First former wins Secondary Schools’ Table Tennis singles title

Eleven-year-old Caleb Howard ousted fellow St Vincent Grammar School student and last year’s winner Andre Mitchell 3-2 ( 9-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-6, 14-12), to win the boys’ singles title of the Secondary Schools’ Table Tennis Championships, which climaxed last Tuesday afternoon at the Girl Guides Headquarters at Level Gardens.

Howard, a first form student at the all-male institution, in the process, won his third schools’ singles title, having won the primary schools’ category in 2015 and 2016, then a student of the Sugar Mill Academy.

Also, Howard by beating Mitchell, stopped the former champ from making it four titles in succession.

A delighted Howard told SEARCHLIGHT that he was happy to beat Mitchell.

“I am happy to beat him, because he always beat me,” Howard said with a smile of achievement.

Howard credited his cousin Saeed Bowman for encouraging him to play table tennis, hence his interest in the sport.

In the semi-finals, Howard topped Akeil De Roche, 11-4 , 11-1, 11-7, in an all-Grammar School duel, while Mitchell defeated fellow Grammar School student Michel Creese, 11-1 , 8-11, 11-8, 11-9,

In the quarter-finals, Howard saw off Nicholas Lewis of the Bequia Community High School, 11-4, 11-1, 11-3 and Mitchell beat Jonelson Compton of the Bequia Seventh-Day Adventist, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7.

Also decided on Tuesday were the girls’ secondary schools’ singles title, as well as the boys and girls singles among the primary schools.

Copping the girls’ singles in the secondary schools’ division was Julia Nichols of the Bequia Community High School.

En route to the title, Nichols whipped Alika Miller, also of the Bequia Community High, 11-6, 11-1, 11-6.

Another singles title was shipped across the waters, as Ezer Lucas of the Bequia Anglican Primary School saw off Kristian Christopher of Layou Government School 11-9 ,11-7, 11-7, as the two squared off in the finals.

And in the primary, schools’ girls final, Kiara Hazell, of the Lower Bay Primary, outplayed Valencia Gordon of the New prospect Primary 11-6, 11-6, 11-3.

Howard was named MVP of the secondary schools’ category, with Lucas earning that accolade in the boys’ bracket of the primary schools. Cheyenne Peters of the New Prospect Primary was the recipient among the primary schools girls.