SVG fails to shine at the Senior Caribbean TT championships

St. Vincent and the Grenadines made little dent on the highly competitive Caribbean Region Table Tennis Federation(CRTTF) 53rd Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships, which concluded in Guyana, last Friday.{{more}}

Only veteran player Bob Ballantyne, who placed third in the Veterans over 45 Male category, gave the Vincentian team any top finishes.

Ballantyne, the reigning OECS singles champion, beat John Duncan, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7, but lost to eventual winner Cuban Raul Betoncourt 11-6, 11-9, 11-6, in the semi-finals.

In the Doubles play, the Vincentian pair of Romano Spencer and Luc Velox was slammed by the Trinidad and Tobago duo of Reeza Burke and Michael Nanton 3-0, 11-5, 11-5, 1-2, while Ballantyne and Carlton Daniel lost to the combination of Kyle Borneo of Trinidad and Tobago and Hewley Griffith of Guyana, 3-1. Ballantyne and Daniel’s defeat was 12-11, 11-12, 11-9, 11-10.

In the teams’ competition, the Dominican Republic blanked St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 3-0.

The championships were bossed by the Dominican Republic, who claimed the Men’s Singles through Juan Vila Batista; the 21 and over Women, won by Eva Brito, with Brito and Johenny Valdes taking the Women’s Doubles.

Also Juan Villa and Emil Santos copped the Men’s Doubles for the Dominican Republic; so too did Samuel Galvez in the Men’s 21 and over.

Dexter St. Louis and his stepdaughter Rheana Chung of Trinidad and Tobago, but who are both based in France, secured the Mixed Doubles, with Chung going on to take the Women’s Singles title.

Guyanese Desiree Lancaster won the Women’s 45 and over title.

The final team results showed the Dominican Republic first, Trinidad and Tobago second, Guyana third and Barbados fourth, in both the Men’s and Women’s categories.

The other participating territories were Guadeloupe, Jamaica and St. Lucia. (RT)