This year’s Jamaica Table Tennis Association’s (JTTA) Business House Competition will return to a league format.

The league format was used for a long time until 2007, when it was changed to a One-Day Rally and has maintained that format until now. Return to the league format is being made to allow participants to play more matches and will commence on September 11 with opening night at Excelsior High School Auditorium.

On this opening night, the first round of league matches will be played, involving all teams, and the league will run after that for about two months, culminating in team semi-finals and finals, and individual events.

Six business houses, four with both men’s and women’s teams and two with men’s teams only, have so far confirmed participation. The four with both men’s and women’s teams are defending men’s champions Bank of Jamaica, Jamaica Defence Force, Digicel and Petroleum Company of Jamaica. The two with men’s teams only are Carimed and newcomers Xerox.

The competition this year will feature a new rule whereby each business house, formerly represented by employees only, will be allowed to “adopt” one player who is not an employee, on their teams.

JTTA President Godfrey Lothian explains that this will enable business houses to interact with their favourite players, and vice versa.

With adopted players still to be named, BOJ’s male team will be led by Alphanso Murray, Jide Lewis and Glenroy Williams, while their female team will be Rosanna Moo Young and Prudence Serju.

Main JDF male team members will be Phillip Drummond, Levi Hibbert and Hopeton Todd, and their female team will be led by Jodian Adams.

Digicel’s male team will be led by Nathan Kellyman, Stephen Groves and Dwayne Fearon and the female team will be led by Yahnique Barrett, Paula Panuzzo and Petro Mattis.

The main players for Petcom’s male team will be Carlos Whyte, Donald Francis and Stephen Beek, while their female team will be captained by Shenique Clare.

Carimed men’s team will be led by Rudolph Sinclair, Michael Rose and Sean Pryce, while Xerox will be led by Paulton Madden, Robert Gabay and Kedar Pryce.

Entries are still being taken and other business houses are being invited to participate, by phoning the JTTA Office at 906-6389, 544-8506 or 577-7138.