France-based Dexter St Louis played a key role as Solo Crusaders captured both the Mixed Doubles and Men's Doubles titles when the Solo-sponsored T&T Table-Tennis Association Senior National Championships served off at Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Saith Park, Chaguanas, yesterday.
In the Mixed Doubles decider, St Louis and his step-daughter Rheann Chung, both five-time Caribbean singles champions, and multiple doubles winners as well defeated WASA's Curtis Humphreys and PowerGen's Catherine Spicer in straight sets 11-4, 12-10, 11-4.
Earlier in the semifinals, St Louis and Chung beat University of T&T's Alaric Humphreys and Brittany Joseph 4-11, 11-9, 7-11, 14-12 while Humphreys and Spicer eased past Florida-based Dayanand Maharaj and his daughter Dolly Maharaj 11-3, 11-9, 11-8.
St Louis then paired with Germany-based Khaleel Asgarali for an 11-6, 11-7, 15-13 triumph over WASA's Curtis Humphreys and Yuvraaj Dookram in the Men's Doubles final.
The eventual winners had earlier battled past UTT's Arun Roopnarine and Alaric Humphreys 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 while Curtis Humphreys and Dookram ousted Carenage Blasters pair, two-time reigning Caribbean Junior champion, Aaron Wilson and Kenwin Small, 9-11, 11-2, 12-10, 11-7.
In the Women's Doubles UTT's Aleena Edwards and Brittany Joseph won by default over WASA's Nirveeta Ramcharan and Priya Ramcharan. Chelsea Fong and Ambika Sitram - a mixed team from WASA and UWI respectively were defeated by another mixed pair of Linda Partap-Boodhan (Arima Hawks) and Powergen's Catherine Spicer 11-4, 11-9, 9-11 and 11-7.
Today, the team events will get going with Crusaders the favourites, having assembled a strong foreign based contingent of St Louis, Asgarali, Maharaj and 2016 Silver Bowl Champion Anthony "Sandfly" Brown.
Last year's champions WASA is fielding two teams and with Curtis Humphreys and Dookram in their ranks together with service specialist Kenneth Permanand, they will not easily surrender their 2015 title.
The University of T&T (UTT) led by third ranked Roopnarine and including last year's singles semifinalist Alaric Humphreys, Carenage Blasters led by Wilson who returns to Sweden in early September to pick up a Division One spot in their national league, are the major teams along with last year's giant killers Arima Hawks led by Burke and including two time Caribbean champion Lionel Darceuil are not to be discounted nor for that matter DYTTC, WASA 2, PowerGen or Gladiators who will all want to bring their A1 game to the arena today. Singles competition serves off next Saturday.