FAST LOOPERS made a convincing start to the defence of their Premier League title with an emphatic 3-0 win over Scouters at the Table Tennis Centre on Saturday night.
It was a compelling contest, highlighted by the absorbing battle between Tyrese Knight and Mark Dowell, a duel marked by the excellent offence of Dowell and the tenacious, intriguing combination of defence and offence by Knight.
Knight, who recently won the Caribbean junior title, took the opening game 11-8. Dowell quickly bounced back into contention, levelling the score with a confident 11-3 win in the second game.
Dowell took the next 12-10 but fortunes again fluctuated as the plucky and talented Knight won the next two 11-8, 11-9 after the score was tied 9-9 in the decisive match.
Trevor Farley defeated left-hander Junior Evelyn in straight games without too many alarms and then joined with Shawn Bellamy to defeat Evelyn and Ramon Maxwell in the doubles.
In the other Premier League contest, Mount Gay Bayswater beat Barbados Defence Force 3-0 without even dropping a game. Marcus Smith beat Russell 11-8, 11-8, 11-2. Kevin Farley toppled Ann Reid 11-5, 11-2, 11-9 while in the doubles Shannon Doughlin and Smith beat Maxwell and Kristian Doughty 11-7, 11-8, 11-6.
In Division 1, Rising Sun cruised to their second win of the season by beating Combined Schools 3-0 while Spinners beat BUT by the identical scoreline. (PH)