Table tennis team set for Island Games
Some of the participants at the table tennis championships (L-R): Ansel Tempral, Peter Smith, Donovan Nelson, Claudia Stich, Maria Kharitidi, David Franco and Robert Sairsingh
(CNS): The Cayman Islands national table tennis team is in the final stages of training ahead of the Island Games which run from 27 June-3 July in Jersey. Representing Cayman will be Ansel Tempral (team captain), Donovan Nelson (national champion), Leigh Hipkins, Peter Smith, Claudia Stich and Robert Sairsingh (manager).
The Cayman Islands Table Tennis Association (CITTA) group that competed in the 2011 Island Games was exposed to high levels of competition and finished 15th out of 16 teams.
Building on that experience, CITTA will be sending a much stronger team to this year’s games with the aim of finishing considerably higher.
The team recently competed in the Cayman National/CITTA Table Tennis Championships, which showcased the best players in the Cayman Islands. Nelson, Smith, Hipkins and Tempral finished first to fourth in the men’s main draw, respectively, and Stich placed first in the women’s division, following by Mariah Kharitidi, Bianca Francis and Reshma Sharma. Robert Sairsingh took the men’s 50-and-over event.
Junior players also impressed, with Calum Lindsay taking the U14 boys division crown for the second time. David Franco placed first among U16 boys.
CITTA is working to popularise the sport locally and every Tuesday and Thursday, at 7:30pm, offers members recreational play, coaching, training or higher level competition at the John Gray High School auditorium. The mix of table tennis enthusiasts ranges from male and female juniors (U12-U19) to seniors and those over 50. For more relaxed matches, CITTA hosts play on Saturdays from 5:30pm at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre on Walkers Road.
Category: Sports, Table Tennis
