Tennis’ charity night was certainly generous with laughs.
Darian King may have served up his biggest winner yet after treating his fans to one fun-filled affair in Thursday night’s rather hilarious inaugural Barbados Celebrity Open at the National Tennis Centre.
It proved the truly entertaining showcase of an inaugural Barbados Cup that was conceptualised to raise funds for hurricane-ravaged Dominica.
But the nature isle wasn’t the only winner on the night, not when the spectators laughed from start to finish at the antics of emcee Carl Alf Padmore.
Radio personality Patrick Salt Bellamy really stole the show, though, first taking the court with a road tennis racquet to replace King in his exhibition against former pro Jesse Witten.
He then put a cap on the night’s proceedings, using his hands instead of a racquet in a comical attempt to hit targets on the other side of the net.
Salt was just one of many celebrities to be featured in an event that also included his deejay partner, Don, fellow radio personality Carol Roberts, parliamentarian Santia Bradshaw and Red Bull Three-style champ DJ Puffy.
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“I’m so appreciative for all of these guys coming out to support this cause because they’re all people I look up to and this event wouldn’t have been successful without them,” said King, just moments after signing balls for the more than appreciative crowd.
“They made the night a fun one, too, because I think everyone is accustomed seeing me play but to have so much fun and laughs with these guys on the court really made the event special. I certainly had a great time.
“I’m thankful for the crowd coming out too. This is a plan my team had for a long time and this was the best time for us to execute it with so many countries being affected by hurricanes this year. It’s great that I got this opportunity to give back to people who need it,” he added.
The fans were well rewarded, too, as King and Witten thrilled the crowd in a brief display of shot-making from all over the court.
But the serious tennis quickly gave way to something of a more humorous nature when the local celebrities joined forces with King, Witten and Davis Cup heroes Haydn Lewis and Damien Applewhaite for a series of fun games.
“It was a beautiful experience to be on the court with someone like Darian and I was elated and humbled by him just inviting me,” said Salt.
“It was also great to see so many people come out to support our number one tennis player and . . . you just can’t go wrong by backing such a worthy cause.” (JM)
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