Successful Pre Independence Table Tennis Tourney – President Bellot

The executive committee of the Antigua and Barbuda Table Tennis Association (ABTA) is happy with the turn out of the junior players – under 15 and under 19 – at Saturday’s pre Independence table tennis tournament.
Almost 20 players participated in the under 15 and under 19 single and doubles competitions.
There was one female participant, Alyssa Laviscount of St. Nicholas Primary, who participated in the under 15 singles and joined forces with Joshua Burley of the Antigua Grammar School to place third in the doubles.
ABTA President Charles “Chucky” Bellot expressed satisfaction at the day’s activity when he was interviewed by OSERVER media immediately after the presentation ceremony.
He described” the activity, which was held at the Multipurpose Cultural Centre, Perry Bay as “excellent. He said that the successful programme was even more sweet when one considers that a lot of the participants only started playing the game following “the roll out of the boards in the schools less than two months ago”.
Pointing to the success enjoyed by the St. Anthony’s Secondary at the one-day exercise, the president said, “they have had a programme going and it shows”.
He, however, expressed disappointment at the turn out of the senior players.
Only five senior players took part in the tournament.
“I only wish that our seniors, the fellas, who have been playing everyday would have shown up in greater numbers but I’m hoping that that will improve,” Bellot said, adding that the association expects to hold the next tournament towards the end of November, early December.
According to him, the upcoming tournament “was originally scheduled to be the national [tournament] but we are re-thinking that and may put the nationals off till next year when we are hoping to get more persons to get a more intense competition. But we definitely are going to move ahead with a competition … at the end of November”.
Stewart Gordon won the seniors category, having played unbeaten in the round robin tournament which was contested by five persons. Jeff Trotman of OBSERVER media, placed second, winning three of his four matches. His lone defeat was at the hands of Gordon 3-1. Winston Charles placed third, winning two of his four matches.
The St. Anthony’s Secondary School duo of Luc Perry and Adryan Nicholas won the doubles competition.
The AGS pair of Silas Celeste and Andre Weeks placed second while Joshua Burley of the AGS and Alyssa Laviscount of the St. Nicholas Primary placed third.
Nicholas and Perry placed first and second, respectively in the under 15 singles while Celeste copped the third spot.
Jeryna Oscar of the All Saints Secondary won the under 19 singles while his schoolmate Chevron Moore placed third. Hayden Tonge of St. Anthony’s Secondary placed second in this category.
During the closing ceremony, ABTA executive member Cynthia Laviscount, expressed especial thanks to the parents who turned up at the tournament to support their children.