Watson, Young lead TT trials invitees

National champions Kane Watson and Solesha Young lead the list of invitees to a trial event designed to help the Jamaica Table Tennis Association pick its squads for upcoming regional tournaments. Watson and Young will be on familiar turf, as the trials will be held at the National Arena, the venue where they triumphed last year.

This trials weekend will take place on February 4 and 5, with Watson, President’s Trophy winner Mark Phillips, Nationals runner-up Christopher Marsh, Paulton Madden, Rohan Lewis, Ryan Peters, Christopher Lyn, Joel Butler, Azizi Johnson and Gari Whyte battling for places on Jamaica’s team to the Caribbean Senior Championships in Guyana, March 20-25.

The men’s team trials will be played on February 5 as will the women’s event, where the list of invitees has Young, Tsenaye Lewis, her sister Gianna, Kelsey Davidson, Kayon Denton, Karecia Peterkin, Olivia Petrekin, Liana Campbell, Keera Whyte, Britney Murray and Janel Blake.

Phillips and Tsenaye Lewis topped the President’s Trophy tournament in November and might arrive at the trials in the best form. Phillips, 28, subdued Rudolph Sinclair to win the men’s open singles and Lewis defeated her sister in both the women’s singles and the under-19 event.

Young, the Lewis sisters, Petrekin, Campbell, Blake and Davidson will be well warmed by then as they are among the invitees for the under 19 trials on February 4. Along with Selena Khwalsingh, Nevaeh Scott and Leanna Smith, they will compete for places on the team to the Caribbean Youth Championships, also to be held in Guyana from March 27 to April 2.

The boys under-19 invitees are: Joel Lamm, Joel Butler, Azizi Johnson, Mathew Fung, Conroy Henry, Andre Richardson, Kareem Powell, David Kelly, Antwon Pearce and Jaden Poorman. Invited to play in the under-15 section are Logan Royes, Gari Whyte, Brian Blake, Nickoy Smith, Gmarco Smith, Anthony Bird, Ajani Spencer, Nathan Douglas, Hepton Thompson and Aaden Howard.

Karissa Peterkin, Kayon Denton, Whyte and Keera Scott will face each other in the under 15 girls section.

Spencer, Bird, Whyte, Denton, Royes and Smith helped Jamaica to a 10-medal haul at last year’s Caribbean and Pre-Cadet Championships. Spencer and Bird put two gold medals into the collection by first beating Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 to win the boys under-11 title and later combining to take the under-11 boys doubles.

The Trials will start at 9 a.m. each day and a round-robin format will be used.