Road tennis’ newest location at The Villages at Coverley will be a further boost in pushing the country’s indigenous game to another level and attracting more spectators.
After getting rave reviews when the quarter-finals of the Monarch Of The Court tournament was staged at the floodlit Christ Church court, president of the Professional Road Tennis Association (PRTA) Dale Clarke has once again decided to utilise the venue for the preliminaries of the Massy United Insurance Clash of Titans.
“The reason why we have chosen Coverley is, we found that it lifts the competition. The environment is right. There were some venues that we have used where we were only getting a certain segment of the society but at Coverley, we were able to have a marriage with both sections where people feel comfortable sitting down,” Clarke told MIDWEEK SPORT.
“You get all stratas of the society coming to enjoy the tennis at Coverley. So we are looking to get the image that it is not just a sport that was played in the less fortunate areas but shows that it is a Barbadian sport at large.
“I think it is only fair that we take tennis and show it to the whole of Barbados.
“It is not just designated to a certain segment of society,” Clarke said.
Clarke said the sponsors, Massy United Insurance will also be partnering with his association to establish an academy at the location which will cater to players between the ages of six and 16 years old.
“We would be launching our academy at Coverley after this tournament so we will be focusing on the developing the female aspect of road tennis, along with the juniors,” Clarke noted.
When action resumes tonight with the Round of 32 matches, Kerry “TC” Francis, who easily defeated Jamar Best in straight sets in the first round, will open proceedings against Kyle King.
It will be followed by a showdown between Shibbir Greenidge and Edwin Ward while former Barbados table tennis star player, Abbie “Playboy” Clarke will oppose Monarch of the Court junior champion, Emar Edwards.
First round winners Lloyd Burke and Darius “Barracus” Gaskin will clash in the fourth match of the night with Davian “Force Ripe” Taylor battling Chester “Boy Boy” Brewster.
There will be three big matches to climax the night with crowd pleaser Jim Haynes opposing promising teenager, Dario Hinds.
The penultimate match of the night will see perennial champion Julian “Michael Jackson” White squaring off against Ryan Hall, who had a comfortable 21-16, 21-15 win over Keon Murrell on Sunday night.
Defending champion, Mark “Venom” Griffith will then begin his quest for back-to-back titles when he faces the unpredictable Allan Davidson, who started off with an easy 21-10, 21-16 victory over Andrew Holder. (EZS)