Mayberry Junior Tennis serves off tomorrow
Published:Friday | November 18, 2022 | 12:08 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer - -
After a three-year absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mayberry Investment Limited Open Junior Tennis Championship returns tomorrow and Sunday at the Liguanea Club.
More than 60 youngsters will be vying for top honours in four age categories (under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18) for boys and girls, and tournament organiser Llockett McGregor said the tournament plays an important role in the development of young local players.
“This Mayberry tournament is the first junior tournament we are having since the pandemic. The tournament has helped to develop our junior players by providing quality competition for them,” he said. “Players like John Chin, Blaise Bicknell and Randy Phillips, the entire Davis Cup team, competed in this tournament as youngsters.”
Although the entries are way below what is customary, McGregor noted that they are just starting the rebuilding process for local tennis.
“We have over 60 (players) so far but we are used to having more. TJ (Tennis Jamaica) is on a path of rebuilding the sport and this is my contribution along with the Liguanea Club. We have always played our part in providing tournaments for the juniors, so they get the added exposure they need to progress. We are a rebuilding and we just want to provide tournaments so the kids can play and develop,” he reasoned.
Due to the pandemic, many players have became ineligible because of age, while for the very young, it will be their first tournament. As a result, McGregor believes new talent will emerge.
“We will be seeing some new kids and for some of these kids it is the first they will be playing a tournament. We have kids from Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Kingston and we have one Canadian girl. We are definitely looking for some good things and we are happy to be back in the scheme of playing tournaments, we just want to thank Chris Berry and the team at Mayberry for the continued support,” he said.
The championship is now in its ninth staging. Players will compete for trophies in the various categories and points to go towards their national rankings.
The two-day event starts at 9 a.m. tomorrow while the finals are set to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Past champions in the various age groups include William Berry, Damani Cain, Blaise Bicknell, John Chin, Daniel Hill, Keyondre Clarke, Michaela Stephens, Michael Ann Denton and Haley McNair.