Team Saint Lucia walked away with the men’s and women’s team titles at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Table Tennis Championships, which ended November 9 in Grenada.
Saint Lucia also won women’s and men’s doubles, and were second and third in mixed doubles and men’s and women’s singles.
Leshon Francis, Manie Eleuthere, Dawitt Nurse, and Khamari Harris swept the group phase of the men’s team competition, beating Grenada 3-0, Antigua & Barbuda 3-0, and Martinique 3-1. They overcame St Vincent & the Grenadines 3-0 in the semifinals, and met Martinique in the final, again winning 3-1. Eleuthere and Francis played every tie and emerged unbeaten.
Shatal Charles, Zarianna Anthony, Daniella Symphorien and Cherese Darcheville won from five teams in the women’s competition. Charles played unbeaten.
Eleuthere and Francis swept to victory in men’s doubles, beating Martinique’s Reynald Sizam, the men’s singles winner, and Evan Arnaud 3-2 (11-4, 7-11, 11-4, 4-11, 11-5) in a hard-fought final. Nurse and Harris shared third place with the duo from St Vincent & the Grenadines. The veteran duo of Chris Wells and Adrian Albert reached the quarterfinals.
Among the women, Charles and Anthony won 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) over Martinique’s Anaïs Miredin and Antigua & Barbuda’s Stuti Kashyap, the women’s individual champion. Miredin and Kashyap defeated Darcheville and Symphorien in the opening round.
After getting past fellow countryman Eleuthere 3-1 in the semis, Francis gave Sizam all he could handle in the men’s final, eventually falling 3-2 (11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 4-11). Eleuthere and Nurse shared third place.
Saint Lucia also had three women in the singles semis. Charles topped Anthony 3-1 to advance to the title match, but was undone 3-0 (11-2, 11-3, 11-1) by Antigua & Barbuda’s Kashyap. Anthony and Darcheville shared the bronze medals.
In the mixed doubles, Antigua & Barbuda’s Mekhi Simmons teamed up with Kashyap to beat Eleuthere and Anthony, with Francis and Charles third.
Shatal Charles and Leshon Francis were named the MVPs for the champions.
The tournament took place at the Grenada Youth Centre in Grand Anse.
