National junior players, Priyanka Khellawan of Gasparillo Cobras and Queen’s Park Cricket Club’s Derron Douglas were the only two players to be ranked number one in two different age-groups of the latest T&T Table Tennis Association (T&TTTA) Junior Rankings released recently.
The duo is also the reigning TTTTA “Junior Women’s Player of the Year and “Junior Men’s Player of the Year” respectively.
Khellawan, who turns 15 on June 15, is top of the rankings in both the girls Under-15 and Under-18 categories, positions she held at the end of last year as well.
In the Under-15 age-group, Khellawan who won the lone tournament contested before the break-in competition due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March, the Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI) Junior Silver Bowl for 750 points leads with 3,200 points overall, 850 more than QPCC's Imani Edwards-Taylor while Carenage Blasters' Rebekah Sterling (1,950) is third.
Powergen's Mikah Stroude (1,750) and Blasters' Jewel Nidhan (1,550) complete the top five players.
In the Under-18 girls' Khellawan also won the Silver Bowl crown and heads the standings with 1,900 points, 400 ahead of Edwards-Taylor while her club-mate Shreya Maharaj (1,450), Sterling (1,200) and Derah Ramoutar are the other top five players.
Meanwhile, Douglas has maintained his stranglehold on the top ranking in the Under-18 and Under-21 boys' age-group.
The national age-group champion, Douglas started the season by winning the Silver Bowl title to push his points tally to 2,250, well clear of club-mate Abraham Francis who has 1,600 followed by Blasters' tri Mikhail Dookie (1,400), Nicholas O'Young (1,300) and Nicolas Lee (1,300).
Douglas who doubled up in the Junior Silver Bowl by capturing the Under-21 division as well as a bigger lead over Joshua Maxwell in the U-21 category in the rankings with a tally of 2,250 points to his closest challenger's 1,500.
Francis completed a 1-2-3 in the rankings for the Parkites with 1,400 while N'kosi Rouse of Solo Crusaders (1,300) and Blasters' Luc O'Young (1,200) follow.
Despite the sudden stop in activities for the players, Douglas has so far enjoyed a stellar start to the year.
This after he and Arun Roopnarine secured two of the four spots on the national team for the Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championship which were carded for Cuba from April 2 to 9 but had to be postponed.
The duo will also be this country’s representative at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Singles/Doubles Qualifiers which were also postponed from its original scheduled date in Argentina from April 15 - 19 due to the COVID19.
Latest TTTTA Junior rankings:
Boys:
Under-9: 1. Daniel Bhim - 3,200 pts; 2. Aditya Khellawan - 1,950 pts; 3. Darion Bachu - 1,150 pts; 4. Liam Ratoo - 1,050 pts; 5. Aaron Noel - 450 pts.
Under-11: 1. Jonathan Cottoy - 2,050 pts; 2. Yannic Lewis - 1,750 pts; 3. Josiah Joseph - 1,600 pts; 4. Joshua Bhim - 1,550 pts; 5. Daniel Bhim - 1,450 pts.
Under-13: 1. Malik Gopaul - 2,050 pts; 2. Gabriel John - 1,850 pts; 3. Dillon Bruce & Yannic Lewis - 1,550 pts; 5. Jonathan Cottoy & Kymani Holder - 1,250 pts.
Under-15: 1. Jamali Mauge - 2,800 pts; 2. Nicholas O'Young - 2,250 pts; 3. Samuel Humphreys - 1,800 pts; 4. Mikhail Deonarine & Vheer Samnarine - 1,550 pts.
Under-18: 1. Derron Douglas; 2. Abraham Francis; 3. Mikhail Dookie; 4. Nicholas O'Young & Nicolas Lee
Under-21: 1. Derron Douglas - 2,250 pts; 2. Joshua Maxwell - 1,500 pts; 3. Abraham Francis - 1,400 pts; 4. N'Kosi Rouse - 1,300 pts; 5. Luc O'Young - 1,200 pts.
Girls:
Under-9: 1. Jannah Mohammed - 2,050 pts; 2. Samara Sukahi - 750 pts; 3. Abba Smith & Hidayah Mohammed - 700 pts; 5. Anandi Mahangoo - 650 pts.
Under-11: 1. Ashlea Mohammed - 2,150 pts; 2. Lyllana Boodhan - 1,950 pts; 3. Jerisse Elder - 1,750 pts; 4. J'nai Samuel - 1,550 pts; 5. Jinique Linton - 1,250 pts.
Under-13: 1. Chloe Fraser - 3,200 pts; 2. Ashlea Mohammed - 2,050 pts; 3. Jordan Thong & Lyllana Boodhan - 1,950 pts; 5. Jerise Elder - 1,650 pts.
Under-15: 1. Priyanka Khellawan - 3,200 points; 2. Imani Edwards-Taylor - 2,350 pts; 3. Rebekah Sterling - 1,950 pts; 4. Mikah Stroude - 1,750 pts; 5. Jewel Nidhan - 1,550 pts.
Under-18: 1. Priyanka Khellawan - 1,900 pts; 2. Imani Edwards-Taylor - 1,500 pts; 3. Shreya Maharaj - 1,450 pts; 4. Rebekah Sterling & Derah Ramoutar - 1,200 pts.
Under-21: 1. Chelsea Fong - 1,700 pts; 2. Sarah Mohammed - 1,500 pts; 3. Derah Ramoutar - 1,400 pts; 4. Rayanna Boodhan - 1,150 pts; 5. Shreya Maharaj - 600 pts