Bermuda players have found the going tough at the Caribbean Area Squash Association Senior Championships in Georgetown, Guyana.

Taylor Carrick, Anaya Smith, Sydney Wallace, Kion Knights, Brendon Fourie, Abigail Brewer and Matthew Elliot are representing the island in Guyana. Other competitors are from Barbados, Cayman Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica.

It was only Carrick and Smith who made some meaningful progress, with the duo going as far as the second round, where they were second-best against the top seeds.

Canadian-based Carrick, Bermuda’s No1 seed, lost 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 to second seed Cameron Stafford, of Cayman Islands. Smith, the island’s No 2 at the tournament, also had the misfortune of meeting Khamal Cumberbatch, the eventual men’s champion, who breezed past the Bermudian 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 in 21 minutes.

Cumberbatch went on to pick up the top prize by defeating Julian Jervis from the Cayman Islands. Margot Prow, the women’s champion at the IQUW Squash Open in Bermuda, completed a Barbadian double by sweeping past local girl Mary Fung-A-Fat in the final.

Reflecting on the individual performances in Guyana, Micah Franklin, the head of squash at the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association, felt Carrick and Smith were unfortunate to face tough opponents in their second-round assignments.

“Going into the tournament, Taylor and Anaya were looking to try and push the top seeds a little bit, maybe sneak into the quarter-finals,” Franklin said.

“Unfortunately, the way the draw worked out, they played the top two seeds in the second round, who knocked them out.

“The rest of the team, I think they’re really happy to be there and competing for Bermuda. A lot of those players haven’t played for us for quite a long time, since juniors even.

“Kion Knights and Abigail Brewer haven’t played for Bermuda since they were juniors. Sydney Wallace has just moved back to the island from the UK, and she’s a great squash player. That’s her first time playing for Bermuda as well.

“These players are trying their best to pull up some upsets. Now that the individual events are over, they’re going to give it their all in the team events.”

Carrick, who came into the competition with high expectations, was satisfied with the type of squash he played.

“Unfortunately I lost 3-1 to the No 2 seed in the individuals,’’ he said. “I think that I played pretty well, but just couldn’t get past Cameron’s experience.

“My target was just to play good squash and to give it my best, which to an extent I think I achieved.”

In yesterday’s doubles, injury to Brewer saw Knights team up with Wallace in the mixed, with the two beaten 2-0 by Cumberbatch and Prow. Carrick and Smith featured against Cayman’s Stafford and Julian Jervis, and the Bermudians were vanquished 2-1.

The action now shifts to the team competition, which is scheduled to continue until Saturday.