Most?of the?top-rated table tennis players in Barbados will be in action today as a new tournament serves off at the Table Tennis Centre, Nursery Drive, at 2:30 p.m.
The Scouters Table Tennis Top 16 will feature the leading players in this year’s national championships competing initially in four groups with the champion determined around 9 tonight.
The tournament, organized by Premier League club Scouters, provides the opportunity for the players to earn useful cash just ahead of the Christmas holiday and will be played on a monthly basis throughout 2014.
“It creates a greater competitive spirit and is expected to produce a higher standard of play with players training harder and performing better at regional and international tournaments,” organizer Bryan Matthews told SATURDAY?SPORT on the eve of the singles championship.
Matthews stressed the importance of players maintaining high levels of fitness and is convinced the best players should be competing on a continuous basis and performing at a high level.
Matthews, who represents Scouters in the Premier League, is optimistic of raising the profile of the tournament and establishing it as regional event in the near future.
“We would like to invite regional players from 2014. We are not sure which month we can start from but it will be determined by player availability.
“We are looking to Jamaica, Trinidad, St Lucia, Grenada, St Vincent and Martinique,” he revealed.
Matthews is appreciative of the support from the Barbados Table Tennis Association and has promised potential sponsors excellent returns for their investment through regional and international coverage via the media and youtube.
“We look forward to the event growing in size over the next year to become a regional top 20 where two players from the top eight Caribbean countries and four from the host country Barbados would participate,” he said.
Competitors
Group 1: Mark Dowell, Junior Evelyn, Rashad King, Kristian Doughty.
Group 2: Kevin Farley, Dale Rudder, Bryan Matthews, Tyrese Knight.
Group 3: Trevor Farley, Denis France, Shannon Doughlin, Keon Alleyne.
Group 4: Abbie Clarke, Aaron Barker, Aluko Bascombe, Akeel Lovell.