By Keisha Hill, Staff Reporter

Jamaica's budding tennis star Brandon Burke and other top local juniors will compete in the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Federation Cup 16 and under events at the Central America and Caribbean regional tournaments which will be played from April 7-13 in Honduras.

Burke, who currently attends the International Tennis Academy in Del Ray, Florida, will head the Junior Davis Cup squad that also includes locally based juniors, Joseph Ross, Rowland Phillips, Jordan Harris and Sheldon McIntosh. Sicquena Sinclair, Shantal Blackwood and Monique Hanson are the locally based players preparing for the Junior Federation Cup. They will be joined by Orlando-based sisters, Simone and Lauren Vranov-Brown and Isobel Whittaker, who attends the Bollitieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Kadija Richards, former national Federation Cup representative and sports psychologist, has been appointed captain and manager for the Junior Federation Cup team while Tennis Jamaica director, Simon Casserly, will accompany the Junior Davis Cup squad.

After a three-year break in 2007, Jamaica's team of Brandon Burke and Adam Vaz made a strong showing, finishing third out of 12 countries in the Junior Davis Cup Central America and Caribbean competition held in El Salvador. Jamaica has not competed in the Junior Federation Cup since 2002.

Trials will be held from April 2-4 to finalise the teams for the event.