The T&T Cadet Boys and Open Girls team both won their first two matches in their respective team competitions when the Caribbean Region Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF) Cadet and Junior Championship hosted by the Dominican Republic served off at the “Pabellon Tenis de Mesa, Parque Del Este” Sport Centre, Santo Domingo, yesterday.
In the Cadet Boys, four-team round-robin competition, T&T came from behind to beat Jamaica 3-1 led by a pair of wins from Jesse Dookie before defeating Aruba/Guyana combined 3-0.
T&T did not started the contest well though, as Derron Douglas went under to Jamaica’s Alessio Tulloch 6-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11.
But that was the only bit of disappointing for T&T as Dookie whipped Jon-Pierre Daley 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 to even the series at 1-1 before Nikoli Barbous-Alexis put T&T ahead when he outplayed Julien Newnham 11-13, 13-11, 11-6, 11-5 before Dookie sealed the tie when he defeated Tulloch in their reverse single clash, 11-9, 14-12, 11-9.
However, against Aruba/Guyana, Dookie overcame Jeandry Mathilda 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 13-11 while Barbour-Alexis swept past Nicholas Romain 11-1, 13-11, 11-8, and Douglas humbled Jean-Claude Hoek 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6.
In their remaining match for gold, the second ranked T&T Cadet Boys faced top ranked Dominican Republic, which won both its matches by 3-0 margins over Aruba/Guyana and Jamaica.
For the local Open Girls team, former national senior women’s champion, teenager Brittany Joseph dismissed Dominican Republic’s Anyelis Perez 11-3, 11-9, 11-9 and Jasher De Gannes, making a return to national team play battled past Ashley Reinoso 12-10, 11-8, 11-8 before the T&T girls won the doubles 11-4, 7-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4 for a 3-0 triumph.
The T&T girls were much more clinical against French Guiana with Joseph beating Maria Fatal 11-4, 11-8, 13-11 and De Gannes over Maureen Hu-Yen Tack 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 before they combined to take the doubles as well, 11-7, 11-6, 11-2.
Like T&T, Dominican Republic has won its first two matches, 3-0 against Dominican Republic II and Dominican Republic III.
T&T still has to play Dominican Republic I and II as well as a Dominican Republic/T&T, featuring local Chelsea Fong.
And Sweden-based top T&T junior table-tennis player, Aaron Wilson led the Junior Boys team to a 3-0 thumping of Aruba.
Wilson won his opener, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 over Jean-Pierre Helmeyer; Joshua Maxwell battled past Donald Yarzagaray 12-10, 11-3, 12-10 and Luc O’Young beat Andrew Croes 11-9, 11-5, 11-9.
Benoni Daniel is the other member of the Junior Boys team which still have matches versus French Guiana, Guyana and Dominican Republic to play in their round-robin series.
When the singles competition gets going Wilson will be favoured to repeat his gold medal performance in the Junior Singles
Last year, T&T won eight medals in total, one gold, one silver and six and led by Wilson, who has already represented the senior national team, a better showing is expected this time around.
Dylan Lee is the other T&T player in the tournament and he will compete in the singles events.
The team is being coached by Aaron Edwards and will have the experienced senior national player and top ranked local men’s player Curtis Humphreys as manager/coach whilst Petra Dennis Douglas serves as chaperone.
The tournament is being run by the Technical Director of the CRTTF Vasdev Bob Roopnarine of T&T.