Arima Hawks' Reeza Burke and Curtis Humphreys of UTT will face off in two doubles final in the Solo-sponsored National Table-Tennis Championships at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Chaguanas on Wednesday. This after both players and their respective playing partners qualified for the Men's and Mixed Doubles final when the tournament served off at the same venue yesterday. Burke a four-time national singles champion and Anson Wellington kept on course to repeat last year's Men's Doubles triumph when they beat UTT's Yuvraj Dookram and Everton Sorzano 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10 in their semifinal.
Humphreys' and his younger brother, Alaric Humphreys scolded junior players Meshach Pillai and Aaron Wilson 11-6, 11-7, 11-4. In the Mixed Doubles, Burke and Montes stopped Astra Edwards and Alaric Humphreys 12-10, 11-9, 11-2; and Humphreys (C) and Jinelle Noreiga, battled past UTT's Kristen Scipio and Terrell Abbott 11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9. Also on Wednesday, the Women's Doubles will be decided, with Verna Edwards and Avernelle Abraham of Gladiators, against Astra Edwards, Verna's daughter and Scipio. The older Edwards and Abraham won their semis clash with Artienea Gregoire and Adefa James 11-6, 11-7, 11-8; and Edwards and Scipio came from behind to beat Catherine Spicer and Krystal Taylor 7-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-8, 11-3.
In the women's team competition, Gladiators and Hawks won their round-robin series to join seeded UTT in a three-team round-robin final on Wednesday. However, up to press time the men's team competition had reached its quarterfinal stage with Solo Crusaders, D'Abadie Youths I, UTT I, Petrotrin, Carenage Blasters I, Hawks, UTT II and the winner of the Oxford/D'Abadie Youth II group match still in the fray. Today, the singles' tournament serves off from 10 am with Lionel Darceuil set to defend his crown against a top quality field while a new women's champ will be determine due to the absence of last year's winner Aleena Ewards, who is studying in Wales.
