Sheldon Descartes and Joseph Clercent cemented their dominance in Eastern Caribbean volleyball, securing a historic three-peat at the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Men’s Beach Championship on Sunday.
The top-ranked Saint Lucian duo triumphed over Bermuda’s Benjamin Barnett and Sean Tucker in the final (21-14, 15-21, 15-8) at the Buckeye Beach Facility in Cul de Sac, capping off three days of intense competition among 12 teams.
Barnett, who failed to advance past the group stage last year with former partner Kyle Hamilton, found stronger footing this time alongside Tucker. The Bermudians powered through pool play with a win over Anguilla’s Aiden Hazzard and Da’Qwan Fredericks, then edged Saint Lucia’s Diallo Albert and Lindan Clarke in the qualifiers. Their toughest test came in the semifinals, where they outlasted Dominica’s Mervin Mingo and Bill Frederick in a marathon 32-30, 21-16 battle.
Yet, the final proved a bridge too far against the reigning champions. Descartes and Clercent had already dispatched Barnett and Tucker 21-18, 21-9 in pool play and breezed past Hazzard and Fredericks in the quarters. They then routed St Vincent & the Grenadines’ Ronaldo Franklyn and Shadron Delpesche before overcoming St Kitts & Nevis’ Julian Bristol and Jedediah Pencheon, the only team to steal a set from them all weekend, in the semifinals.
On the women’s side, St Kitts & Nevis’ Shajunee Gumbs and Shanicia Dyer claimed gold, avenging earlier losses to top Bermuda’s Hailey Moss and Megan Hands (21-14, 22-20) in the final. Defending champions Thornia Mitchell and Renisha Stafford of Grenada settled for bronze after defeating Saint Lucia’s Clio Phillip and Tenayestlgni Joseph.
Gumbs and Dyer’s path to victory was anything but smooth. After dropping group-stage matches to Saint Lucia’s Phillip/Joseph and Grenada’s Mitchell/Stafford, they clawed past Grenada’s Teasia Jones and Sienna Dominique in a three-set Round of 12 thriller. They then surged through the knockout rounds, toppling Saint Lucia’s Denila Prospere and Chenoa Evans before exacting revenge on Phillip and Joseph to reach the final.
The tournament featured 56 matches with participation from eight of ECVA’s 14 member nations. The spotlight now shifts to St Kitts & Nevis, which will host the Under-21 Beach Championships in June. Last year’s U-21 silver medallists, Saint Lucia’s Kurtrice Jules and Marie-Therese St Clair, will aim to go one better.
