T&T's Under-10 girls' and boys' teams had to settle for fourth and fifth spot respectively when their age-group event at the Caribbean Table Tennis Federation Pre-Cadet Championship ended in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, yesterday. In the girls' event the local team of Jasher De Gannes, Shaneka Johnson and Chelsea Fong won one of four team clashes to end with five points in fourth spot, just ahead of Guyana which failed to secure any victories. The lone win for the girls came against Guyana, 3-2 thanks to a decisive win by Fong over Guyana's Selenas Jackman 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 13-11 in the fifth and deciding match. De Gannes had given T&T a 1-0 lead when she beat Jackman 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 but Fong was overpowered by Neveah Clarkston 3-11, 2-11, 6-11 to level the best-of-five contest at 1-1.
Johnson then restored T&T's lead at 2-1 with a straight sets, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 triumph over Abigale Martin, only for Clarkston to stop De Gannes, 11-9, 3-11, 11-2, 11-9 before Fong starred for T&T. In its other matches, T&T was beaten 3-0 by third placed Puerto Rico and eventual champion Dominican Republic 'A' while it went under to Dominican Republic 'B', 3-1. Dominican Republic 'A' won gold with a 4-0 record and maximum eight points while Dominican Republic 'B' got silver with a 3-1 record (seven points) and Puerto Rico, bronze thanks to its win over T&T and winless Guyana, for six points. However, the local Under-10 boys' trio of Messiah Walcott, Jakeem Welch and Roberto Johnson were winless in their encounters with Dominican Republic 'A' (0-3), Puerto Rico (0-3) and Dominican Republic 'B' (0-3).
However, Johnson managed a 13-11, 11-7, 11-6 win over Nirtan Bissu from the combined Guyana/St Maarten team in a 1-3 loss. Hosts Dominican Republic 'A' were once again crowned champions with a maximum eight points ahead of Dominican Republic 'B' (seven points) and Puerto Rico (six points). Guyana/St Maarten was fourth with five. There was better news for the Under-13 girls team of Brittany Joseph, Gyshan Latchman, Monique Cooper and Nalini Boodoo as they edged Guyana 3-2 before losing to Dominican Republic 'A', 2-3. For T&T, Joseph stopped Jamaali Homer 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 for a 1-0 lead. But Latchman was then beaten 8-11, 11-13, 8-11 by Priscilla Greaves and Cooper fell to Anna Joao, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 5-11 as Guyana took a 2-1 lead. Faced with defeat, Joseph extended the series to a fifth match when she battled past Greaves 9-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-7 followed by Latchman's 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 win over Homer.