CRTTF Youth Caribbean championship concludes today

Apr 01, 2023 Sports

Kaieteur News – Players returned to the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, Georgetown on Thursday for Day-four of the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF) 2023 Youth Caribbean championship. At this stage the Boys and Girls team would have already been decided, congratulation to Dominica Republic for winning the Under-19 and Under-15 Boy’s team category.

On Day four: the regional youth table tennis U15 and U19 boys and girls competed for a chance of Mixed-Doubles supremacy. Regional powerhouse Dominica Republic dominated day four as the copped both the U15 and U19 Mixed Doubles’ championships.

As action got on the way, Guyana however ended their Mixed Doubles campaign with a loss in the quarter finals match against Jamaica. Prior to this, Jonathan and Tharia Thomas played well to secure their quarter finals spot but later failed to follow through to the semis. Umar Percival and Shakecy Damon quarter final dreams was short lived after the suffered a defeat to Jamaica’s Azzi Johnson and Tsenaye Lewis 3-0. While U19 team of Thomas and Van Lange defeated Trinidad and Tobago’s Jamalli Maude and Mikah Strouge three sets to nil to book their quarter final Mixed Double’s spot. Van Lange and Thomas looking for the win to advance to the semis, came out well poised but later crumbled to a 3-0 defeat against Jamaica to end their Mixed Double’s campaign at the quarter finals stage.

Guyana’s Jonathan Van Lange and Tharia Thomas in battle with Jamaica of the U19 quarter finals.

Thomas and Van Lange found it hard to gather needed points in their quarter finals encounter, as the Jamaican duo (Joel Butler and Kelsey Davidson) collected valuable points to command the victory against the host (11-7, 11-7, 11-9). Guyana’s 3-0 lost to push Jamaica through to the U19 Mixed Doubles semis.

Meanwhile, Jamaica met with Dominica Republic in the semi finals but the Dominicans made light work of Butler and Davidson. Dominica’s Eduardo Darley and Shary Munoz immediately took the lead winning the first set 11-2, Jamaica fought back hard in the second set to win 11-5 but the Dominicans came back in the third and fourth sets to close the game 3-1.

Dominica’s Ramon Villa and Vianeikis Fernandez also defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3-0, in the other mixed doubles semi finals.

The evening closed with all Dominican Mixed Double’s U15 and U19 finals. Daniel Del Rosario and Arianna Estrella of Dominica went up against Alexander Tejada and Dafne Sosa also from Dominica Republic in the U15 finals. An equal battle between the two teams; Rosario and Estrella won the first set 11-6, they lost the second set 8-11 but came back in the third and fourth sets to win 3-2 and secure the U15 mixed doubles championship. Later Dominica’s Ramon and Fernandez met with Darley and Munoz in the U19 finals. Munoz and Darley eventually went on to win that contest 3-1 as Dominica Republic bagged both U15 and U19 Mixed Doubles’ titles.

CRTTF Youth Caribbean championship continued with day five action yesterday at the same venue for the Double’s semis and finals also the Boys and Girls Single’s round of sixteen and quarter finals action.

• Azzi Johnson, Dominica Republic, Jonathan Van Lange, Tharia Thomas, Tsenaye Lewis