TWENTY two-year-old college student Shawn Knowles won the inaugural Beginner’s Squash Tournament at Four Walls Squash & Social Club on Sunday, during a buzzing day of competition and camaraderie at the newly renovated Village Road facility.
Four Walls has been reviving the indoor racket sport as a wellness alternative for adults who enjoy exercising outside of the gym. Twelve players, with an average of five months squash experience, participated in the one-day, amateur club event.
“The tournament was an extension of our adult learn-to-play programme, which has grown tremendously over the past year. It was a fun, open tournament with a mix of male and female players from 22 to over 45 years old, including an engineer, film director, auditor, nurse, investment banker, student, retail sales manager, entrepreneur and others,” said tournament director Michael Fields about the diverse group of players.
“The common thread – everyone had less than 12 months’ experience playing the sport. The sportsmanship was very commendable. It was a very competitive environment, but everyone understood at the end of the day, it was for fun,“ said Mr Fields.
The winning prize was a roundtrip Family Island ticket for two on Bahamasair and a new squash racket.
“I haven’t done anything competitive like that in a while so it was a breath of fresh air for me honestly. I loved it, I loved every moment of it. I wasn’t expecting to win anyway,” said tournament winner Shawn Knowles. “I just went there saying I was going to play my best and, you know, it just took me all the way. ”
To create a safe environment, Four Walls required mandatory COVID-19 rapid-antigen test for participants and spectators, and provided on-site testing courtesy of the Family Medicine Center. The event was sponsored by International Private Banking Systems, Milo, Exotic Sound Design, and Technical Adjusters Bahamas Limited.
Runner-up and electrical engineer Rande Nicolls expressed disappointment over his loss but still enjoyed playing alongside the newest cohort of squash players:
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get the top spot, but second place is good. I’m happy with the way I performed,” he said. “We’ve been playing with each other throughout the last few months, helping each other improve, getting to know each other, and having a …….
Source: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2021/oct/26/shawn-knowles-wins-inaugural-beginners-squash-tour/
