​Tony Becca | A far way to go for table tennis

A few weeks ago, Jamaica hosted the Caribbean table tennis championships under the banner of the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation, and for the first time, in a long while, the venue was the National Arena, and quite rightly so.

In spite of the poor lighting, poor communication, and poor spectator support, the venue was perfect for hosting the championships: it was adequate for the eight tables, and the flooring was perfect for the occasion.

The Arena was once the site of the "Caribbean". It also hosted the once popular 'Lovebird' tournaments and the important 'Nationals', and its return as the venue was long overdue. It is fitting that such a prestigious championship be held at the National Arena, and it should be the venue of the championships whenever they are held in Jamaica.

As successful as the staging of the championships was, however, it was a bit disappointing, especially as Cuba and Venezuela were absent, leaving the number of participating countries to only eight, up from four when it started as the West Indies Table Tennis Championships in 1958, and down from the high numbers it once hosted when it became the Caribbean Table Tennis Federation.

The main reason for the disappointment, however, was not the fact that the Dominica Republic dominated the championships by winning all the major titles - the men's and women's team events, the men's and women's singles, the men's, women's, and mixed doubles events - but in doing so, in winning the individual events, they defeated their compatriots in almost all the finals.

The only team that challenged the dominance of the Dominica Republic was Guyana, who finished second in both team events, had one semi-finalist to the DR's three in the men's singles, had the two semi-finalists in the women's singles, and also won both Under-21 singles titles.

The disappointment also came from the continued failure of the home team in the annual championships.

As pleasant as it to remember the days of glory and even afterwards when Jamaica found the going rough, however, it may not be good for the development of the current players to keep harping about the past.

Sometimes, however, it is good to do so, especially when members of Table Tennis Jamaica talk of growing table tennis in Jamaica, of where table tennis is in Jamaica, and where they propose to take the game.

While it may not be good to harp on, however, it is good also to talk about the past because of the disappointment in the present and also in an effort to inspire and to motivate the current players.

The current standard is poor, and every effort must be made to rectify the situation.

To change the standard of play, however, is not as easy as it is to change names of national associations.

In the early days, Jamaica's table tennis was good, very good, or at least when compared to the other competing teams.

In those days, Jamaica defeated all the other teams 9-0, 8-1, and so on, and they produced players like Fuarnado Roberts, Leo Davis, Glen Mitchell, Dave Foster, Maurice Foster, Jasper Adams, and Jeff Lewis, Pat Loi, Joy Foster, and Monica DeSouza.

In the late 1960s into the 1970s, table tennis won many titles and continued to produce, or parade, players like Orville Haslam, Cornel France, and Anita Belnavis before producing the likes of Roberto Byles, Stephen Hylton, Colin McNeish, Randy Fagan, Garfield Jones, David Marchalleck, Hector Bennett, Ernest Virgo, Dennis Duncan, Courtney Wilson, Sandra Riettie, Ingrid Mangatal, and Nadine Senn Yuen; Richard Stephenson, Michael Tenn, Carl Morgan, and Michael Hyatt; and Ludlow Bailey, Tina Walter, Sharon Becca, Sophia Virgo, and Yvonne Foster, as well as juniors like Roger Byles, Terrence Matthews, and Julie Armstrong.

Today, in spite of the presence of a Japanese coach, the efforts of Table Tennis Jamaica to spread the game into the rural areas, and the search for young talent, the game is far short of its glorious past.

In the tournament just concluded, Jamaica hardly made a murmur while finishing second in the men's doubles, fifth in the men's team event, and seventh in the women's team event.

Congratulations go to Simon Tomlinson and Kane Watson for coming second in the men's doubles, but one pondered the state of the game when Christopher March was selected to represent the national team after so many years doing so and when veteran Alphanso Morris was present on the bench.

 

STAGNANT OVER THE YEARS

 

Such a situation suggests that the game has remained stagnant over the years.

If the standard of the men was disappointing, that of the women was worse. Only Dadrian Lewis seemed worthy of being in the competition, at least, for some of them, so early in their careers.

What is troubling, however, is to hear the talk about taking the game to where it has never been before in Jamaica, as some have said.

That kind of talk is unfair to the champions of the past, to administrators like Joe Kelly, Baz Freckelton, Roy Hylton, Ken McLachlan, and especially to the players of the past, players like Haslam, Roberts, Mitchell, and Davis, Maurice Foster, Dave Foster, and Joy Foster, and DeSouza.

To those who did not know, Haslam was once ranked number three in England and number seven in Europe, and he once defeated America's number one, John Tannahill, and he once defeated Trevor Taylor, England's reigning Commonwealth singles champion, both before a full house at the National Arena.

DeSouza once had the distinction of going the distance with Hu Yu-Lan, the reigning Chinese world champion, in the last 16 at the first Latin American, Asian, and African Table Tennis Friendship Tournament in China in 1973.

In years gone by, Jamaicans were kings and queens, princes and princesses of the region. They were sometimes the champions, sometimes the runners-up, of the men's and women's team events, men's and women's singles, and the three doubles, especially in men's play.

The results in the boys and girls events were just the same, or nearly the same.

This year's dominance of the Dominica Republic in winning all of the major titles reminds everyone of Jamaica's early dominance when Roberts, Davis, Mitchell, Maurice and Dave Foster, Joy Foster and DeSouza ruled the roost.

The championships of 2018 was a success, but it was a success only for the Dominica Republic, and for Guyana, as it was for Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

For Jamaica, however, it showed that there is a long way to go in order to compete for titles; that Table Tennis Jamaica needs to have regular leagues and many and regular tournaments; and that the players need to train and practise much harder.

There is talk of overseas exposure, but in order to get that exposure, to be given that exposure, one should first shine at home, or at least, promise to shine at home.