St Louis, Chung t-tennis royalty

TRINIDAD and Tobago France-based stars Dexter St Louis and 19-year-old Rheann Chung are the new king and queen of Caribbean table tennis. The smashers were elevated to the sport’s regional elite at the end of the 44th Caribbean Table Tennis Championships at the University of the West Indies’ Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC) at St Augustine. And Nazruddin Asgarali also joined in the title fest, winning the masters singles in an all-Trinidad and Tobago final, as the curtain came down on the championships on Sunday. Trinidad and Tobago won four of the five titles decided on the evening —  Masters, Boys and Girls Under-21, Men and Women singles —  swelling their  overall title bag to seven of the ten contested.

The hosts also earned the champion team accolade. The jubilant crowd including Minister of Trade and Industry Kenneth Valley, saw St Louis who last won the title in 1998, whip Barbados challenger Trevor Farley 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-2 in the men’s singles final. It was a determined St Louis, who was intent on erasing the disappointment of silver at the 1996 and 2001 championships. There was more jubilation in the Trinidad and Tobago camp when Chung, who had a hand in two of the three titles won previously, took the Under-21 title in a rout of Guatemalan Edelwais Chajchalac 11-6, 11-1, 11-9. Still more was to come as the host country were guaranteed the Masters title as when Asgarali met and beat Lionel Darceuil 11-5, 13-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8 in a well contested, good humoured match.

It was not long before Chung was again at the table for the women’s singles, and she romped to the title in four sets, sweeping aside Jerica Marrero of Puerto Rico 11-3, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9. Jose Ramirez of Guatemala won the boys Under-21 final, the only match in which Trinidad and Tobago was not represented —  11-4, 12-10, 11-9 over Mathew Khan of Guyana. Trinidad and Tobago finished with 210 points, including 70 by Chung and 60 by St Louis. Puerto Rico were runners-up with 155 points, Venezuela third on 105, Guatemala fourth on 95, Aruba fifth on 90,  Guyana sixth on 75, Barbados seventh on 65, Jamaica eighth on 20, and St Vincent ninth on 10.

It was a perfect end to a near perfect tournament for Trinidad and Tobago contingent, already being touted as one of the most successful. Later,  Trinidad and Tobago Table Tennis Association and Caribbean Table Tennis Federation president Stanley Hunte praised the people behind the organisation and management of the championships. He thanked Government for their $75,000 assistance, other sponsors, association members and technical staff. Hunte noted the quality of the team was also of  superb standard, and that the women broke a 31-year drought by winning the team title and sending eight players into the last 16 of the women’s singles including reserve Shelly Ann Parris.