Tyrese Knight will headline a 15-member Barbados team to take part in next week’s Caribbean Table Tennis Championships and Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Qualifiers.
The Barbados Table Tennis Association on Wednesday named the team which will represent the island at the tournament in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from April 6 to 23.
Knight along with Mark Dowell, Ramario Gill and Tre Riley will compete in the senior men’s division, while Anthonette Riley and Ann Reid will compete among the senior women.
At the junior level, the Under-19 team includes Mikhail Mark, Queshawn Smith, Mdjai Collymore, and Jashon Smith, while the Under-15’s comprise Maleeq Aimey, Nyal Bushell, Noan Chan, and William Allen.
Knight, who is based overseas, will be aiming to improve on his second place showing in the men’s singles at the Caribbean Senior Championships, held in Barbados in June 2025.
The team will be managed by Trevor Farley. Senior coaches Clifton Mark and Carl Sealy will oversee the senior athletes, with Mark and Nicole Alleyne responsible for the junior teams.
Farley said he was confident the team would perform well.
“My assessment of the teams traveling to the Dominican Republic for the CAC qualifiers and the Caribbean Championship is an optimistic one. At the senior level, we have players who have grown in training in the United States, along with locally based players who have been in consistent training from last year and every week since the start of the year, and their commitment has been commendable.
“We are confident in our ability to qualify for the CAC Games later this year. Following the impressive second place finish at last year’s Caribbean Championships, we are optimistic that we can improve further, secure top positions, and that the rest of the senior squad can make their presence felt and contend for podium finishes,” Farley said.
Farley, a former national player, said he was also expecting a solid performance from the juniors.
“The junior athletes have also been working extremely hard and we have observed significant improvements across the group.
“Several are already knocking on the door of senior level competition, while others are beginning to establish themselves, and if the athletes are able to perform at 90 per cent or more of their potential on competition day, we can expect strong results and possible podium finishes,” Farley maintained.
Competition will begin with the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Special Event Qualifier, scheduled for April 6 to 8 at the Parque del Este Table Tennis Hall.
This will be followed by the Central American and Caribbean Championships, which will run from April 9 to 15 at the same venue in Santo Domingo.
The Under-19 and Under-15 competitions are scheduled for April 17 to 23.
(PR)
