SVG returns to table tennis Junior/Cadet Championships

After missing out on last year’s event, St Vincent and the Grenadines returned to Junior/Cadet Caribbean Table Tennis Championships, held in Guyana from April 14 to 18.

The four-member team, announced last week, included Andre Mitchell, Rondre John, Mikael Hazelwood and Juwan Howard.

The original team included Jadon Cunningham; however, the championships clashed with his external examinations’ timetable; hence Howard was named as his replacement.

Mitchell and Howard are students of the St Vincent Grammar School, while Hazelwood attends the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College and John – the Emmanuel High School, Mesopotamia.

The quartet competed in the teams, open singles and doubles.

They emerged from a training squad under the guidance of coaches Sean Stanley and Joseph Carrington.

Stanley, who travelled as coach, told SEARCHLIGHT that the participation of St Vincent and the Grenadines in the championships represents a development thrust of the SVG Table Tennis Association, which he deemed “a step in the right direction.”

Assessing the team’s chances in Guyana, Stanley noted, “I don’t expect us to bring back any accolades, as I am a realistic coach…I know the level of competition they will meet, but what I know is that they will learn from the experience.