TT take on Suriname, Bdos in CAREBACO

Trinidad and Tobago’s senior team will do battle with Suriname, while the national junior team will clash with Barbados in the opening round of  the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Championships, which gets underway at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex today.

Both teams will go into action in the evening after the opening ceremony which is scheduled to start at 6 pm. Other first round team matches begin at 9 am. TT are seeking to register their first line on the prestigious regional biennial showdown. And much will depend on the form and fitness of national triple-crown champion Anil Seepaul, Cuban-based Darron Charles, Canadian-based Hayden Thomas and talented Kerwyn Pantin and Surajdeen Mohammed among the men, and eight-time singles champion Sabrina Cassie, Zeudi Mack, Nadine Julien, Stephanie Mitchell, Kimberley Lovero and Kasma Benito among the women. Suriname has always been tough opponents and the locals will have to produce their best to give themselves an excellent chance of taking the lead, especially with the uncertainty of Jamaica’s senior team members arriving in time.

National Under-19 and Under-17 triple-crown champions Rahul Rampersad and Justin Sui, as well as Girls’ champion Vicki Singh are the key players for success in the junior category. Barbados will be led by newly crowned champions Rene Reifer (Boys) and Shari Watson (Girls). However, the Championships will start under a cloud of uncertainty concerning  the lighting system which were still being  installed. The exclusive story carried in the Newsday yesterday about leaking Eastern bleachers with water seeping directly into the changing rooms and no toilet seats, forced Complex officials to shut down all the changing and washrooms there. The International Section of the Championships featuring over 160 players from 20 countries will begin on July 15. Admission to games is $10 per day and $40 for the series up to the semi-final stage. The final and closing ceremonies on July 19 will cost fans $25 each.