Eric Bell Centre ‘ready’ for Davis Cup clash
Published:Tuesday | January 30, 2024 | 12:09 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
AHEAD of this weekend’s (February 3-4) Davis Cup clash between Jamaica and Caribbean rivals Barbados at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre, president of the Jamaica Tennis Association, John Azar, told The Gleaner at the weekend that the finishing touches are being completed at the venue for the highly anticipated encounter.
“The courts are ready, the stands and certain modification are going in and so by Monday (yesterday) everything will be in place. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) referees are coming in to do their inspections as the teams will be at the venue practising throughout the week. Therefore, the finishing touches are now being put on so the venue will be totally transformed in keeping with ITF specifications for hosting a tie such as this,” Azar explained.
Jamaica will enter the tie ranked at 65 while their opponents, Barbados, are listed at 56. According to Azar with the recent modifications to the Eric Bell Tennis Centre, the stands could hold up to a 1,000 spectators.
“We will definitely create the stage at Tennis Jamaica as the centre will be transformed to accommodate up to 1,000 fans per day and definitely we are hoping and expecting a very strong and vocal home crowd,” Azar shared.
The Jamaican team will be captained by Noel Rutherford and will include the likes of Blaise Bicknell, Rowland Phillips, Jeremy Miller, David Goldsmith and Daniel Azar. The Barbados team, captained by Damien Applewaite, will rely on the services of Darien King, Kaipo Marshall, Xavier Lawrence, Stephen Slocombe, Hayden Lewis and Matthew Foster-Estwick. President Azar said that although they are facing opponents who are ranked higher, the Jamaican team will enter the clash full of confidence.
“We are looking forward to witnessing two great days. The ball is round and we’re confident as we aren’t taking anything for granted. We have full of confidence that we’ll come out on top at the end of the tie,” he added.
President Azar further stated that he has full confidence in newly appointed captain Noel Rutherford who assumed the role in late December following the exit of Mel Spence. He added that the transition was smooth and Spence will still be around the team.
“It was a smooth transition as Mel will play a role as he’s Blaise Bicknell’s personal coach. With Blaise being our top player, I’m sure that he’ll play his role in ensuring Blaise is prepared to be on top of his game. Tennis Jamaica is honoured to have Noel Rutherford as our captain and we’re confident that he’ll lead from the front and the players will be able to benefit from his experience as someone who has played and coached at the highest level,” Azar concluded.