

The All-Jamaica Junior and Senior Squash Championships served off on Sunday at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston with intense action in the junior section in front of an appreciative crowd.

Several of the juniors posted some very good results during the first day’s action, including 13-year-old Marley Price, who started to play the sport in 2019 under the tutelage of Gill Binnie.

Price opened her competition against Rihana Stoddart in the under-17 age group, where she lost 2-3 after putting up a strong showing. That was one of the few matches that went to five sets on the day with scores of 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-4, 0-11. She then got the better of Grace Dwyer in the U13/U15 age group 3-0. Scores in that match were 11-2, 11-7, 11-1. Her third and final match of the day saw her getting the better of Hinal Lohana 3-0 in the U17 age group. The match challenged her, as seen in the scores of 11-6, 11-8, 11-2.

She has high hopes for herself for this year’s competition.

“I’m definitely looking to win U15. That’s going to be a tough match I know, and I’m trying to make it to U17 finals, too, to get that medal.”

Price says that she likes the sport and the peopl,e and expects to be around for a long time playing it.

“I like the competitiveness, the community, and the people you get to meet through it. I feel like I’ve been working hard. Some games I didn’t do as good as I wanted to, but in the end it worked out fine. I really enjoy this sport a lot. It’s one of my passions and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for me.”

She has already represented Jamaica at the regional level. Her first outing was in 2023 in St Vincent at the Junior CASA.

Defending male and female champions Ethan Miller and Mehar Trehan won all their matches on Sunday’s first day after going for every ball and showing every intention that they want to retain their titles.

Miller’s first match was against Ethan Williams, which he dispatched 3-0 with scores of 11-0, 11-0, 11-3.

In the next match, Govind Venugopal kept him on the court a little longer, but it also ended 3-0 (11-0, 11-5, 11-5). His third match of the day against Judah Tavares-Finson also ended in a 3-0 score. Scores in that match were 11-1, 11-3, 11-1.

Trehan was on form on Sunday after winning her two matches which ended 3-0 each. The scores in Trehan’s first match against Priya Stoddart were 11-7, 11-0, 11-1. Her second match of the day against Rhiana Stoddart was a dominant display of skill, precision and fitness, which resulted in scores of 11-1, 11-0, 11-1.

The seniors will begin their competition on Wednesday after the juniors finish their matches.