Trotman turns the tables on Richards

Years after dabbling with the sport, Jeff Trotman won his first Table Tennis title last Saturday night, when he defeated veteran player Walter Richards in the final of the inaugural SVG Managers Table Tennis Emancipation Tournament staged at the Arnos Vale Educational Sports and Cultural Organisation (AVESCO) Club House at Arnos Vale.{{more}}

The self-acclaimed “Carl Hooper of Table Tennis”, Trotman, a Media Consultant /Freelance Journalist, dumped Richards of Richards Transport and Trucking in straight sets in the final. Trotman won the contentious encounter 11-3, 11-7, 11-8.

Richards seemed to have been derailed by the taunts and comments made by Trotman’s “coach” Robert Ballantyne, and handed the title to his opponent on a platter.

It was revenge for Trotman who was beaten by Richards in the Hero’s Day competition, held March 14 this year.

Trotman, in the semifinal, stripped Dougal Byron Cox Jr. of Cox and Richards Shipping and Customs Brokerage, 12-14, 11-8, 11-3, with Richards blanking former national player, Khalique Bailey of LIME 11-1, 11-6.

Cox then whipped Bailey 14-12, 7-11, 11-4, to take the third spot.

Laverne Velox of St. Vincent Co-operative Bank played unbeaten in the ladies category, defeating both her opponents in straight sets. She outpointed Camille Crichton of Professional Secretarial and Consultancy Services Inc., 11-7; 11-6, and Veronica Da Souza of Sentry West Indian Insurances Ltd. 11-4; 11-6.Crichton got some consolation when she defeated Da Souza 11-4; 11-2.

Apart from the local stack of private sector managers, the two-day tournament, which got started the previous night, Friday, saw the participation of three members of the Logos Hope, which wrapped up its visit to this country earlier this week.

Secretary of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Table Tennis Association (SVGTTA) Paul Velox, at Saturday’s closing ceremony, spoke of being gratified by the response to the tournament, and promised a bigger and better one in 2010.

He also said that it formed a platform for the Firms and Industrial competition.

Velox disclosed that the Table Tennis home, the Old Government Printery Building, will once again be in use, after some restructuring in operations, by sometime in September.

Cecil Mc Kie of AVESCO expressed delight with his organisation’s continued relationship with the SVGTTTA. (RT)