The bar was raised for Bermuda’s team to the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships and Head coach Micah Franklin believes they not only cleared it, but more importantly, exceeded all expectations.

For Franklin, who has ambitions to expand squash in Bermuda, the performance of the team, which was the largest ever fielded by the British Overseas Territory, augurs well for the future of the sport, provided they remain consistent. 

Barbados reclaimed the overall team title, they last won in 2021, as they outclassed and dethroned Guyana in both boys and girls team finals at the just concluded tournament in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Franklin admits that his 17-member team of nine boys and eight girls, lacked the experience and calibre of the top two nations, which is why their third and fourth place finishes in the respective categories were even more rewarding.

“I think that the team performed well beyond what I expected from them and when you take into account the fact that the top two nations Barbados and Guyana are way above us at the moment, it makes our coming third place in the boys’ category and fourth place on the girls’ side, a really great accomplishment,” Franklin told Sportsmax.tv.

“So, I’m very pleased with all of my players’ performances. They fought hard in difficult conditions and gave me everything. As a coach that’s all I can ask for. I was pleased with the manner in which they represented themselves and their country with pride and honour,” he added.

Franklin, a former player, who was Bermuda’s flagbearer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is excited about the prospects, particularly where the players’ continued development and progress is concerned.

This, as Mason Smith won Bermuda’s first Under-11 medal, while Benjamin Sherratt, Somers Stevenson, and Owen Rosorea, were all runners-up in their respective categories, fulfilling their own personal goals.

“Every player went in with separate aspirations and some of them were able to achieve those objectives which is a huge step in the right direction and for sure we expect Mason, Benjamin, Somers, Owen and others to keep progressing over time, as they continue to transition from one each group to the next,” Franklin shared.

On that note, he declared an unwavering desire to steer Bermuda Squash onto a new path, and the outstanding display by the team at CASA, has solidified the platform on which to do that.

“Based off of the results I see a bright future for Bermuda squash. Our younger age groups have given me a lot of hope in the next generation because like I said before, the overall goal and ambition for Bermuda Squash is to achieve full inclusion from all ages, races and genders. We want to prioritize squash first and let everything else fall into place,” Franklin noted.

While he continues to do the groundwork, the coach said the players can get some much-needed rest and recovery before their next assignment.

“After the much-deserved break, we will kick things back in the fall. We will be looking to send a group of players to the United States and Canadian Junior opens, where we hope to continue building on the momentum, we have achieved so far this year,” Franklin ended.