by KELLY JOHNALLY

SQUASH IS ON THE MOVE and Gavin Cumberbatch, the first Barbadian to rule the Southern Caribbean court in 22 years, is one of the main reasons for the revival.

At last month's Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Colombia, squash secured medals – three bronze – for the first time ever, and Gavin had a hand in two of them, in the men's doubles and the mixed doubles.

And if that was not enough, Barbados swept the men's, women's and veterans' team titles at the Southern Caribbean Championships held here at the Marine courts, and Gavin was one of the spearheads by taking the coveted men's title.

His triumph was the first for a Barbadian since the revered Rudy Goodridge, Barbados' best known exponent of the game and the winner of eight national men's titles, won the crown in 1984.

"Winning the Southern title was a very momentous occasion and a dream come true," said Cumberbatch.

"It's great to be following in the footsteps of Goodridge, who I grew up idolising. Rudy was my first coach and played a pivotal role in my squash development both on and off the court.

"The CAC bronze medals are great, but the Southern Caribbean title takes the cake. It means so much to me.

"The CAC bronze medals were a bonus, but I have been targeting the Southern Caribbean title for a long time.

Great feeling

"It feels great to have my name on a list that includes Goodridge. I truly respect him for what he has done for the game, myself and many others.

"I am glad to be on the same page as Rudy. It is a great honour to share a feat with him," he said.

Cumberbatch, who turned 23 two weeks ago, is on a mission to get more Barbadians playing squash.

Introduced to the sport 15 years ago by his father, former Barbados player, Monty Cumberbatch, Gavin, a product of West Terrace Primary and Harrison College, started playing the sport at a time when most children had never heard of it.

"When I started to play squash there weren't many young people at the courts, so it was lonely at times, but I really enjoyed it," he said.

"I made a promise to myself that I would continue in the sport for the sake of the kids beneath and to help build the sport."

Cumberbatch remained true to his word, making the most of opportunities as they presented themselves.

In 1998 he competed in the United States Junior Open Squash Tournament where he placed second. In 1999 he placed third in the Canadian Open.

Princeton and Dartmouth University noted his success and offered him athletic scholarships to play squash. It was at this point that Gavin realised that squash was a vehicle that would help him to achieve his academic goals.

This vehicle led him to the prestigious Ivy League School Yale University, known for its academia and its excellent squash programme.

"I always wanted to go to an Ivy League school but thought it was a bit out of my reach because they are very expensive and I was not at the top of my class.

"Fortunately, a recommendation from the Yale Squash Alumni got me a partial scholarship to earn a degree in architecture and play squash."

In his first year Gavin ranked seventh on that team. He later went on to play in second and third position, and in his senior year he was elected captain.

"As the only Bajan at Yale I felt really proud, being able to represent Barbados on the varsity team.

"What was also great was that as my game improved people wanted to know more about the guy from Barbados who could play squash really well and the island."

A West Coast man, Cumberbatch now lives in Holder's Hill, St James, but spent most of his formative years in Oxnards.

And he is a versatile sportsman, having made his mark in golf and football. He is a former national representative in golf and once made an under-16 football squad.

Cumberbatch believes there are some unique challenges hindering the development of local squash.

"The squash community has to constantly fight the myth that squash is an elitist sport," he said.

Limited facilities

"Many people learn about it from watching it on television, where they see busy executives playing the sport while discussing business, or high society people, usually white people, playing the sport at a country club.

"As a result, many people think that the sport is not for them and that it is expensive, but for as little as $55 a month anyone can have access to a court."

Another problem facing the sport is limited facilities. With the closure of the Club Rockley Beach Resort in 2001, two popular squash courts were lost.

"Up to the point of closure throngs of people used to make their way to the courts because [the club] was affordable and centrally located. Summer camps sent lots of kids to play, many of whom never heard about the sport before.

"We lost many people when the Rockley courts closed and I don't think we have ever fully recovered from the loss."

In spite of these challenges Cumberbatch is confident that the popularity of the sport will grow when more information is made available to the public and more people learn about squash's benefits.