St Louis gets TT off to winning t-tennis start

Hosts Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados were among the early winners in men’s play as the 2004 Caribbean Senior Table Tennis Championship began at the UWI’s Sports and Physical Education Centre at St Augustine. Trinidad and Tobago dismissed St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) 3-0, and Barbados also shut out their first match opponents Jamaica, to snatch early leads in their respective groups on Monday. In Group “B”, France-based TT star Dexter St Louis got his team off to a winning start, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 over David Llewellyn, while Reeza Burke got past Joseph Carrington at 9, 0 and 6, and Anthony Brown turned back Carlton Samuel 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 to complete the 3-0 final.  Venezuela outplayed Grenada in the other Group “B” match with Antonio Herrera, Henry Mujica, and Antonio Gianini getting past Andrew Slocombe, Alfred John and Brendon Green, respectively, without dropping a set.

TT were also in the women’s winners’ row for the team championship, which has been thrown open with the non-arrival of last year’s emphatic winners Dominican Republic. In men’s Group “A” play, former Caribbean champion Trevor Farley, Anderson Carrington and Mark Dowell rushed Barbados to their unblemished win over Jamaica.  Farley knocked off Nigel Webb 11-4, 11-7, 11-5, Carrington turned back Ludlow Bailey 11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 11-8, and Dowell overcame Christopher Bailey in a tense five-setter 11-6, 10-12, 12-10, 5-11, 13-11.  Puerto Rico beat St Lucia in the other Group “A” game when Hector Berrios, Juan Revelles, and Carlos Fant, defeated Adrian Albert, Celestin Samuel, and Chris Wells respectively. In women’s results, Venezuela beat SVG 3-0 and Puerto Rico defeated Guyana 3-0 in Group “A”, while TT stopped Grenada 3-0 and Aruba got past Barbados 3-1 in Group “B”.

Guyana lost their men’s match but their women won handsomely when the Championships resumed on Monday night. Guyana’s men tripped badly against Puerto Rico and lost their Group “A” match 4-1 but their women outplayed St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) for a 3-0 win. Guyana, considered strong contenders for the overall men’s team’s title, got their only win against the Puerto Ricans when Matthew Khan scored a four-set win against Santiago Coste 11-6, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5. In the other Group “A” men’s match, Anderson Carrington, and Trevon Farley’s double triumph, led Barbados to a 3-1 win over St Lucia, while in Group “B”, Venezuela defeated Guatemala 3-2, and SVG overcame Grenada 3-1. Joseph Carrington and David Llewellyn (twice) won for SVG, and Brendon Green beat Kerry Price for Grenada’s only success.  The Guyanese women swept aside their opponents in three matches with Bertnel Richards and Vida Moore winning in three sets and Michelle John prevailing over Teshaun Matthews 10-12, 12-10, 11-4, 11-6. Barbados defeated Grenada 3-0 in a Group “B” women’s match through victories from Sherrice Felix, Sabrina Worrell and Jody-Ann Morris.