It was a night of upsets, a bit of controversy and top-class action when the National Sports Council National Inter-Parish Road Tennis Tournament quarter-finals were staged at Road View, St Peter, on Wednesday night.
A large crowd, including several fascinated visitors, ringed the court three ranks deep as the semi-finalists in the veterans and seniors categories were determined to make the next stop at Vauxhall Primary School’s court tomorrow.
Home boy Winfield Trotman started the upsets by taking out Edwin Ward of St Thomas, punctuating the results with a sow, 21-15, 21-8.
However, the meticulous Ricky Hoyte pulled the contest back for St Thomas by disposing of Andrew Reece 21-13, 21-11.
That result caused the first controversy, with the organisers then making a draw of the four names representing the two parishes to contest a one-set tie-breaker.
The pundits were arguing that three teams should have been representing the parishes, and failing that, the teams should be the deciders as to who should represent them in the tie-breaker.
The latter point was borne out throughout the night as the three tie-breakers resulted in the weaker competitors from the parishes involved being the representatives. Hoyte was drawn to meet Reece in the tie-breaker, which he won 21-13 to advance St Thomas.
In spite of such controversies, nothing could detract from the smoking hot battles between St Michael “A” and St Lucy, and between Christ Church and St Peter.
The over-confident Alan Davidson was stunned by the unflappable Kerry Francis who gave the northerners lots to shout about as he came from the depths to win 14-21, 22-20, 21-19.
The dangerous Curtis Jones then easily disposed of Neil Greaves, 21-11, 21-11, to force a tie-breaker.
Jones was drawn to meet Greaves, whom he duly defeated 21-18 to advance St Michael A, leaving Francis on the sidelines contemplating what might have been.
Christ Church became the final qualifier in the seniors with Ian Yearwood battling the flu, dehydration and the mystifying serves of Jefferson Scantlebury to come back from defeat to clinch a tie-breaker.
Scantlebury had shocked Yearwood 21-19, 21-14, before world No. 2 Anthony “Ears” Mitchell forced the tie-breaker by showing no mercy to Kim Rock, 21-7, 21-14.
With Yearwood and Scantlebury drawn for the tie-breaker and Mitchell’s existence in the tournament hanging on his teammate’s racquet, Mitchell counselled Yearwood after every point to help him over the line.
