Foster, Drummond top St James tourney

Western Bureau:

Yvonne Foster and the Jamaica Defence Force's (JDF) Phillip Drummond emerged the toast of Saturday's St James/Jamaica Table Tennis Association Championship at the Montego Bay Cricket Club in St James when they copped the female and male Open titles, respectively.

The teenage Foster, who is the reigning national champion, blunted the challenge of Marine Dawkins 11-1, 11-6 and 11-2 to secure the female title and the $5,000 winner's purse, while Drummond upstaged his JDF counterpart Stephen Grant 11-3, 11-7, 5-11 and 14-12 for the male crown and $10,000 prize money.

Going places

"It was a good day for table tennis here today as we had many fine performances," said Denzil Reid, a member of the organisation committee. "This tournament shows that table tennis is on the move and going places."

The one-day championship, which was divided into two sections - one for St James players only and the other for players from across the island - saw Bruce Cormack emerging tops among the St James players, winning both the men's singles title and over-40 titles.

In the men's singles final, Cormack defeated Peter Tomlinson 11-7, 11-9 and 11-8, while in the over-40 he came away 11-6, 11-9 and 15-13 winner over a game Reid (Denzil).

"I am absolutely elated because I have invested many long hours in my preparation and it's really nice that it has paid off for me," said Cormack. "This is really a big incentive for me to keep on competing."

More competitive

In the St James female singles final, Renece Smith proved too much for Myrtle Wedderburn, outscoring her opponent 11-8, 11-4 and 11-5 in a game which was much more competitive than the final scores reflected.

In the other categories: Girls' Under-12 - Amoy Allen defeated Nicholine Topping 11-9, 11-8 and 11-8; boys' Under-12 - Alexander Salmon defeated Kern McLaughlin 11-4, 11-9 and 11-6; Under-15 girls - Amoy Allen defeated Shanique Malcolm 13-11, 6-11, 11-4, 10-11 and 11-4; Under-15 boys - Andre Mowatt defeated Ian Francis 8-11, 12-10, 17-15, 4-11 and 11-9; Under-18 girls - Renece Smith defeated Shelly-Ann Gayle 11-7, 11-8 and 11-7; Under-18 boys - Andre Mowatt defeated Lamar Cunningham 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 12-10 and 11-8; Novice female - Sam Sharpe Teachers' College's Simone Forbes defeated Anecia Powell 16-18, 11-8, 12-10 and 11-2; Under-21 male - Lemar Cunningham defeated Keijay Topping 11-8, 11-4 and 11-8.

The event, which has enjoyed much popularity within recent years, attracted sponsorship from Montego Bay-based companies Northwest Development, Trinity Pharmacy and Clinicare Pharmacy.

- Adrian Frater