James Stout was last night celebrating after seizing the boys' under-17 title at the Caribbean Area Squash Championships in Barbados.

Stout battled through groin problems to eventually outlast Ryan Farnum of Guyana, 9-2, 8-10, 3-9, 9-6, 9-6 in a marathon affair.

"We're about to have a few cold beers,'' said Ross Triffitt, director of squash at Bermuda Squash Racquets Club, clearly savouring victory.

However, it was anything but cool moments earlier, as after dominating the first game, Stout surrendered the next two and was squarely staring defeat.

Counter-attacking by necessity to limit the length of points, Stout found his rhythmn just in time to take the final two games and lift the title.

Bermuda's Laura Robinson finished runner-up in the girls' under-13 category, going down in four games to the number two seed Bo Harris of Barbados.

Harris, despite losing the opening game, she came back to overcome Robinson 3-9, 9-7, 9-1, 9-3.

Harris had ousted another Bermudian, Caty Luckhurst in the semi-finals, but yesterday Luckhurst earned the consolation of finishing third, winning the third-fourth place play-off 5-9, 9-5, 9-7, 9-4 against Lynsey Murray of Trinidad and Tobago.

Two Bermudians met in the play-off for third place in the boys' under-15s and it was Michael Shrubb who eventually triumphed, achieving a hard-fought and emotional victory over team-mate Andrew Stout 9-6, 9-10, 9-6, 9-6. Today the team event starts, with Bermuda's boys up against Guyana and the girls facing the Caymans.