More than 100 players from the Caribbean region, including 25 of Bermuda’s top juniors, will compete in the Caribbean Junior Squash Championships at the Devonshire Courts.

The competition, which runs from Sunday until July 19, is the top junior competition in the Caribbean for players aged between 13 and 19.

Runa Reta, the Bermuda Squash Racquets Club assistant director, said: “Bermuda has multiple players in high seeding positions with every chance of winning medals.

Bermuda players to watch out for include Emma Keane in girls’ under-19 division who will have to beat Guyana’s No 2 ranked player, Gabrielle Fraser, to reach the semi-finals.

Also in contention for medals will be Dylan Pratt and Anaya Smith who are seeded No 3 and 4 in the boys’ under-15 and under-13 age groups.

Charlotte Toogood will be looking to improve on her fourth place finish in last year’s event in the under-13 age group, as will Olivia Lindsey in the girls’ under-15s.

Tough draws in the boys’ and girls’ under-17 and under-19s will require some huge performances from local players Tiye Williams, Susanna Armano, Nazhir Smith, Dylan Muldoon, Beckett Simmons and Kion Knights if they are to advance to the later stages.

The event is sponsored by Bank of Bermuda Foundation and the Department of Youth & Sports and is a huge undertaking on behalf of the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association, said Patrick Foster, the BSRA director.

“It’s a great event that requires the efforts of a lot of people to pull it together,” Foster said. “With over 140 people arriving in the next two days we are all thrilled and working hard to make this a great event.”

Play begins after the opening ceremony on Sunday, with the individual championship running for the first three days of the event leading up to the finals on Tuesday.

Teams of five players will then compete for each country over four days of competition for the team title from July 16 to 19.

Countries represented include Barbados, Cayman Island, Jamaica, Guyana, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and Trinidad and Tobago who hosted last year’s tournament.

Entry to the matches is free.