THE men’s and women’s pairs of Gatasheu Bonner and Ryck Webb, and Kai Wright and Shedeiky Hamilton-Barnes retained their titles in the JustBet/TVJ SN Beach Volleyball League on Sunday at the new Fort Clarence Beach Volleyball court.

Having defeated Donovan Richards and Kirby Smallhorne in straight sets in Saturday’s semi-final, the defending champions, Bonner and Webb, were pitted against tournament favourites Dellan Brown and Christopher Walters.

Brown and Walters had also advanced to the final following straight sets win over Oliver Reid and Alex Talgio in their semi-final. The match-up between the defending champions and the favourites lived up to expectation and required three sets to separate them.

In the end Bonner and Webb prevailed 21-18; 20-22; 15-9 to cop the $50,000 cash prize and the right to represent Jamaica at the next NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour leg in Costa Rica from November 20-25, 2013.

Brown and Walters won $30,000. Richards and Smallhorne took third place match 21-14; 21-11, and with it the $25,000 cash prize. Reid and Talgio won $20,000 for placing fourth.

On the women’s side, Kai Wright and Shedeiky Hamilton-Barnes had less trouble getting past Cherie Thompson and Renae Temple in their final, 21-18, 21-14. Wright and Hamilton-Barnes had also made light work of Cherine Richards and Cheryl Daley in their semi-final on Saturday, with a 21-6; 21-14 win.

Temple and Thompson outlasted Khesia Miller-Livingston and Brithney Scott in their semi-finals 22-20; 21-18 on their way to the final. In the third place play-off Richards and Daley got the better of Miller-Livingston and Scott 21-18; 21-17. The women’s winners and runner-up teams also copped cash prizes similar to their men’s counterparts, while Hamilton-Barnes and Wright will now prepare to represent Jamaica in the NORCECA Beach Tour leg in Trinidad from November 27-December 2, 2013.

Additional prizes were won by both men’s and women’s teams, courtesy of supporting sponsors, Jamaica Blue Spring Water and Fire Balde Energy Drink.

Major Warrenton Dixon, President of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA), hailed the competition as a resounding success.

“In this the second iteration of the competition we have seen increased participation of teams in the competition and, more importantly, a higher standard of play from a fair number of teams.

Another measure of success was evident in the number of spectators who turned out at the finals today and the fact that we were able to bring the game into the homes of our Jamaican citizens on TVJ and TVJ SN. I believe we achieved all our major objectives.”

JaVA will now turn its attention to its Beach Volleyball Party, being organised in Negril over the Heroes weekend, October 19-21, before moving on to its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, October 23, 2013.