Charlottetown PE, by Andrew Avery – It was a thrilling weekend of competition that took place April 4-7 as 120 athletes from the 4 Atlantic Provinces arrived in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to compete in the 2024 Vogue Optical Atlantic Squash Championships. Close to 200 matches took place at the Chi-Wang Sports Centre located on the University of Prince Edward Island campus and at the SPA Total Fitness Centre located on the lower level of Royalty Crossings.
It was the first time Squash PEI has been able to host the event since 2018 as their turn on the rotation, which was originally scheduled for 2021, was delayed with other Atlantic provinces due to past restrictions during the Covid-19 Pandemic. With gathering limitations now behind us, the first Regional Championship in six years was a huge success as champions were crowned in 12 divisions.
In the all PEI final for the Division 1 Championship, multi-time Atlantic Champion Mike Buchanan gave one of his best performances in years after returning to competition two years ago following a 2019 injury. He jumped to an early lead and did not look back defeating Liam Jinks 11-8, 11-8, 11-6. Prior to the Atlantic Final, Buchanan and Jinks met 3 times during the 2023-2024 season, competing against each other in thrilling matches with Buchanan winning the Mill River Open finals in January, Jinks in the New Brunswick Open finals in February, and Jinks again in March during the Nova Scotia Open, this time in the Semi-Finals. The victory evened the season series at two matches each, and many are already looking forward to the very competitive rivalry continuing in 2024-2025.
The Women’s final in the top division saw Victoria Dias representing Squash NL with a 3-0 victory over Lucianna Davila 11-4, 11-8, 11-8.
What was once lost has been found again. Since 2017, the Geezer Goblet Trophy, awarded to a Masters Division Champion during a PEI event, was considered lost and never to return again, only to resurface again earlier this year and Squash PEI was thrilled to present the championship this year to Barry Williams representing Squash NB. He defeated Chris Mills (PEI) 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-5. Following the match, Williams took part in a ceremonial photo with former Geezer Goblet Champions in attendance participating and congratulating him on his successful weekend.
Also featured during the weekend was a future stars mini-tournament. The category showcased players ranging from ages 7-12 competing in short games to give them an opportunity to experience tournament play and develop new friendships as they prepare for what everyone hopes will be a lifelong involvement in the sport. A major thank you to Samantha Lawther, Mike Buchanan, Jean Francois Vincent-Rocan, Josh Corkum and James Wiseman for leading this initiative.
A major highlight of this event was the growth of participation from all clubs across Atlantic Canada. In previous championship events, a strong majority of athletes primarily came from Charlottetown PE, Halifax NS and Moncton NB. Athletes flew in from Newfoundland & Labrador, representation from Cape Breton, a strong showing of juniors from the Kentville club in Annapolis Valley, and tip to tip participation across Prince Edward Island from Alberton to Souris.
This event highlights what was already an exciting year for Squash PEI following the 2023 Canada Winter Games and 2023 Canadian Masters Team Championships which were both held in Charlottetown. With a successful Atlantic Championship now completed to highlight the previous year, squash is definitely continuing to show growth in Prince Edward Island.
RESULTS OF 2024 VOGUE OPTICAL ATLANTIC SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS
MASTERS
- 1st – Barry Williams (NB)
- 2nd – Chris Mills (PEI)
- 3rd – Gary Corbett (NS)
- Consolation – Jeremy Stiles (PEI)
- Plate – Robert Sharkie (PEI)
JUNIOR GIRLS
- 1st – Brielle MacLean (PEI)
- 2nd – Sierra Cox (NS)
- 3rd – Sophie Webster (PEI)
- Consolation – Amanda Portocarrero (NS)
- Plate – Christabelle Onyebuchi (NS)
JUNIOR BOYS
- 1st – Max Williams (NB)
- 2nd – Sam Loat (NS)
- 3rd – Kayin Burrell (NS)
- Consolation – Victor Onyebuchi (NS)
U13 DIVISION
- 1st – Anthony MacDonald (PEI)
- 2nd – Louis Beck (PEI)
- 3rd – Jase Wiseman (NS)
WOMEN #1
- 1st – Victoria Dias (NL)
- 2nd – Lucianna Davila (PEI)
- 3rd – Samantha Lawther (PEI)
- Consolation – Anabel Stokes (NB)
WOMEN #2
- 1st – Tess Miller (PEI)
- 2nd – Julie Levesque (NB)
- 3rd – Seana Evans-Renaud (PEI)
WOMENS #3
- 1st – Kate Doyle (PEI)
- 2nd – Sierra Cox (NS)
- 3rd – Emily Gorman (PEI)
- Consolation – Jen Wiseman (NS)
- Plate – Amanda Portocarrero (NS)
DIVISION #1
- 1st – Mike Buchanan (PEI)
- 2nd – Liam Jinks (PEI)
- 3rd – Kaone Siwona (NB)
- Consolation – Gabriel Olajide (NB)
- Plate – Lester Jinks (PEI)
DIVISION #2
- 1st – Gava Vadlamani (NB)
- 2nd – Harshith Maruthi Reddy (NB)
- 3rd – Jean Francois Vincent-Rocan (PEI)
- First Consolation – Darren Kerr (NB)
- Second Consolation – Orlando Ramirez (NS)
- Plate – Mark Lloyd (PEI)
DIVISION #3
- 1st – Alex MacBain (PEI)
- 2nd – Bill MacGillivray (NS)
- 3rd – John Arnold (NS)
- First Consolation – Balisi Bakanisi (NB)
- Second Consolation – Greg Arsenault (PEI)
- Plate – Bikramjit Singh (NS)
DIVISION #4
- 1st – Anabel Stokes (NB)
- 2nd – Max Williams (NB)
- 3rd – Sam Loat (NS)
- Consolation – Sukhpreet Singh Aujla (NS)
- Plate – Campbell Webster
DIVISION #5
- 1st – Yusseff Rendon (PEI)
- 2nd – Joel Blouin (PEI)
- 3rd – Brad Haltli (PEI)
- Consolation – Victor Onyebuchi (NS)
- Plate – Dan Johnston (PEI)
Full results can be viewed on Club Locker at the link below.
