Barbados’ Best
not enough By Azad Ali
Mental game
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Caribbean Life, Aug. 30, 2019 63
By George Alleyne
The Barbados and Caribbean
Squash child wonder,
Meagan Best, finally met her
match, going down to a Guyanese
more than twice her
age in the regional championship
Tuesday night to
register her first defeat at a
major tournament.
Battling in the final
against 36-year-old Guyanese,
Nicolette Fernandes,
Best, 17, went under 2-11,
-2-11, 5-11 for the Senior
Caribbean Area Squash
Association Women’s Singles
Squash title at the Georgetown
Club, Guyana.
Meagan, a child sensation
who has trampled over
all in her path regardless
of age to become the Caribbean
number one female
entering the tournament
as three-time defending
champion, appeared to have
wilted under the relentless
attack of the Fernandes, a
former five time champion
and 2006 gold medallist at
the Central American and
Caribbean Games in Colombia.
It was Fernandes’ sixth
Caribbean title and first
since 2013.
In spite of the lop-sided
defeat Best indicated at the
end of the match that as a
teenager she is still learning,
describing it as, “a good
experience for me”.
“She is very, very experienced.
She knows how to
work the court; she really
had me running for my
money, but I enjoyed it,”
young Best said of her much
more versatile opponent.
Owing to her age, Best
has over the years been
dominant in the juniors and
seniors and just in July she
picked her seventh Caribbean
Area Squash Association
junior championship
title in Trinidad and Tobago.
Meagan Best with one of
her many trophies.
Photo by George Alleyne
Batting legend Brian Lara
has identified the mental aspect
as a critical area of focus for the
West Indies.
The former West Indies captain
believes he can play a significant
role in strengthening
the regional side in this regard
for the two Tests against India
this month.
Lara has been lending his
vast experience to the entire
cadre of young batsmen.
He said while the technical
skills and work ethic were
present in the squad, a key
area to address was the mental
approach.
“The young players are
working hard, Floyd Reifer and
his team are actually putting
things together pretty good,”
the 50-year-old Lara said.
“The practical side is there
for the young players but I feel
mentally they can grow a little
bit and learn a little bit more,”
he added.
However, they will be hoping
to build on their success
in their only Test series this
year when they stunned world
number one England 2-1 in a
three-Test series in the Caribbean.
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