The old rivalry between Queen’s Royal College and St Mary’s College in football spilled over into table tennis over the weekend with ‘The Saints’ as St Mary’s are popularly called, emerging winners of the Boys’ Under-13 doubles title of the Scotiabank Schools Table Tennis Tournament.
Playing at the National Racquet Centre (NRC) in Tacarigua, the teams were required to qualify from their respective groups first before entering a knock-out and final.
In a group comprising CIC, Bishops Anstey Junior School and Tunapuna Hindu School, the Saints which were represented by the pair Jonathan Cottoy and Aiden Noel progressed as the group winners following victories over Bishops 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 and Tunapuna Hindu School in straight sets 11-4, 11-7, 11-2.
Bishops’ team of Aaron Noel and Ethan Mohammed earned the second qualifying spot when they triumphed over the twosome of Dharion Bachu and Juan Carlos Cadir 3-0 (11-2, 11-0, 11-8).
The Royalians of QRC, represented by Sekel Mc Intosh and Jonathan Alleyne, also advanced as the top team in the second group by beating Presentation College, San Fernando Jamal David and Carlsen Mack, 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-6), before later disposing of Sacred Hearts Boys’Jared Simon and Mateo Mollineau, 3-1 (11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4).
However, in the semifinals, the Saints prevailed over Presentation, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8, while the Royalians defeated Bishops 11-6, 6-11, 11-10, 11-9 for the right to face their rivals in the final. However, the Saints were better on the day and triumphed in straight sets, 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-3) to lift the title.
In the boys’ U-19 doubles, Arima Central duo of Samuel Humphreys and Antidio Renwick stormed back from a set down to beat the St George’s College pair of Sameer Ali and Akash Singh in the final, 2-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-6, for the title.
Meanwhile, Naparima College’s Luke Kenoo and Josiah Joseph claimed victory by reigning supreme over Trinity College East’s Dillon Bruce and Kayode Lee, 3-0 (11-10, 11-9, 11-9) in the U-15s while the girls’ equivalent was taken by Lakshmi Girls’ Priya Rambally and Mia Mapp, 3-2 (11-3, 5-11, 10-11, 11-9, 11-5) over Pleasantville Secondary (Kyra Cupid and Tianna-Marie Fields).
ASJA Girls team of Ashlea Mohammed and Shreya Maharaj also walked away with the girls’ U-13 crown, 3-0, Lakshmi Girls Lyllana Boodhan and Preeti Singh, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3.
In the Girls U-19 doubles, Naparima Girls Priyanka Khelawan and Mikah Stroude held off Lakshmi Girls (Sydney Sibaran and Pooja Ganeais) for the girls’ U-19 title, 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-6).
Results
Boys
U-19: 1 Arima Central, 2 St George’s
U-15: 1 Naparima, 2 TrinityEast, 3 Fatima, 4 Presentation (San Fernando)
U-13: 1 St Mary’s, 2 QRC
Girls
U-13: 1 ASJA Girls Tunapuna, 2 Lakshmi Girls
U-15: 1 Lakshmi Girls, 2 Pleasantville Secondary
U-19: 1 Naparima Girls, 2 Lakshmi Girls
