St Louis, Chung shine at Ping-Pong Awards

As was expected France-based Dexter St Louis and his step-daughter Rheann Chung were voted senior Players of the Year when the T&T Table Tennis Association (T&TTTA) hosted its annual awards function at the Central Regional Indoor Sporting Arena, Chaguanas, yesterday.  

 

Last year at the 54th Senior Caribbean Table-Tennis Championship in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Chung won her fifth senior women’s singles title when she overcame a first set loss to whip Dominican Republic’s Eva Britto 13–15, 11–3, 11–7, 11–4, 11–9 and add to her previous triumphs in 2004, 2008, 2009 and last year.

 

However, St Louis, who plies his trade with SUA Agen in France, wasted a 3–1 lead in the best-of-seven sets men’s final and had to settle for silver for a second straight year, going under to Hector Berrios and failing to add to his wins in 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2009. 

 

The 42-year-old St Louis had earlier in the tournament combined with top ranked locally-based national champion Curtis Humphreys, Kyle Borneo and Arun Roopnarine to lead the men’s team to a second team title and first since 2009 on home soil when they swept past Barbados 3–0 in the final.

 

He followed up with silver and bronze in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles with Humphreys and Chung respectively,

 

The local women’s quartet of Chung, national senior women’s champion, 14-year-old Brittany Joseph, Ashley Quashie and Linda Partap-Boodhan missed out on a medal after ending with a 2–3 record with their victories, both 3–0, coming against Barbados and Jamaica.

 

Both St Louis and Chung, now attached to ASPTT Poitiers, led the respective men and women national teams to third spot in the Fifth and Fourth Divisions of the Liebherr World Team Table Tennis Championship in Dortmund, Germany during the 2012 season as well.

 

In the men’s Fifth Division third place playoff for 99th spot overall, T&T needed a four-set victory from Terrell Abbott, over Jamaican Simon Tomlinson, 11–9, 6–11, 11–7, 11–9 to seal a tense 3–2 triumph. 

 

Humphreys and Reeza Burke, president of the T&T Table Tennis Association, who travelled with the team as manager/coach, also played for T&T.

 

A member of UTT, Humphreys also had a very outstanding season locally and won the Super Singles,  Silver Bowl, Classified and the Solo National Championship.

 

The local women’s team of Chung, nine-time national champion Aleena Edwards and 17-year-old Catherine Spicer secured third spot in the Fourth Division, 75th playoff after whipping Lebanon 3–1.

 

Roopnarine and Joseph were named Junior Players of the Year after dominating the local circuit.

 

Roopnarine, who attends Presentation College, San Fernando, played unbeaten in the Under-21 Divisions of the Scotiabank Schools Tournament, Silver Bowl, Solo Nationals and also took the Under-21 and Under-18 Tobago Open.

 

At the regional level, he was part of the men’s senior team to win Caribbean gold and added three bronze medals at the Cadet Championships, in the singles and doubles and Team event with fellow teenager, Aaron Wilson.  

 

Joseph, despite missing out on success at the senior Caribbean championships dominated the local national nationals when she became the youngest women’s champion at age 14 an added the doubles and team titles with clubmate Partap-Boodhan.

 

At the Junior level, Joseph, of Bishop Anstey East, won the Under-15 titles at nationals, Scotiabank, Tobago Open and was second at the Silver Bowl to Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill. Meanwhile, T&T will play host to the 55th Caribbean Table Tennis Championship from April 1 to 7. 

 

HONOUR ROLL

HONOUR ROLL

 

Highest boys’ debut: Aaron Wilson (Carenage Blasters - Under-18)

Highest girls’ debut: Brittany Joseph (Arima Hawks) - Under-18)

Most significant mover in boys’ rankings: Benoni Daniel (St Andrews)

Most significant mover in girls’ rankings: Rayanna Boodhan (Arima Hawks)

Junior Men’s Player of the Year: Arun Roopnarine (PowerGen)

Junior Women’s Player of the Year: Brittany Joseph (Arima Hawks)

Senior Men’s Player of the Year: Dexter St Louis (SUA Agen/France)

Senior Women’s Player of the Year: Rheann Chung (ASPTT Poitiers/France)

 

Top Five ranked players in Age-Groups:

Boys:

Under-11: 1. Robert Johnson (Speyside); 2. Brandon Lee Young (Maloney Tigers); 3. Jakeem Welch (St Andrews); 4. Messiah Walcott (St Andrews); 5. Derron Douglas (St Andrews) & Aaron Amoroso (Maloney Tigers).

Under-13: 1. Daniel Henriques (Maloney Tigers); 2. Joshua Maxwell (St Andrews); 3. Korren Welch (Bishop’s); 4. Jakeem Welch (St Andrews); 5. Benoni Daniel (St Andrews) & Brandon Lee Young (Maloney Tigers)

Under-15: 1. Aaron Wilson (Carenage Blasters); 2. Sarvesh Mungal (PowerGen); 3. Varoun Sitram (Carenage Blasters) & Amresh Mungal (PowerGen); 5. Shaquille Mitchell (Speyside).

Under-18: 1. Aaron Wilson (Carenage Blasters); 2. Arun Roopnarine (PowerGen); 3. Amresh Mungal (PowerGen); 4. Davone Joseph (UTT); 5. Sarvesh Mungal (PowerGen).

Under-21: 1. Arun Roopnarine (PowerGen); 2. Lawrence Ince (UTT); 3. Vimal Roopnarine (PowerGen); 4. Davone Joseph (UTT) & Kourdell Powell (Carenage Blasters).

Men: 1. Curtis Humphreys (UTT); 2. Aaron Wilson (Carenage Blasters); 3. Everton Sorzano (D’Abadie Youths); 4. Lionel Darceuil (Arima Hawks); 5. Arun Roopnarine (PowerGen)

 

Girls:

Under-11: 1. Jasher De Gannes (Bishop’s); 2. Chelsea Fong (Carenage Blasters); 3. Ackayla Lucas (St Andrews); 4. Shaneka Johnson (St Andrews); 5. Shurjah Welch (St Andrews)

Under-13: 1. Ray J Thomas (St Andrews); 2. Jasher De Gannes (Bishop’s); 3. Nalini Boodoo (PowerGen); 4. Chelsea Fong (Carenage Blasters); 5. Ackayla Lucas (St Andrews).

Under-15: 1. Brittany Joseph (Arima Hawks); 2. Gyshan Latchman (Cunupia Crew); 3. Anjana Valsana (Holy Name Convent); 4. Nalini Boodoo (PowerGen); 5. Ray J Thomas (St Andrews)

Under-18: 1. Catherine Spicer (PowerGen) & Brittany Joseph (Arima Hawks); 3. Gyshan Latchman (Cunupia Crew) & Shannon Watson (Cunupia Crew); 5. Renuka Sitram (Cunupia Crew) & Anjana Valsan (Holy Name Convent)

Under-21: 1. Catherine Spicer (PowerGen); 2. Ambika Sitram (Carenage Blasters); 3. Renuka Sitram (Cunupia Crew); 4. Shannon Watson (Cunupia Crew); 5. Dayna Samaroo (Cunupia Crew).

Women: 1. Brittany Joseph (Arima Hawks); 2. Linda Partap-Boodhan (Arima Hawks); 3. Aleena Edwards (UTT); 4. Catherine Spicer (PowerGen); 5. Verna Edwards (Gladiators)