Trio off to Panam Qualifiers

Three local table tennis players: national singles champion, Carlton Daniel, along with Romano Spencer and Kamal Hunte, have been selected to this country’s team to the Pan American Games qualifiers{{more}} set for Guadalajara Mexico from May 23 to 30.

The team left last Tuesday for Trinidad and Tobago as guests of the Trinidad and Tobago Table Tennis Association. While there, the Vincentians will be using their host’s facilities to fine tune their preparations for the Mexico trip.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is seeking one of two places from the qualifiers to head to the Pan Am Games, also set for Mexico this October.

Captain of the local team, Carlton Daniel, last Monday at a Press Conference held at Olympic House called by the Executive of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Table Tennis Association to brief on Table Tennis matters and announce the team said that he is quietly confident of doing well.

Banking on experience gained from the Commonwealth Games in India last October, Daniel said: “I think the outing to India was preparation in itself, as we are using that experience and go there with a lot of confidence and being zoned in the Caribbean. We are basically on par with the teams in our group, so we are going to put our best foot forward and make sure we qualify for the finals.”

Daniel, Spencer and Hunte were part of this country’s Table Tennis contingent to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, and according to President of the local Table Tennis Association, Alonzo Primus, who was also present at last Monday’s Press Conference, he thought it was the most commendable performance thus far for a St. Vincent and the Grenadines team at the Games.

Like Daniel, former national player Robert Ballantyne, who travels as the team’s coach, along with Philcol Jeffers, the Manager, believes that St. Vincent and the Grenadines can do well at the Panam Qualifiers, and could be back in Mexico in October. (RT)