Grammar School Tennis Tournament serves off

The fifth edition of the St. Vincent Grammar School Tennis Competition started last Monday at the National Lotteries Authority court at Richmond Hill.{{more}}

Thirty-two players, seventeen in the Junior Division and fifteen in the Seniors, are competing for honours.

And, once again, the X-Cell Tennis Academy will host and oversee the competition, with Coreas and Hazells Inc. being sponsors for the third time.

Senior Graduate at the school, Bradley Brooker, speaking at the Opening Ceremony, urged the players to be good sportsmen and to be positive.

Tournament Director, Samantha Goodluck, said that she would like to see Juniors play fairly and make certain that they mix their academics with their physicals, as they both form a good blend.

She said that will provide the platform for Tennis scholarships, as players such as Shane Huggins and Alain Bailey, former players in the competition, are today beneficiaries of such Tennis scholarship opportunities to US colleges.

In the opening round of matches, John Rickhards saw off Chad Francis, 8-1; Julio Francis defeated Marley Young, 8-2, with Leopold Joyette defeating Kasani Culzac, 8-3. Young rebounded to beat Stephen Kirby, 8-3, in Senior Division action.

In the Juniors, Yannick Grant stopped Christopher Browne, 6-0, and Alex Harry got past Kenton Duncan, 6-1.

Matches are played during the lunch periods, Physical Education sessions and after school.

The Juniors play one set for the round robin, with the two top players coming out of each of the four groups facing off in the Knock Out phase.(RT)