Grenada is among the nations competing in the Caribbean U15 Table tennis Championships which served off Thursday (May 5) in the Dominican Republic. The six-day tournament, from May 5 to the 11, also includes a U19 tournament. The Grenada team features students from the St. Rose Modern Secondary School Qwanell Walker-Lewis, De Wayne Newland and the St. Mark Secondary School Clifffon Romain. Ministry of Sports coach Anthony Benjiman is the manager/coach of the team.
The top player on the team is De Wayne Newland who has won three of the last four U15 tournaments staged between December and April of this year. Fellow St. Rose player, Qwanell Walker has reached the semifinals of the last four tournaments, including contested two of the finals The third competitor Cliffon Roman was a semifinal in all four local tournaments.
The three players spent the last five weeks in training being coached by Anthony Benjiman and assisted by national men’s singles champion Shannon Doughlin .
Grenada last participated in a Caribbean U15 tournament in 2011 staged in Cuba.
The tournament has attracted the best U15 and U19 players from across the Caribbean. The competition will be played in the following categories – U15 and U19 teams; Boys’ and Girls’ singles, doubles and mixed doubles. At the end of the event, the top two from each category of the Boys and Girls U15, and U19 teams and singles will advance to another phase of Qualifying tournaments for the next world championships.
In its press release, the Grenada Table Tennis Association (GTTA) says its emphasis is on the further development of U15, and U13 table tennis and is confident that over a period the opportunities given to the junior players and coaches will contribute to producing high-quality players.
