Despite the short time that was available for planning and execution, president of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) Andrew Lue praised organisers for the successful staging of the 2023 JTTA All-Island High Schools Singles tournament, which was held on Friday at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium, UTech.

According to Lue, the competition attracted 175 players from 17 high schools, with several close and dramatic finishes. Both boys and girls participated in the Under-13, Under-15, and Under-19 age groups.

“In response to the demand for a singles tournament, the tournament was organised on short notice following the ISSA High Schools League. Despite the limited preparation time and the beginning of CXC examinations, we had a very successful event with 175 competitors from 17 schools fighting for the title of All-Island High Schools Champions,” Lue told the Jamaica Observer.

According to Lue, all of the players gave an excellent account of themselves, fighting hard and playing fairly, and there were no disciplinary concerns. He also complimented ISSA for its assistance in mobilising the schools, as well as the parents, administrators, and coaches, and predicted that the competition will perform better the next year.

“The players performed admirably as they competed for supremacy in the various age group events.” The finals were fiercely contested, with Conroy Henry of Ardenne narrowly defeating Kareem Powell of Calabar in the boys’ under-19 category, and Liana Campbell defeating her Wolmer’s schoolmate Gianna Lewis in the girls’ under-19 category.

“In the boys’ under-15, Brian Blake of Jamaica College defeated Nickoy Smith of Kingston College 3-1, while in the girls’ under-15, Karecia Peterkin of St Hugh’s defeated Kayan Denton of Queen’s. Logan Royes of Jamaica College defeated Gmarco Smith of Kingston College in the boys’ under-13 final, while Kayla Lewis of Immaculate defeated Allayne Ridley of St Hilda’s in the ladies’ under-13 final,” Lue stated.

The top coach title was split by Kamaal Rahimtula of Jamaica College and Selvin Smith of Immaculate since they finished the competition with the same number of points.