Young TT talent unearthed at Independence tournament

Executive members of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Table Tennis Association are grinning from ear to ear and beaming with delight at the emergence of new talent in the sport.{{more}}

Prompting this hope was the staging of the Scotia Bank Invitational Tournament, which was held at the West St George Secondary School from October 24 to 26. The tournament saw for the first time competition among players under the age of 10 years old.

This was as a result of the efforts of the Division of Physical Education and Sports and the re-focused attention of the SVGTTA, on placing emphases on the young talents and bringing them to the fore.

And, after their initiation to competitive table tennis, several players were awarded with trophies for their output of skills. Sadique Pompey won the Boys Under-10, as he defeated Akiva Franklyn 13-11, 11-6 in the final, with Vedel Charles securing the Girls Under-10 over Shania Enville – 11-6, 11-3.

The Boys Under-13 title went to Cruz Halbich who beat Samuel Joshua 11-8, 11-5 in the decisive match, while on the girls side, Aliyah John got past her namesake Melia John, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7.

It was much easier for Justin Robinson, who won the Boys Under-16 by default over Ronnie Richardson. As the SVGFF welcomes the participation of more females in the sport, Natalia Adams collected the Girls Under-16 title, by beating Rodika Webb in the final, 11-2, 11-3, 11-7. And, stepping up the ladder, Unica Velox pouched the women’s singles over Natasha Shortte- 11-6, 11-3, 6-11, 11-5.

Over 90 players took part in the tournament which ran for three days.(RT)