Nine Mornings Road Tennis Blast goes global next year

The SVG Capita Financial Nine Mornings Road Tennis Blast will host its semi-final and final rounds this Sunday at the hard court of the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex.
The tournament has seen a week-long process of preliminary matches being played across St Vincent and the Grenadines in the communities of Bequia, Layou, Arnos Vale and South Rivers.
Workshops for the tournament were also held in Petit Bordel and Sandy Bay.

Nelson Hillocks, the director of sports said when the tournament began three years ago, only Vincentians were allowed to participate.

However, he added that there has been “enough success where we can open it to the world from next year.”

“Next year we will enhance the tournament,” Hillocks said.

Dale Clarke, president of Capita Financial, sponsors of the tournament, said his company saw the social benefits of the tennis road tournament in Barbados and decided to bring it to other countries in the Caribbean.

He added that the road tennis has become one of the highest paying individual sports in the Caribbean.

“Next year, our plan here is to raise the prize money in all the categories so it would be attractive enough from players across the region to come into St Vincent so it will also be a boost to the tourism sporting sector where you have an influx of players,” Clarke said. We would urge the businesses in St Vincent to get on board. Sponsorship is very important to make these events successful.”

In Sunday’s tournament, the winner of the senior male category will walk away with EC$2,000. The losing finalist will also walk away with a cash prize of EC$1,000.

The two semi-finalists in the senior male category who did not advance to the finals will also be rewarded with EC$250.

In the senior female category, the winner will walk away with EC$1200 and the losing finalist will walk away with EC$600.

And the two semi-finalists who did not advance to the finals will receive EC$150.

In the juniors category, both male and female, the winner will receive EC$500 and the runners-up will receive EC$200. The losing semi-finalists will each be rewarded with EC$100.
The tournament on Sunday will begin at 7 p.m..