VI secures fourth gold and five medals
The Virgin Islands produced a historic haul at the Nagico & Interpath Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Championships in Tortola, finishing with four golds and one bronze — a record five medals for the Territory. An unheralded mixed doubles victory late in the competition produced the fourth gold, lifting Team VI beyond the three-gold mark they set when hosting in 2024, organisers and local reports said (VINO).
Team Virgin Islands delivered its best-ever single-day medal haul at the Nagico & Interpath Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Championships, finishing with four gold medals and one bronze at the Tortola Sports Club. Earlier in the weekend the home side celebrated three individual golds and a bronze: Jakob Noblett-Diaz took gold in the Under-15 boys, Delilah Pease won the Under-15 girls title, and Danny Henderson sealed gold in the Under-19s.
Leela Mellor earned bronze in the Under-11 division (VINO). Late in the schedule a Virgin Islands mixed doubles pairing added a fourth gold, beating the Cayman Islands duo of Milanna Lamontagne and Charlie Makin in straight sets, 11-6, 11-4, after defeating Barbados’ Daniel Sealy and Olivia Watts 11-6, 11-2 in the semifinals, organisers reported (VINO).
That victory pushed the Territory’s total to five medals — the most in its history at a single CASA event, according to VINO. Coach Adam Murrilis described the results as a historic day for the Territory. “Most medals we've ever won in a day, in a championship. We managed to win three gold medals two years ago.
Both those championships were at home, so I guess that means we're going to have to keep holding it here in the VI,” he told VINO. Murrilis also praised Henderson’s steady improvement, saying the youngster has grown stronger each year and is now among the region’s top junior talents (VINO).
Greenaway reported by VINO, Henderson reflected on his Under-19 victory: "Training so hard in the past forever, so it's nice to get the gold under the belt. Came third last year, so it's nice to win again this year." He added, "I’ve been working a lot on playing faster, and that's what I was trying here, just trying to play faster than my opponent, 'cause I know that when I go to the CAC games, everyone's gonna be super super fast, super strong, and I just gotta be able to match them." The championships, hosted by the BVI Squash Rackets Association (BVISRA), run from July 10–16 and bring roughly 150 of the Caribbean’s best juniors — from Under-11 to Under-19 — to Tortola, with athletes from nine countries including Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago (VINO).
The BVISRA previously hosted the event in 2024, when Team VI also enjoyed a breakthrough three-gold day; prior to 2024 the Territory had only ever won one CASA gold (Joe Chapman, 2009), VINO notes. For residents, the strong showing highlights the growth of local youth development programs and the benefits of hosting regional events: giving young players high-level match experience on home courts, raising community interest in squash, and reinforcing Tortola’s reputation as a sporting hub in the Caribbean.
BVISRA, coaches and players hope the momentum continues for the remainder of the week and into upcoming regional competitions such as the Central American and Caribbean Games (VINO).
Primary source: VINO