T-tennis players storm into three ‘semis’

TRINIDAD and Tobago had an outstanding day yesterday at the 43rd Caribbean Table Tennis Championships advancing to three semi-finals in the team competition.

“It was a fantastic performance. Everyone is responding very well to the meetings we have been having,” said Stanley Hunte yesterday in a telephone interview from the University of Science and Technology in Kingston, Jamaica. Hunte, president of the Table Tennis Association is a delegate at the championships. The other officials are Colin Cudjoe (manager) and Stephen Wade (coach). Led by France-based duo of Dexter St Louis and Rae-Ann Chung, TT yesterday swept into the medal round semi-finals of the men’s doubles, the women’s doubles and mixed doubles competitions. St Louis teamed up with Anthony Brown to whip the second pair from the Dominican Republic 12-10, 5-11, 11-4, 11-4. They then took care of home team Jamaica comprising Darren Blake, ranked No 13 in England and Nigel Webb 14-12, 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4.

The TT men will now come up against Puerto Rico for a place in the gold medal clash against the winners of the Dominican Republic and Barbados clash. The women’s doubles team of Chung and Shelly-Ann Parris will come up against Barbados’ Sabrina Worrell and Crystal Harvey in the semi-finals. The winners will play either the Dominican Republic or Venezuela who meet for the right to a shot at the gold medal. And in the mixed doubles St Louis, who plays professionally for Bordeaux in France combined with his step-daughter Chung to slam Guyana 3-0 late yesterday for a place in the semi-finals. Earlier they bested the Venezuelan second pair of Marco Novas and Yamileth Arasme 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9. The top rated duo also crushed Guyana’s Matthew Khan and Jody-Ann Blake 3-0 at 11-9, 11-8, 11-6. The Guyanese had been extended to five sets in their match against the second pair from the Dominican Republic before encountering the TT players.

All three semi-finals will be contested today at the University of Technology and Science. Hunte yesterday commeded the TT pair of Reeza Burke and Curtis Humphries for reaching the last eighth in the men’s doubles beating Dominica’s pair at 3, 6 and 8; and then slamming  Jamaicans Hector Bennet, the national champion and Chris Marsh 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8. But they were stopped by top Barbadian tandem of Robert Roberts and defending Caribbean singles champion Kevin Farley 10-12, 9-11, 10-12. Also flying the TT flag proudly were Aleena Edwards and Nicole Motilal in the women’s doubles with a splended victory against Jamaica’s pair of  Burton and Palmer 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9. They however went under to Venezuela at 3, 6 and 4. In the mixed doubles Humphries and Motilal also rallied well against the Jamaican pair but lost to the Dominican Republic’s Wu Xue and Lin Ju at 2, 6 and 6. Burke and Aleena Edwards also made their presence felt with a win against Jamaica at 8, 9 and 9. On Monday the TT women took the bronze, third of seven countries in the doubles; while the men placed fifth of 10 competing nations.