De Roche upstages Dublin in TT assessment tournament

Akeil De Roche upstaged top seed Damion Dublin in the semi-finals of the first Assessment Table Tennis tournament for 2022, held last Saturday at the West St George Secondary School’s auditorium.

Akeil De Roche in full flight last Saturday

De Roche registered an 11/6, 11/7, 11/7 win over Dublin, then beat Michel Creese, 11/7, 11/9, 11/7, in the final, to become the champion.

Creese though, in combination with De Roche registered a piece of local Table Tennis history as it was the first occasion that two teenagers were contesting the final of an Assessment Tournament.

Before his meeting with Dublin and Creese, De Roche got past Mikael Hazelwood 8/11, 11/5, 11/6, in the quarter finals.

On the other hand, Creese had an 11/9, 11/9 win over female player- Leah Cumberbatch in the quarter final. Creese went on to oust Jonard Ford 11/3, 12/10, 11/7 in the semi-finals.

Next on the calendar of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Table Tennis Association is an all female event set for February 26.

However, training continues as St Vincent and the Grenadines prepares to be represented at the Caribbean Junior Championships, slated for the Dominican Republic in May.