Jeremy Singh and Khalil Ninvalle of Mae’s “A” team got the better of Nevaeh Clarkston and Tyriq Saunders of North Georgetown Primary on Friday as Mae’s “A” won the Under-10 category of the Digicel-sponsored school’s tournament at the Queen’s College Auditorium.
Mae’s “A” won two of the three matches, one each against North Georgetown and Mae’s “B” to finish on four points, followed by North Georgetown on three points. Finishing last was Mae’s “B” team with two points.
Only two schools competed in the under-10 categories, but Mae’s fielded two teams. Bartica brought one under-10 player, who was placed with the under 13s to form a team.
Meanwhile, the Under-13 category is into the semi final stage with St Stanislaus College, St Roses’ High and Mae’s Secondary advancing.
St Stanislaus College and St Roses’ High face each other today, while the winner of the St Joseph High/Queen’s College “B” will face Queen’s College “A” in the final semi final.
Today too, matches at the Under 15 and Under 15 categories will be contested.
Timothy Cornelius of Bartica Secondary said that even though his school did not advance to the second round of the Under-13 category the experience and exposure was great.
This, he said, is the first time Bartica is participating at the championship, and was confident that the team will be do better next year. “We did not come expecting to win, but to put up a good fight,” Cornelius said.
According to him, it is known that the players in the city are seasoned players and as such are expected to perform well at the tournament.
However, he said that with more tournaments and coaches in Bartica the game is bound to develop. More tournaments with incentives, he said would serve as a motivation for the players. He also said that table tennis should also be played at the primary school level.
Bartica, he said, does not have a fulltime coach, but a police sergeant who is also national table tennis player has offered his services. While the sergeant is doing his best the community needs a dedicated coach who will work with the players to better develop their skills.
Dedicated coaches, he said, would see the sport being played more at the primary level. Currently it is the students of Bartica Secondary who are more involved in the sport.
Bartica fielded three teams at the competition: Under 13, Under 15 and Under 18.
Eighteen schools competed in this year’s tournament.
