Local tennis officials are urging Jamaicans to come out in their numbers to support the eighth Sagicor Bank All Jamaica Junior Championships slated for the Eric Bell Tennis Centre from Thursday through to Sunday.

At a launch of the event at Sagicor’s Jamaica headquarters in New Kingston yesterday, tournament referee David Isaacs made an impassioned plea for support for the annual event which is aimed at unearthing talent for the national programme.

“We would like to see a lot of spectators for sure because over the years I just see a lot of parents… I think we should support tennis because I think it really has a good base for kids in terms of discipline and to the extent of how far they can go through to high school and then college,” he said.

Branch manager for Sagicor Bank, Tamara Waul-Douglas, charged that fans of tennis and the wider Jamaica should turn out in their numbers because “I expect great competition as these youngsters are so competitive”.

Meanwhile, first vice-president of Tennis Jamaica, Aswad Morgan, was grateful to Sagicor Bank and Hi-Lyte Sport Drink for their commitment to this year’s championship because “we have a big budget”.

“We get cash injections from them… when you have 150-plus kids over a four-day period, it’s not easy, so they have both come forward with cash and Hi-Lyte will of course be giving products to the kids to make sure that they are properly hydrated throughout the events because it will be a big challenge with the sun out there,” he said.

Morgan could not give the total budget off the top of his head, but offered instead that “Sagicor came with a cash injection of $300,000”.

Meanwhile, Waul-Douglas expressed delight with her company’s partnership with Tennis Jamaica and the junior tournament.

“I think the mileage that we get is what we actually give back to the kids… tennis is not the most popular sport in Jamaica, but what has been proven is that some of the kids who participate in this tournament have gone on to represent Jamaica at the junior and the senior levels and this is very downplayed.

“We want to be able to say that we can produce the next Serena Williams or the next Roger Federer and we want to be a part of that growth,” she said.

Morgan made the point that the annual junior event — with competition in Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 categories in both sexes — plays a critical role in the overall development of the national programme.

“It serves as the equivalent of our national championship, and quite fittingly, the points that go to the (players) rankings carry the heaviest weight… that is one of the reasons why we have such a heavy participation as everybody wants to finish at the highest rank to go toward international tournaments,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Last year’s boys’ Under-18 champion was Andrew Bicknell, while Phadria Kepple took the girls’ equivalent. In the Under-16 category, William Berry took the boys’ crown, while Michaelann Denton claimed the girls’ title.

In the boys’ Under-14, Roger Lyn was champion, while Shaeda Nickle took home the girls’ prize. In the Under-12 segment, John Azar was boys’ champion, and Enamel Mottley took the girls’ title.

In the final category, John Azar copped the Under-10 boys’ title, as Mekalia Stephens took the girls’ equivalent.

Morgan said he ranked the rate of transition of players from the All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships to the national level as “reasonably successful”.

“I would say the rate of success when compared to the rest of the region has been (good) as we have produced people like Kadija Richards, Ryan and Rayne Russell, Daniel Harris, Brandon Burke.. so we are getting recognition out there and some successes,” Morgan said.

Other top juniors who were spawned by the annual junior championships are Tinesta Rowe, Damar Johnson and Dominic Pagon, to name a few.

The championships have also laid the springboard for players seeking scholarships to US universities. Past champions who have benefited are Damar Johnson, Kadija Richards, Tinesta Rowe, Kalecia Reid and Ffion Fletcher.