La Rose cops national table tennis title

Dennis La Rose of Carenage Blasters was crowned new champion of the Para Division of the Solo National Table Tennis Championship at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Chaguanas, on Saturday. This after La Rose, who coaches the national junior tennis team, outclassed Terrence Liverpool 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 in their title-match. In the semifinal round, La Rose powered past Dillon Cato 11-3, 11-6, 11-7 while Liverpool stunned last year’s winner Gerard Asyn 11-0, 11-6, 11-4.

 

 

Meanwhile, Faiz Mohammed of PowerGen moved to within one win of repeating as champion of the Veterans Division when he brushed aside Solo Crusaders’ Fitzgerald Bonterre 11-7, 11-6, 14-12 in his smeifinal. Standing in Mohammed’s way and a second straight crown on Wednesday night at the same venue will be Ferdinand Castillo, also of Crusaders,’ a 10-12, 11-7, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8 winner over Oxford’s Anthony Laquis in his semis. Earlier on in the quarterfinals, Mohammed beat Narace Jodhan 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8; Castillo stopped Ishwar Sookoonsingh 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7; Laquis overcame Richard Loregnard 11-2, 8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8 and Bonterre ousted Clinton Cardinal 14-12, 11-8, 11-13, 8-11, 11-8. Also yesterday, Aleena Edwards of the University of T&T stayed on course to retain her women’s singles title and tenth overall when she reached the semifinals.

 

 

Edwards who won the mixed doubles title with Curtis Humphreys last week played unbeaten in her round robin group against Nalini Boodoo and Priya Ramcharan. She then had a bye in the first round of the main draw knockout stage before outlasting Carenage Blasters’ Ambika Sitram 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5 in her quarter-final to set up a semifinal clash with Brittany Joseph of Arima Hawks on Wednesday at the same venue from 6pm. Joseph was a 6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 winner over Aleena’s mother, Verna Edwards of Gladiators in their quarterfinal. In the other semifinal, last year’s beaten finalist, Linda Partap-Boodhan of Hawks faces Ashley Quashie of Blasters. Like Edwards (A), Partap-Boodhan topped her round-robin group which involved Avernelle Abraham and Nirveeta Ramcharan with a 2-0 record followed by a bye and then an 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 blowout of Cunupia Crew’s Gyshan Latchman. Quashie, meanwhile battled past Catherine Spiccer in their last-eight match-up, 16-14, 10-12, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5.