Payne to inflict more anguish on local TT players

Fourteen-year-old Stephen Payne does not intend to relinquish his grip on the two table tennis singles titles that he currently possesses, and is determined to add more to his collection.{{more}}

Payne, who was born in Barbados to a Vincentian mother and Barbadian father, emerged the No.1 singles male player when the KPMG National Championships ended last Saturday night at the West St George Secondary School’s auditorium.

It was his second national title in four months, after he pouched the 2013 Scotia Bank Independence Tournament, playing unbeaten throughout.

Then, he beat the likes of Carlton Daniel, Bob Ballantyne and Joseph Carrington, all triple his age and even more.

Payne, a form four student of Queen’s College in Barbados, is not relenting, as he is already making plans to return next month to be part of the Beverley Warren Memorial tournament.

And, he is looking forward to add that version to his collection.

“My standard here in this tournament was not the best, but next tournament, I am gonna come out hot… I will be ready to win again,” Payne told SEARCHLIGHT.

Payne said he will be correcting some of his shortcomings, such as playing off the board, instead of attacking the ball.

Not wanting to sound too cocky, Payne thinks that he would be the champion for some time, unless the other current opponents change their style of play.

“The players are playing good, but not excellent … they need to put in more work. That type of play cannot beat me,” was Payne’s evaluation of his fellow Vincentian players.

The left-handed Payne emerged from his group of six other players, only going under to Bob Ballantyne.

However, the tables were to turn in the semi-finals as Payne nailed Ballantyne 11-9 , 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9- 11, 11-5 , 11-7.

And, in the final versus Carlton Daniel, Payne crafted a 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 win.

In the other half of the semis, Daniel ousted Joseph Carrington 11-3, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9.

In reflecting on his last outing here, Payne said: “…I did not know of this tournament until just a week before it was to start, so I had to put in a lot of work to get ready for it… Bob (Ballantyne) put up a good fight, on both occasions, when he beat me and when I beat him.”

Payne, who turns 15 in May, has represented Barbados at the Junior level, but is not ruling out switching table tennis allegiance in the near future.

A holder of a St Vincent and the Grenadines passport, Payne said his parents are thinking favourably of letting him attend the Community College here, to commence his tertiary education in the next couple of years.