Minister of Sports Stephen Lashley has rubbished claims by Apostle Lynford Scantlebury that the painting of a road tennis court and an imminent road tennis tournament at Silver Hill, Christ Church have only come to the fore since Scantlebury announced that he was also planning a similar community tournament.

Scantlebury is leader of the political party New Barbados Kingdom Alliance and is courting the St Peter constituency and also canvassing Christ Church West Central.

Lashley told Barbados TODAY that he expected better from someone bearing the title “apostle”. Lashley explained that plans for the tournament of which he is a major driving force had been made a significantly long time ago. Indeed, he added, the road tennis tournament was a continuation of sporting activities in the Christ Church West Central constituency. He pointed to a successful football competition that had been staged in the constituency last year as well as the continued development of the Silver Raiders Netball Team .

“The road tennis tournament will be launched very shortly and it is but one of many activities planned for these communities,” he stressed, identifying the part played by the National Sports Council and the National Conservation Commission in the preparation phase for the road tennis court and the competition.

He explained that sports initiatives in communities were no gimmicks and were part of a developmental thrust that would involve counselling, mentoring and exposing the participants in the sporting activities to HIV/AIDS awareness programmes.

He noted that the road tennis tournament, though centred in Silver Hill, would embrace participants from Vauxhall, Sargeant Village, and other sections of the constituency.

He said Scantlebury was welcome to come into the community and be a part of any wholesome activity being staged but should desist from giving the impression that he had suddenly descended on Silver Hill and its environs to bring to residents what they had not been exposed to over the past four years. (WG)

Junior White was simply too good for Aaron Barker.

Bush Hall eyes are smiling.

That’s because one of that St. Michael community’s best players Julian Quimby pulled off an upset 21-19 win over one of Barbados’ best defensive players in Anthony “Ears” Mitchell in the Republic Bank’s Racquets of Fire Road Tennis Tournament at the Belfield, St. Michael hard court on Wednesday night.

Quimby, one of the better players from the Bush Hall community since the road tennis disappearance of Charles “McEnroe” Griffith, dominated the early part of the game against a seemingly out-of-sorts Mitchell, who over the years has had some titanic battles against the likes of Junior “Michael Jackson” White and Jeffery “Borah” Best.

As to be anticipated from a player of Mitchell’s class, he came storming back from a points deficit that at one stage reached as high as seven points to lock the score at 18 apiece. It was then that Quimby’s tenacity came to the fore as he prevailed 21-19 despite a contentious line-call off a volley that potentially could have altered the course of the match.

White, the top seeded player and perhaps the best ever to grace a road tennis court in the island, could have been forgiven if he had decided to play left-handed as he totally annihilated an over-matched Aaron Barker 21-7.

Inexplicable

Mark Griffith presented Morson Johnson with an early Yuletide gift when he allowed a seven-point advantage at 12-5 to vanish into the Black Rock air and succumbed 21-16 to Johnson whose game’s foundation was built on patience and the desire to return every ball at all cost. That Griffith’s game just basically went to pieces was completely inexplicable.

David Arrendell, who played impressively in the parish tournament at Dover, Christ Church a few months ago, showed that he was a force with which to reckon when he disposed of Anderson Sealy 21-11 in an encounter where his return on serve and deft chops were the feature.

Colin Jones had the easiest victory of the night when he dismantled Edwin Ward 21-4. Ward is a better player than the score-line suggested but on the night Jones played as though he had a point to prove, while Ward’s focus seemed to somewhere else.In other results on the night Michael Jean beat Lloyd Burke 21-14 and Shamon Weekes beat Winston Padmore 21-15.

The action continues at the Belfield Court on Saturday night.††

It was a case of Mark Griffith’s venom bringing Victor Ward back down to earth with a thud.

The ‘A’ class final of the Silver Hill Road Tennis Tournament was a thriller last night at the Silver Hill, Christ Church hard-court.

Ward, popularly known as Earth, and having earlier defeated perennial champ Junior Michael Jackson White in a shocking upset, as well as Dan Skeete, was outlasted by Griffith 21-16, 21-18.

Predictably the game was decided by which player committed the most unforced errors. Both have defensive styles, depending heavily on chops and close to the net shots. Both are also super-fit.

Ward wore down White and Skeete with his chopping style at the net in previous match-ups, but found the game of the man called Venom a carbon-copy of his own.

There were some lengthy rallies that thrilled the crowd as the two simply concentrated on getting the ball back over the net at all cost. †Ward chopped several balls just over the net but the fleet-footed Griffith was always there in time to return them. It was brilliant stuff that had the large crowd enthralled.

In the end, after his earlier giant-killing act, Ward found Griffith too steep a hill to climb.

In other matches Adrian Williams defeated Demario Ward 22-20, 19-21 and 21-10 in the Under-17 final, while Pierre Thousand Ball Nurse got the better of Desmond Hatcher Wooding 21-16, 21-18 in the ‘B’ class final.

Afterwards, Member of Parliament for the area and facilitator of the tournament, Stephen Lashley, told Barbados TODAY he was very pleased with the tournament and the way it had brought the community and surrounding districts together.

Thanking sponsors – inclusive of Digicel – for their input, Lashley said the tournament would be an annual event and was part of a holistic effort to use sports to assist in uplifting the Christ Church communities. He said it was a delight to see vendors being a part of the programme and benefiting from the tournament which was staged over six weeks’ duration.

The Minister of Sport noted the opportunity was also used to spread the message of HIV/AIDS awareness. Lashley explained the tournament had been divided into two sections with a Silver Hill component as well as an invitational one where some of the best players in the island were invited to participate.

Great things are in store for sports in Barbados in the coming year, says Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley.

Speaking today in an interview with Barbados TODAY, Lashley stated that for the financial year 2012/2013 Government, through the National Sports Council, would provide special grants to a number of associations which would be participating in various regional and international competitions.†These include the Barbados Cycling Union, the Barbados Darts Association, the Barbados Amateur Swimming Association, the Barbados Volleyball Association, the Barbados Netball Association and the Barbados Amateur Athletic Association.†

He also revealed that in the new financial year it was planned to construct pavilions at Oxnards/Husbands, St. James, Husbands Gardens, St. James and complete the pavilions at St. Martin and Bayleys in St. Philip.

Lights installations, he added, were also planned for several areas.†Lashley told Barbados TODAY that during the year Government’s financial support was extended to national sports associations to help them administer their programmes. He noted that these funds were however only distributed on the prior submission of audited financial statements.†

“Of the 61 national associations, in 2003/2004 thirty-four benefited, in 2004/2005 thirty-six benefitted, in 2005/2006 thirty-eight benefitted, in 2006/2007 thirty-six benefitted, in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 forty benefitted, in 2009/2010 thirty-five benefited, in 2010/2011 thirty eight benefitted and 2011/2012 a record 43 benefitted,” he said.††

Minister Lashley stated he had been advised by the National Sports Council that the timeline for completion of the track at the National Stadium by the end of February next year, weather permitting, was still in effect and that the contractors had been working over the Christmas period to ensure that the civil works would be expedited.†He said the asphalt was due to be laid within another week and the covering would be shipped within another two weeks.†

“I need to re-emphasize that the replacement of the track at the stadium does not simply entail the removal of the existing track and putting down a new one. The works included correcting a critical defect with respect to some of the angles of the old track which meant that times recorded at the stadium could not meet international requirements.†

“So substantial civil works had to be done which meant the removal of the pre-existing concrete and excavation of several areas to not only improve drainage but to improve facilities for the shot put, javelin and long jump. The contractor also had to contend with bad weather on some days and they also encountered hard rock during the excavation.†The stadium track has not been replaced since 1999 and I consider this to be a significant achievement and investment in sports particularly in difficult economic times,” he said.†

Lashley said his ministry’s thrust would not be limited to merely enhancing the track at the National Stadium.†

“It is clear that the stadium, in existence for some 40 years, has to be overhauled and made relevant to our current policy. As a key plank of the Government’s sports development programme, I propose to press for the full transformation of the National Stadium into an ultra modern facility.†

“This is an excellent opportunity for joint public/private sector partnership to achieve this. In addition, in view of the need to provide more facilities for sports, the National Sports Council is currently engaged in discussions with the current owners of 43 acres of land at Boarded Hall with a view to planning a new multi-purpose sports facility to be a focal point upon which sports tourism and sports generally can be taken forward,” he indicated.†

Minister Lashley, pledging Government’s support for the continued development of motor sports, said that quite some time had been spent in negotiating the terms of the lease of the land at Bushy Park, St. Philip. However, he added that he expected very soon that all the legal arrangements would be in place to allow for the Bushy Park Development Project to proceed.†

Looking at community sports, especially recent successfully staged community road tennis tournaments, Lashley said his ministry intended to encourage even further involvement in the sport and ultimately aimed to host a world tournament in Barbados in the not-too-distant future.†

Noting that sports was a major worldwide, income-earning commodity, Lashley said the foundation was being laid for the establishment of a full-fledged sports industry in the island.†He explained that the recently Cabinet-approved 2012-2016 Strategic Plan for sports was the start of the process.†

“This is a key achievement because it sets the tone for the transitioning of sports into a full-fledged industry and as a key contibutor to the diversification of the Barbados economy. Our focus over the next five years is to ensure that sports is taken to a new level in Barbados where it can benefit from the kind of incentives that will cause it to grow.†That is why the Ministry has started work with key partners on a Sports Development Bill which will be a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to treat sports as the industry that it needs to be,” he said.†

He explained that the Strategic Plan was designed to achieve operational efficiency at the National Sports Council, develop a sports industry, improve sports facilities and management, develop a high performance sports strategy, improve sports training and development, achieve commercialisation of sports and solidify financing of sports development.†

“What this translates to is improved governance and development of sports on many fronts, leading to improved athlete performance and medal tallies,” the Minister added. (WG)††

Junior White easily disposed of David Arrendell. (FP)

Don’t write off Junior “Michael Jackson” White just yet.

Barbados’ most dominant player perhaps since a three-year golden period in the 1980s by Charles “McInroe” Griffith, was back to his winning ways on Saturday night as St. Michael dominated the finals of the National Sports Council’s Inter-Parish Road Tennis Championships at the Dover, Christ Church hard court.

Jackson, the pride of St. Michael, mowed down Christ Church’s perennial Cinderella Man David Arrendell 21-5, 21-5.

Arrendell, who frequently plays well, but on the big occasion has never quite got over the final hurdle, saw his carriage quickly turned into a pumpkin before midnight as White wiped the Dover cement with him in a clinical display.

In fairness to Arrendell, he can play much better than the score-line suggested, but on Saturday night White simply slaughtered him.

White’s is normally a patience game with Arrendell more prone to attack but also quite capable of adapting his game to suit the occasion. On Saturday night he got caught somewhere between attack and defence and this resulted in several errors, forced and unforced. He mishit a number of returns, sometimes even off his initial serve and against a player of White’s pedigree this is tantamount to hara-kari.

Arrendell was never in this ‘A’ class final with White rushing to sizeable early 10-2 and 12-2 leads in the two games respectively. White played his consistent return game, and waited on his opponent to self-destruct. Arrendell’s was a spectacular combustion.

For White it was a welcome reminder to fans that his shock loss to Victor “Earth” Ward at the Silver Hill Championships last month was a mere aberration and no cause for panic among his supporters.

In other ‘A’ class action one of the outstanding players of local road tennis, St. Michael’s Antoine Daniel, disposed of Christ Church’s Marson Johnson 21-14, 24-22 in a thrilling encounter where Daniel had to dig deep into his resolve to put away opponent.

In the second game Johnson had more than one opportunity to even the scores but fluffed those opportunities through a mixture of Daniel’s aggressive shot-making and his own errors.

In other action, St. Michael’s Andrew Holder lost to Glen Harris of Christ Church 7-21, 21-16, 13-21 and St. Michael’s showman Jeffrey “Bing” Layne defeated Ian Yearwood 21-7, 21-14, as St. Michael wrapped up the veterans final. Overall points tally determined the victors in this category. ††††

Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley (right) presenting one of the awards for Ryan Brathwaite to his father Eugene Brathwaite.

Sports in Barbados will be reshaped so as to make it a way of life for all citizens.

That is the word from Minister of Sports, Stephen Lashley, who said the reshaping would be done under the recently approved National Sports Council’s Strategic Plan.†He made the comments Saturday night while addressing the 30th Annual National Sports Awards Ceremony at the Frank Collymore Hall, The City.

Lashley noted that one of the primary objectives of the plan, which also details a new direction for the Council over the next four years, was to stimulate greater participation in sports by all.

“We have been proactive in this respect, where the Council has developed programmes that engender participation at the level of the community,” he stated, highlighting the National Basketball and Road Tennis Championships and the Inter-Parish Road Races as examples.

Lashley added that another key strategic theme of the plan was the promotion of sporting excellence.

“This entails the establishing of a High Performance Centre, a Sporting Hall of Fame, the introduction of Development Squads and a Rolling Olympic Plan and the provision of scholarships for our athletes,” he explained.

The Minister pointed out that the initiatives were all geared towards moving sports to a different level, especially since Government was hopeful that there would be improved performances at the Rio 2016 Olympics and beyond.

He stressed that the Strategic Plan was not designed only for the Council, but for all stakeholders of sports and Barbadians.

“Its success is premised on the support of you the athletes, coaches, administrators, lovers of our sports and especially our invaluable sponsors,” he stated.

Lashley told his audience that a key element of Government’s strategy was the transformation of sports into a full-fledged industry, with the appropriate incentives to drive the development of not only sporting facilities, but sporting businesses.

“To this end, we have commenced work towards a Sports Development Act and a Sports Development Policy. I expect that this policy and supporting legislation will create the kind of forward thrust that sports has been missing for many years,” he suggested.

Lashley commended the athletes for their outstanding performances during the year, stating that when one considered the limited resources available to Barbados, especially during the recession, one could only marvel at the results attained by the athletes across numerous disciplines, at the local, regional and international levels.

He reaffirmed Government’s resolve to provide facilities and programmes to support the athletes’ development.

Ambassador Ryan Brathwaite received the Senior Outstanding Sportsperson and the National Sports Personality for 2012 titles, and his father, Eugene Brathwaite, accepted his awards. Cricketer Kemar Roach won the Minister’s Award, while Shai Hope won the Junior Outstanding Sportsperson Award and the Emerging Athlete Award. Barbados’ top female surfer, Chelsea Tuach won the Junior and Senior Outstanding Sportsperson titles. (BGIS)†

David Jean-Marie (centre) with feature players Adrian Skeete (left) and Julian White.

There was much fun and lots of fanfare at the Barbados Port Inc. recently, as two on-site road tennis courts were unveiled in the car park of the administration building.

Following a prayer and short welcome, David Jean-Marie, chief Executive Officer of the BPI, kicked off the festivities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The BPI has a strong commitment to wellness in the workplace and we are proud to play our part in encouraging and creating a healthy environment for our staff and the wider community. Road tennis originated in Barbados in the 1930s and the BPI is excited to see its revival and the growth in its international appeal. The sport embodies Bajan culture and we look forward to the participation of staff members and the residents of the surrounding districts in the many matches we will be hosting here at the BPI,” Jean-Marie told those gathered.

The evening’s activities then continued with Jean-Marie demonstrating his road tennis talent and knocking the first ball. A fast and furious opening match featured two BPI members of staff, Deborah Simpson and Sheron Hartley. They entertained the crowd, showcasing some deft moves and superb shots.

The second match of the evening welcomed two outstanding youngsters, Shakim Joseph, 11, and Stephen Carrington, 13. They stepped on to the court to loud cheers from the crowd and their performance did not disappoint.

With everyone now on the edge of their seats, the feature match was announced. Top seed and many times Barbados champion† Julian “Michael Jackson” White played against third seed, Adrian “Dan” Skeete. The two men brought their best game, and also spectators to their feet.

Jean-Marie hailed the event as a success and thanked BPI staff and visitors for attending. Refreshments and karaoke brought the events to a close.†

Michael Jean during his match against Stigg Merritt.

If Errol Edwards has his way road tennis could soon be added to the list of club sports in the island.

Edwards of A S Auto Stop, organiser and chief sponsor of the successful Village Camp Road Tennis Championships that concluded last night at the Deighton ‘Pa’ Roach Tennis Court at Bush Hall Yard Gap, told Barbados TODAY that the island’s indigenous sport could go even further with the development of road tennis clubs across Barbados in much the same way as was done in cricket, football and other sports.

The week-long championship was formatted along a team concept with ten teams involved which were made up of some of the island’s best players. Each of the teams had a junior and veteran player in the line-up and consisted of seven players inclusive of a captain.†Edwards said the team concept came out of players moving around from community to community to play each other and developing not only keen rivalries but friendships among themselves He said he wanted to make a thrust for more road tennis clubs to develop and by so doing bring even greater structure to the way the sport was played in the island.

Huge potential

“Road tennis is ours and I believe it can go very far, as long as we have proper organisation and structure in place,” he said.

Edwards indicated that there were other tournaments in the pipeline within the team concept but added there was a need to concentrate more on junior players. He said the majority of the top players in Barbados averaged about 40 years and there was a need to target younger players.

On the actual tournament which started on May Day, Edwards said it had been well received by both players and supporters and was well attended. He said the standard was very high.On the court the All Whites Team emerged victorious after defeating Belfield 4-2 in the best-of-seven “shotgun’ finals.

The All Whites were captained by Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith and consisted of Adrian Best (veteran), Darius Gaskin (junior), Aaron Barker, Julian White, Michael Jean and Shabbir Greenidge. Belfield were led by veteran Sylvan Barnett and included Louis Daniel (veteran), Keon Murrell (junior), Curtis Jones, Chester Brewster, Stigg Merritt and Andrew Holder.†Jones and Barker were involved in the most exciting match of the night with the former winning 23-21. They basically traded points throughout the match but Jones held his nerve better during the closing stages of the game, and committed fewer errors against the more attack-minded Barker.

Accurate display

Julian Michael Jackson White had a relatively easy 21-13 victory over Brewster with the former’s usual chopping returns being unerringly accurate throughout.

Gaskin, a promising junior player, easily disposed of Keon Murrell 21-11, while veteran Daniel got the better of Best 21-17 in another of the night’s top match-ups.

Jean defeated Merritt 21-15 and Greenidge got the better of Holder 21-13.

With the championships already decided at 4-2 the game between the captains Griffith and Barnett was not played.

Jones and Griffith had been the best players on court over the duration of the tournament but Griffith pipped Jones for the Most Valuable Player award.

Kyle King of the Green Flower team which won the third-place play-off, was named Most Improved Player. (WG)††

An invitational road tennis tournament is the first event the new executive of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s  Sports and Cultural Club will be hosting on Whit Monday.

Dubbed In De Pine the event is expected to feature teams from across corporate Barbados and will be played in CBC’s car park.

Assistant secretary/treasurer and CBC sports reporter Mellissa Farley who is lead coordinator for the event said two females were expected to be included in each team.

“It is going to be very competitive and a lot of fun as well. We expect full participation by both men and women. It will be a day to remember,” she noted.

The doubles tournament features six teams, four players per team – two males and two females each. During the knockout phase points cut off at 15 instead of 21.

Farley added that there would be individual prizes, medals and trophies to be won.

The new ten-member committee which was elected in April has as its slogan “building for the present with the future in mind.”

President Dale Forde said it captured the essence of what the club wanted to achieve while in office.

“The CBC Sports Club has a rich heritage,” she said. “We want to build on that working closely with all our members which is the entire CBC family. We also want to develop closer relationships with our corporate friends and associates and of course most importantly the listeners and viewers who support us every day.”

The tournament starts at 3 p.m. and is expected to end by 9 p.m.

Eight teams have been confirmed for the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation Sports and Cultural Club’s In De Pine Road Tennis Tournament slated for June 9 in the CBC car park.

The invitational meet will feature four representatives from each team – two men and two women from LIME, RUBIS, Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Ltd., the National Sports Council, the Barbados Defence Force, Co-operators General Insurance, Purity Bakeries and CBC.

The knockout competition starts at 3 p.m. with doubles matches, the finals will serve-off with the women at 6 p.m. and the men will follow after.

There will also be exhibition matches by two of Barbados’ best known players Julian ‘Michael Jackson’ White and Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith.

Julian White to put in a guest appearance at CBC tournament.

Captain of the CBC Gladiators Kent Jerson said the team had been practicing often over the last few weeks and he was looking forward to a fun competition.

“The CBC team, we have home court advantage, we’re looking to bring home the bacon so to speak and hopefully everybody will have a good time,” he said.

Commentary will be provided by president of the Barbados Road Tennis Association Philip ‘Prof’ Garner who lauded the CBC for reviving road tennis tournaments at the Pine.

“This competition is going to boost a lot of companies and people to get back into road tennis. I think it is a very good structure in terms of introducing the doubles. I must give CBC kudos for putting together what is a beautiful competition and I know it will be successful,” he said.

Rain that delayed proceedings for a lengthy period could not stop Antoine Lil Man Daniel from winning the Monarchs Of The Courts Road Tennis Competition and the top prize of $10,000 last night.

The diminutive Daniel had a commanding victory over Barbados’ most decorated player Julian Michael Jackson White before a huge crowd at the Ranch off the Spring Garden Highway.

Daniel played an array of attacking shots which thrilled the crowd at the seaside location as he surged to victory.

Junior champion Emar Edwards making a back-arm return to Darius Gaskin.

The fans were aware that White had defeated Daniel in a close and entertaining final at Silver Hill, Christ Church the last time they met and were looking forward to another thriller.

Daniel stamped his authority on the first set establishing an early lead over White and setting the pace of the game.

White is a dogged player with an abundance of determination and fought his way back into the set with several attacking shots and a strong defence. At 11-9 Daniel had a narrow lead.

The crafty Daniel took control of the match with a number of forceful shots. White tried to defend but could not counter the lethal forearm and powerful back-arm of his opponent who won the first set 21-14.

He then took charge of the match by overwhelming White in the second set 21-16. In this set both players showcased their skills. Daniel was powerful with his shots down the court cutting and smashing. White was sound in his defensive play while probing and using his back-arm to take several points off Daniel who still took the game to establish a two-set lead.

White has won 40 national road tennis titles, a feat that has not been matched by any other player on the island, so despite being two sets down several fans felt that he would pull something special out of the bag in the third set.

The number one rated player on the island outplayed his opponent in the third set. He controlled the ball on both sides of the court. On several occasions White played shots which made Daniel look like a novice and had the fans cheering with delight. He whipped his adversary 21-12 to make the third set critical.

Antonio Daniel (right) makes this return to Julian White.

Both players were cagey in the fourth set but Daniel ensured that he returned to the game plan that had seen jumped out into an early lead in the game. He mixed attack with defence brilliantly and achieved what many of his fans had predicted. His 21-16  victory in the third set translated into a tidy sum of $10,000 first prize.

“I feel great. Jackson is a good player but the wet court slowed him down and I got the better of him,” an elated Daniel told the media after the clash.

A beaming Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler said afterwards the prize money could be increased to $15,000 next year.

He added that competitions such as The Monarchs Of The Courts Competition was an opportunity to take road tennis to a higher level.

In the 21 and under final, Emar Edwards defeated Darius Gaskin 21-15, 21-19 to capture the title. (DH)

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There are major plans in store for Barbados’ indigenous sport of road tennis and the principal organisers of the game in the island say the intention is to take it global.

Chief executive officer of the Professional Road Tennis Association (PRTA), Dale Clarke, told Barbados TODAY they would be looking to conduct several exhibition tournaments around the region while at the same time distribute a video throughout the Caribbean called How To Play which would teach persons the basic rules of road tennis.

Chief executive officer of the Professional Road Tennis Association, Dale Clarke.

“We would be looking to go through the region where we would be doing exhibition tournaments. We have spoken to one of our sponsors, a regional company, because that would fast-track road tennis on the island. We would be looking at a video called How To Play which would be distributed throughout the region and not just Barbados. We will visit other islands around the Caribbean and do our promotions, pass on the video to the primary and secondary schools and take the tennis to the highest level which would jump start the interest,” Clarke explained.

The PRTA was responsible for the Monarchs Of The Court tournament held in Barbados for the first time this year and they would be in charge of staging the upcoming lucrative Massy United Insurance Clash Of The Titans for the second year on November 9. The preliminary matches will be played at Coverley, Christ Church while the semi-finals and finals will be played at the Ranch off the Spring Garden Highway, with the tournament being broadcast live on television via Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) and SportsMax to give the tournament international exposure.

First prize for the recently held Monarchs Of The Court competition was $10,000 and according to Clarke the cash prize and stakes for this year’s competition will be much higher in the Massy United Insurance Clash Of The Titians tournament.

Clarke told Barbados TODAY that the goal of PRTA was to take road tennis global. He noted that even though the global awareness was there it was important that organizers got the correct structure in place first from the primary level through to tertiary in order to take the sport forward.

“The reality is the majority of the [road] tennis players now are in their late forties and these are our top players. So we have to get new youth players coming in and right now there is only one road tennis coach in Barbados and it is not possible for one road tennis coach to go to all the primary and secondary schools in Barbados. I believe they should concentrate on getting more coaches even though we are going through a recession. It might be difficult to employ people but you can partner with the Ministry of Education to do a two-weeks course at the National Sports Council to certify the physical education teachers about road tennis and then you would not have the excuse of only having one coach,” Clarke explained.

He added: “After all the sport was originated here in Barbados and we should have over a thousand players. We should not be hearing ‘oh it has this potential’ like what we have been hearing for the past five decades. For example, at the University of the West Indies you have basketball, football and all other sports being played so why not incorporate road tennis?”

Clarke said the association was also looking at the sport from a sports tourism standpoint.

“People are flying to Barbados for road tennis tournaments and therefore we are creating a sports tourism product and that is how we are looking at it.”

He noted road tennis was just perceived as a poor man sport but it has got to the stage where it has been accepted by all Barbadians and that had to do with a great deal of marketing which they had invested into the sport.

“My team and I concentrate on marketing because that is what we find is lacking in sports generally in Barbados. We try to produce a product that is exciting and also that is family oriented,” he stated.

marissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb

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Road tennis in Barbados is enjoying a boom.

And it is about to get even bigger.

At a media launch today for the second edition of the Massy United Insurance-sponsored Clash Of The Titans Road Tennis Tournament it was revealed that Barbados’ best would be competing for a top prize of $12,000 – the sports biggest ever payday. Additionally, prize money will be spread further into tournament than ever before.

Business manager of Massy United Insurance, Sharron Alleyne- Elcock, handing over the sponsorship cheque to president of the Professional Road Tennis Association, Dale Clarke as Antonio Daniel (left) and Mark Griffith (right) look on.

And also for the first time a ranking system will be introduced for the tourney that is expected to attract the likes of Antoine L’il Man Daniel, Anthony Black Dog Richards, Mark Venom Griffith and Julian Michael Jackson White when the first ball is served on November 9 at the Villages, Coverley, Christ Church.

During this morning’s Press conference at Massy United Insurance on Broad Street, St Michael, to launch the tournament, chief executive officer of the Professional Road Tennis Association, Dale Clarke, assured road tennis fans that this year’s clash would be bigger and better than previous competitions.

“Each year we are looking to make the tournament bigger and better. For the first time in road tennis history you have a ranking system where the top forty-five players who played in the last Clash Of The Titans and Monarchs Of The Court competitions have been ranked. We have applied the ATP ranking system to it with [Mark] Griffith ranked at number one and [Antonio] Daniel ranked number two,” Clarke said.

Clarke added: “What we have done this year is increase the reward for the players. Before you used to just get a monetary reward when you got to the semi-finals. In this tournament, you will be receiving money when you lose in the round of sixteen. Each person would get $75 and at the quarter-finals stage the losing quarter-finalist will get $150.”

The format for this year’s tournament will remain the same with the registration fee at $100. According to the president, the numbers for this year’s competition has increased from 32 to 64 which include men, Under-21 and women’s division with the runner-up in the Clash Of The Titans showdown receiving $6,000.

Clarke explained that this year’s tournament would begin with a players’ reception on November 6 at Bagatelle, St Thomas. The semi-finals and final will be played at the popular Ranch on the Spring Garden Highway and the final will be broadcast live via the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

Current Monarch Of The Courts winner Daniel and defending champion of the Clash Of Titans, Griffith, have had a great rivalry on the road tennis circuit and said they would let their tennis rackets do the talking for that all important grand prize.

Daniel told Barbados TODAY since money had been invested into the tournament he was hungry to win and would be going after the big cash come Independence Day.

“I am thankful to Massy for sponsoring this tournament because we were thirsty for money for a long time. Years ago you were just playing for trophies and I got bored of that and that is why I stopped. But some money is coming into it and I am good enough to get some so I will be here. We have a lot of good tennis players in Barbados. They are very good so there is no telling that I will win all the time but on the court they know that I mean war. You have to bring your A game to beat me on that court, you bring it you win,” Daniel said confidently.

Meanwhile, Griffith the youngest ‘A’ class champion at age 30, said he did feel some pressure being the defending champion and especially with the way in which the indigenous sport of Barbados had taken off lately.

 “Yes, I do feel increased pressure honestly. Road tennis, to some, it may be a small sport for now but, as you see, it is evolving. For me personally, it takes a lot out of me. I have to train hard and [have had] a lot of sleepless nights.”

However, Griffith said he was ready to defend his title and was looking forward to playing against the veteran Richards who he has never seen play before.

Road tennis has been attracting thousands and the the same is anticipated for this year’s Clash Of The Titans.

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb

Dale Clarke has shown that he knows what it will take to carry road tennis to the next level.

And he’s willing to help the Barbados Road Tennis Association (BRTA) do the same.

Clarke, the chief executive officer of the Professional Road Tennis Association (PRTA) has almost single-handedly reinvigorated interest back into the island’s indigenous sport.

He offered a whopping $10,000 to the winner of last month’s inaugural Monarchs of the Courts tournament and will award a record-breaking $12,000 to the eventual champion of the upcoming Massy United Insurance Clash of the Titans competition, which is slated to serve off this weekend.

However, in an interview with Barbados TODAY, Clarke said he was willing to work with the local body to help raise the standard of road tennis on the island.

He acknowledged that since the establishment of the PRTA in 2000, the two entities had not developed a good relationship.

Dale Clarke

Despite that, Clarke said he was prepared to put their differences aside for the sake of the sport.

“I would be more than willing to work with the BRTA if those in charge were to ask for any assistance,” Clarke hastily admitted when questioned as to if he would be open to working with the BRTA.

He explained that a collaborative effort between the two associations could only augur well for the development of the sport.

“I’d be more than willing to give advice . . . especially as it relates to creating developmental programmes for the junior players and getting the level of officiating up to scratch.”

“A collaborative effort would benefit both the BRTA as well as the PRTA. A better junior developmental programme would help to produce not only more, but also better quality younger players, and that would in turn lead to higher quality tournaments.

“Similarly, if we can work together to get officials up to scratch, then that would also help to raise the quality of road tennis competitions,” Clarke pointed out.

He revealed the PRTA was already in the process of rolling out both coaching and officiating clinics.

But while Clarke said he was keen to lend his assistance in “certain areas,” he was also quick to admit that he thought there was a role for both associations to play in the sport’s development.

“We have different visions and different goals. The BRTA’s scope is on improving road tennis in Barbados, but the PRTA’s vision is beyond that,” he insisted.

The usually quiet environs of The Villages at Coverley in Christ Church will come alive tonight, as the highly anticipated Massy United Insurance Clash of the Titans road tennis competition serves off at the recently laid Coverley courts.

Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith will be fighting to retain his title.

Defending champion, Mark Venom Griffith will be among 50 players taking to the courts, with high hopes of walking away with the first prize of $12,000, the biggest payday in the sport’s history.

However, it won’t be as simple as that for the number one seeded Griffith, with Antoine Lil Man Daniel, Julian Michael Jackson White and last year’s losing finalist, Curtis Jones, all slated to compete.

There will be some notable omissions though, with the highly ranked Anthony Ears Mitchell currently overseas and the Christ Church duo of Victor Earth Ward and Gary Kojak Thomas also out.

The keenly awaited return of Anderson Blackdog Richards has also been put on hold, with the veteran opting not to take part in the last major competition for the year.

While none of the top seeds will play in tonight’s opening round of matches, there will still be some exciting matchups on the court.

St Philip’s number one player, Ryan Hall, will take on promising youngster Keon Murrell; veterans Anthony Baku Simmons, and Jim Haynes will face off; Abbie Playboy Clarke will oppose the stylish Hanson Chandler; and Davian Forceripe Taylor will come up against Dwayne Hope.

Nine matches are set to be played, with the first game bouncing off at 6 p.m.

Christmas might be more than a month away.

But there was plenty of ham and pork to go around at Coverley last night.

The Massy United Insurance Clash of the Titans Road Tennis Tournament didn’t only bring out an appreciative crowd, it also brought out “sows” aplenty during the opening night of action in the Villages at Coverley.

Three of the first six matches saw the losers being “pigged,” in what turned out to be surprisingly lopsided games.

While promising junior Keon Murrell didn’t suffer that fate in the night’s first contest, going down 16-21, 15-21 to the wily Ryan Hall, Donald Grazette didn’t prove to be so lucky.

In fact, Grazette suffered the ignominy of being “double sowed” by Lloyd Dickman Burke, 21-6, 21-9, despite at times playing steady tennis.

He struggled to cope with the windy conditions, especially in the first set. In the ensuing set, he actually had to battle from 8-0 down, before settling down to play some enthralling rallies with Burke, which the crowd acknowledged with rapturous applause.

Kerry TC Francis then quickly disposed of Jamar Bob Best, adding a sow for good measure in a 21-11, 21-9 demolition.

The performance of the night, though, came from veteran Jim Haynes, who gave those present a performance for the ages, while completely dominating counterpart, Anthony Baku Simmons, 21-9, 21-10.

He showed why he was good enough to make the semifinals of the 1987 Banks tournament, as he blasted shots all around the court, leaving Simmons motionless most of the time and bringing the crowd to its feet.

Not even Simmons’ crafty serves could stop Haynes’ rampage, as he repeatedly ran around his backhand to stroke stylish forehand shots past his bedazzled opponent.

He too almost suffered the embarrassment of a “double sow,” after trailing 9-20 in the second set, but he managed to hold on to reach double figures.

The last two matches proved to be the most competitive of the night, as they were the only ones to go the full distance.

In the penultimate match, former national table tennis champion, Abbie Playboy Clarke was pushed to the limit by southpaw Hanson Chandler, before eventually emerging victorious 21-15, 18-21, 21-11.

With the games tied at one apiece, Clarke began the final set in aggression fashion, as he chose to serve and attack Chandler’s floated returns.

It helped him to rush out to a 6-0 lead, and despite being obviously fatigued, he was able to close out the contest.

Dwayne Hope and Davian Forceripe Taylor then brought the curtains down in an entertaining duel, which saw Taylor outlasting his opponent, 14-21, 21-14, 21-11.

Davian Taylor smashes past Dwayne Hope.

Hope, who will represent St Philip in the upcoming Inter-Parish Road Tennis Competition, was the more patient of the two in the opening set.

His game plan of keeping the ball in his opponent’s backhand worked to perfection, leading to the dreadlocked Taylor committing several unforced errors.

However, after dropping that first set, Taylor eventually found a rhythm, using his feet to create attacking opportunities on his way to winning the second set.

The third set initially seemed like it was headed for an exciting finish with Hope hanging on to a slender one point lead at 8-7. Taylor, though, had other plans, as he went on to win eight of the next nine points to assume control of the game.

He ended the game with two scintillating forehand winners; the first of which whizzed through Hope’s backhand, while the other was powerfully whipped through his forehand.

In the night’s other matches, Darius Barracus Gaskin advanced with an unconvincing 21-18, 21-11 win over Ian Chicken Yearwood, Edwin Darkman Ward defeated Anthony Haynes 21-15, 21-10 and Allan Davidson put Andrew Cripple Holder in a wheelchair via a 21-10, 21-16 whipping.

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The first “titan” has fallen in the Massy United Insurance Clash Of The Titans road tennis competition.

Well, a former “titan” really.

Charles McEnroe Griffith became the first big name to crash out of the lucrative tournament when little-known Dwayne Lynch shockingly defeated him, 21-19, 21-13 at the Villages at Coverley last night.

Lynch, a former national footballer and Division One cricketer, is making a comeback to the sport after being seriously injured in a vehicular accident five years ago.

Moving with a visible limp, he shook off some nerves early on, which saw him falling behind 5-10 to his more experienced opponent.

Those nerves quickly gave way to some superb shots, though, as Lynch began to attack Griffith, who was guilty of returning too many high balls, which his opponent gladly converted into points.

It allowed Lynch to lock the scores at 19, before a brilliant crosscourt forehand winner gave him his first lead of the game and eventually the opening set.

Unfortunately for Griffith – the holder of several Banks’ road tennis titles and a dominant force in the 90’s – that proved to be just the calm before the storm.

Lynch quickly raced out to a 5-0 lead in the second set, as he continued to power forehand shots past his beleaguered opponent.

It proved to be a deficit Griffith would not recover, with Lynch eventually easing to victory in straight sets.

Another veteran, Jeffery Borah Best almost suffered the same fate as Griffith, but he just managed to hold off an impatient Ivor Lashley, 17-21, 21-15, 21-19.

Jeffrey Borah Best was pushed to the wire by Ivor Lashley.

With Best battling a groin injury, Lashley, a towering six-footer, was able to take advantage of his opponent’s limited mobility to win the first set.

Best though was able to extend the match to three games, after converting a slender two-point lead (16-14) into an easy 21-15 victory in the second set.

With the veteran seemingly comfortably on his way to booking a spot in the second round, after storming to a 14-6 lead, a plethora of errors opened the door for Lashley.

He clawed back to get within five at 10-15, and then three at 16-19, before locking the scores at 19.

But Lashley, a former national volleyball player, dragged an ill-advised backhand into the net and then sent another backhand long, to give a limping Best the victory.

Just like Sunday’s opening round, the “sows” continued to flourish, with two players having the unenvied distinction of being “double sowed”.

Jerry Harris was in a no-nonsense mood as he dispatched Henderson Weekes 21-6, 21-6, while Terry Dottin was similarly savage on Simeon Harewood, handing him a 21-6, 21-9 beating.

Julian Snake Quimby also got in on the “sowing” action as he easily beat Leroy Best 21-11, 21-7.

There were also wins for Stig Merritt who defeated Wayne Grazette 21-15, 21-16, Simon Bayne who overcame Alex “Fire” Clarke, 21-14, 21-12, Sylvanus Doyle who eliminated Winston Ballies Padmore 21-18, 21-13 while Michael Mikey Jean had a hard-fought 21-11, 19-21, 21-15 victory over Anderson Chef Andy Smith.

Stig Merritt defeated Wayne Grazettes in straight sets.

Some of the “big guns”, including top ranked Mark Venom Griffith will take to the court tomorrow night when the second round begins.

Griffith will take on Allan Davidson, while the third-seeded Julian Michael Jackson White will come up against Ryan Hall in the night’s two feature matches.

In other games, junior Kyle King will play Kerry TC Francis, Edwin Darkman Ward will take on Shibbir Greenidge, Abbie Playboy Clarke will battle Emar Edwards, Lloyd Dickman Burke will come up against Darius Barracus Gaskin, Jim Haynes will meet Dario Hinds and Chesterfield Boy Boy Brewster will play Davian Forceripe Taylor.

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Jim Haynes might have lost his matchup against Dario Hinds, but he surely won over the hearts of spectators at Coverley last night.

The large crowd which flocked to the Villages at Coverley, Christ Church were treated to yet another vintage performance from the 57 year-old Haynes, despite his eventual elimination from the Massy United Insurance Clash of the Titans road tennis competition.

The 37th ranked veteran, who was fighting a bout of illness from earlier in the day, went down in a blaze of glory to the much younger and fifth ranked Hinds, 21-18, 10-21, 12-21.

And while he was a loser on the night, he still went away a winner, as the sponsors presented him with a prize for his enthralling performance.

After sweeping aside veteran Anthony “Baku” Simmons in the first round in a dominant showing, a buzz swept around the court when Haynes’ name was announced on the loudspeaker.

And Haynes, a popular nut-seller, didn’t disappoint.

Jim Haynes excited the crowd with shots like these.

From as early as the game’s fifth point, with Haynes leading 3-1, Haynes produced a beautiful crosscourt forehand winner which brought the crowd to its feet.

Haynes’ style of stepping around his backhand and stroking the ball sweetly with his forehand, forced his opponent into several unforced errors and allowed him to take control at 14-10.

And although Hinds fought back to get within one at 18-19, Haynes took the opening set courtesy of two superb shots. The first was a brilliantly played forehand which sent Hinds the wrong way, and he closed out the game with his trademark “jumping slam,” which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

But the 19 year-old Hinds slowly but surely started to find a rhythm in the second set, moving the ball sweetly around the court, especially down the line to Haynes’ forehand, to great effect.

At one point it seemed as if Haynes might have been sowed, as Hinds turned a 7-1 lead into a massive 18-9 advantage on his way to locking the games at 1-1.

By this time, Haynes was tiring and although he put up a good fight in the third set, which he led 8-6 at one point, his failing legs eventually led to his demise.

In another competitive match, Chesterfield “Boy Boy” Brewster got the better of Davian “Forceripe” Taylor 21-18, 22-24, 21-15.

In a matchup supposed to feature two attacking players, Brewster adopted a defensive approach from the get go, contented to let Taylor be the aggressor.

And while Taylor was able to win the second set and force a decider, it was his overly aggressive style of play, which caused his undoing.

These two matches somewhat overshadowed those which featured two of the island’s best players.

Third ranked, Julian “Michael Jackson” White, while not as entertaining, was his usual clinical self in a 21-14, 21-13 win over Ryan Hall, while the top seeded Mark “Venom” Griffith recorded a lopsided 21-8, 21-13 victory over Allan Davidson.

In fact, after receiving a “sow” in the first set, Davidson referred to the contest as “torture,” in reference to Griffith’s seemingly impenetrable defense.

Also advancing to the last 16 were Kerry “TC” Francis who defeated Kyle King, 21-10, 22-20. Emar Edwards was a convincing 21-15, 21-10 winner over Abbie “Playboy” Clarke, and Shibbir Greenidge won 22-20, 21-17 over Edwin “Darkman” Ward.

Darius “Barracus” Gaskin was also in winner’s row, downing Lloyd “Dickman” Burke 21-14, 21-16.

Road Tennis Association president, Dale Clarke, believes the success of the current Massy United Insurance Clash of the Titans road tennis competition will serve as a catalyst for the sport’s overall development.

The tournament was launched on Sunday at Coverley, boasting first place prize money of $12,000. It has attracted large crowds and showcased a high quality of play, and Clarke said this was indicative of the positive direction in which the sport was headed.

“I strongly believe this will bring new players to the sport. Next year our calendar is going to be looking pretty impressive with the amount of tournaments we are going to be keeping,” Clarke told Barbados Today in an interview.

“Tournaments like these are going to drive new players to come. If you work it out, a $12,000 pay check in a month, there are not many Barbadians who work for that amount of money. Eventually I think we are going to get new people coming in who see that road tennis, and sports in general, could be another source of income.”

Road tennis tournament will spur on the development of sports.

Organizers this year increased the prize money from the $5,000 from last year, and this has proven a great incentive among players. Further, Clarke said that since the Monarch of the Court tournament, there had been an increase in intensity among players and spectators.

Clarke contended that with the building interest in the tournament, he expected the standard of the sport to mushroom and an increase in the player component.

“I thought [the increase in attention] began with the Monarch of the Court tournament. From there you could have seen the interest, there was a buzz throughout Barbados,” he explained.

“In each community you go into, you can find players, young and old, because of the amount of interest by those who are playing the game now. This tournament just lends to it with the high prize money we are offering and the quality with how the players are decked out in their uniforms.

“I do believe this will go a long way in getting road tennis up to about ten per cent of its potential.”

The first few days of the tournament has also served up several upsets, and this has helped to push spectator interest to a high level. Both emerging players and seasoned players have been in excellent form, and Clarke said this was because of the preparation for the tournament.

“I am very pleased with the success . . . and we have to give credit to the sponsors and also the exceptional coverage we are getting from the media. That is playing a major role in the success of the tournament. This will get better and better as the tournament progresses,” Clarke said.

“Since the last tournament –– the Monarch of the Court –– the guys knew for quite a while that this tournament would have been coming as this is our annual tournament, the showpiece event.

“They also knew that the prize money had increased drastically so they were in training and this is being reflected in the high quality of play you are seeing at night.”

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