Kenwin Small of Carenage Blasters grabbed the first Cecil James Open Singles Tournament title on Sunday night, turning back Arima Hawks player Anson Wellington 4-1 at the Maloney Indoor Sport Arena.
The 10th-seeded Small fell behind Wellington early in the first set, but battled back to take it at 13-11, then raced to a two set lead.
Wellington pulled a set back, stopping him at seven in the third, but Small edged home in a close fourth set, and the duo traded blow for blow before Small emerged victorious, the final score being 13-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 16-14.
Catherine Spicer emerged the women’s champion by sweeping Astra Edwards Bennett 11-9, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8. Spicer jumped out to the early lead and never looked back, repelling a late challenge from Edwards Bennett in the final set to ensure she took home the top women’s prize.
The men’s semi-finals were also full of action, as Small dispatched veteran player Terry Corbin 4-1. The pivotal fourth set saw the players battling back and forth, with Small leading 2-1. But he beat Corbin at eight and raced out in the fifth set to a 10-1 lead, eventually prevailing 11-6, 11-3, 10-11, 11-8, 11-3.
Small edged Kyle Bennett 11-3, 3-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-3 in the quarter-finals, and routed Kwame Rodriguez (round of 16) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5. In the first knockout round, he beat Joel Alleyne 3-1 after losing the first set.
Wellington’s route took him through senior national player Curtis Humphreys in the semi-finals, seeded number one for the tournament. Both players looked visibly tired, Wellington first overcoming a spirited challenge from young sensation Aaron Wilson in the first knockout round, who took him down to the final set before Wellington won.
He also got past Andrew Edwards in the round of 16 and another veteran, former Caribbean champ Lionel Darceuil
Humphreys also had a tough draw. He beat Lawrence Ince in the round of 32, but next faced second seeded Michael Nanton, after Nanton lost first up in the Group Stage to Kyle Bennett.
And after sweeping Nanton 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, Humphreys met former three-time Guyanese champion Colin France, who he turned back 11-6, 11-13, 11-6, 11-6.
And in an intriguing battle with Wellington, Humphreys came out second best. After they split the first four sets 2-2, Wellington took advantage of a number of forced errors by his opponent to take the lead, and held his nerve to close out the match as Humphreys flopped to the floor.
The women’s semis saw Edwards Bennett cruise to a 4-0 win in her mother-daughter encounter with Verna Edwards, after Verna got past Avernelle Abraham in straight sets. Spicer beat Ambika Sitram 4-0 in the other semi.
The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs were the main sponsors for the tournament, hosted by the D’Abadie Youths Table Tennis Club, which was also supported by JGS Supermarket and 3A’s Tyre Services Co Ltd. (Trinidad Express)