Suriname Women and Barbados Men CAZOVA Under 17 Champions

SPANISH TOWN, Jamaica, August 3, 2025.- The inaugural CAZOVA Under 17 Championships ended on Sunday with the all-conquering Suriname women and Barbados men duly taking the titles.

The women's final between unbeaten Suriname and Barbados was close from start to finish. While the Bajans relied on their all-round strength and court craft to manipulate games, their opponents leaned on the prodigious thirteen-year-old MVP, Zoe Roethoj, to propel their attack.

The first set was close. It took service errors to determine the tie-break with Suriname prevailing 29-27.    The second set developed not dissimilar to the first, with the teams’ swapping leads but sticking close.  Barbados middle blocker Gabriel Sandiford and Cuzera Batson, a dependable server, worked hard to be difference makers. They executed multiple outstanding plays to keep their team in the contest. However, the quality of pink and black clad Surinamese girls was too much. Suriname also took the second set 25-22.

Barbados did not give up. They were relentless in the third set, making few mistakes and manufacturing numerous survival plays. Batson was untouchable and they pulled back a set 25-18.  Barbados carried the momentum into the fourth set and looked motivated and sprightly. Suriname had no answers as the set ended 25-14 for two sets all.

But the class of the Suriname shone through in the deciding set. They rarely put a foot wrong and shifted momentum to race away to 15-9 celebration.

Claudius Staal, coach of Suriname, gave credit to Barbados for playing a great game, and said his girls became complacent midway the game. "The girls started strong. They thought they had won the game and lost focus. We had to get them refocused, and they were able to pull it off," he said.

Coach Julia Lewis of Barbados said the better team won. "Suriname were the better team today. We went through a lot before getting here. Our team went through many changes, but they worked hard and gave everything. I am so proud of them," she noted.

MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

The men’s final was not as epic. Barbados was just too good. After comprehensively beating everyone in the preliminary round without dropping a set, the outcome against Trinidad and Tobago was not unexpected. But favourites do lose sometimes. Not this time though. Try as they would, the Bajans, led by MVP Daniel Reece, were just a little better at the rudiments of the game: blocking, digging, serving, but especially spiking. The booming serves and powerful spikes produced quick points for Barbados who won the first set 25-19. Trinidad kept themselves relevant with the occasional kill. However, they were never going to be enough as Barbados romped to another 3-0 victory and deserved champions 25-19, 25-13, 25-14.

“Our junior teams have done exceptionally well throughout the years. In training I constantly remind the guys that they have big shoes to fill since we have won competitions like this before without dropping a set,” said Alwyn Oxley, coach of the powerful team Barbados. “We constantly motivate them and tell them that quitting is never an option and they must play hard until the last point. “

Custis Burkett, coach of Trinidad and Tobago, was a happy man, even after being beaten in the final. “We expected to get to the final and the boys played their heart out,” said Burkett. “After being beaten by Barbados in the preliminary round, we worked on some things but it was not enough. They tried hard in the final but it didn’t work out. That’s all we asked,” he concluded.

In the third-place playoffs earlier, hosts Jamaica were pushed into fourth place in both categories. Suriname men took bronze with 25-17. 25-23, 25-19 win, while Trinidad and Tobago women were too good, winning 25-9, 25. 7, 25-23.