Tennis: Vijay League-Strikers retain women’s title |16 January 2010

Made up of Stephanie Ah-Shung, Thara Hoareau and skipper Gloria Lauro – the tournament’s top female player – Strikers collected 23 points in nine games in the league played over three rounds, relegating Friends into second place with 20.

This is Strikers’ third consecutive win in the annual competition sponsored by Vijay Patel of Vijay Construction.

In the 2008 final, Strikers made sure of victory in the two singles matches. Nathaniel Morel gave her team the lead with a 2-0 (6-3, 6-2) win over Thara Hoareau, and Lauro wrapped up their victory with a 2-0 (6-3, 6-3) win over her opposite number, Clyvie Delpeche.

Chloé Romain and Ah-Shung did not play a part in Strikers’ triumph as the two teams decided not to play the doubles match.
After defecting from Strikers to join Side-Out as captain, Romain could only help her team to a fourth place finish behind third-place finishers Golden Girls captained by veteran Julie Fayon.

Losers to Green Speed in the 2008 final, skipper Charlie Ng’s Club 2000 are the 2009 men’s champions after amassing 23 points to finish ahead of Club 3000 captained by Philip Brioche.

Club 2000’s Selwyn Brioche was voted the tournament’s best male player and other teammates were Selwyn Lespoir, Maxwell Fock-Tave and Ng.

In the 2008 final played over five days as the weather was unkind to the players, Maxwell Fock-Tave was the winner of the decisive singles match on a 2-0 (7-6, 6-2) score against Philip Brioche to give Green Speed the title with a 3-2 overall victory in the best-of-five final.

In the first four matches, veteran Knowles beat Selwyn Lespoir 2-0 (6-3, 6-1) and youngster Sylvester Delpeche doubled Club 2000’s advantage with a 2-0 (6-0, 6-4) victory over André Derjacques.

Vivian Vankiersbilck brought Green Speed back into contention with a 2-1 (6-7, 6-4, 7-3) win over André Hissen and then teamed up with Marlon Orr in the doubles to beat Club 2000’s Delpeche and Charlie Ng 2-0 (6-3, 7-5).
Club 3000 comprised captain Philip Brioche, Sylvester Delpech and Markhous Kanté.
Two-time winners (2007 and 2008) Green Speed did not take part this time.
 
Lift and Slice (skippered by John Adam) and International School (skippered by Manu Roquain) finished third and fourth.
Teams will receive their prizes during a ceremony on Saturday January 23 at the tennis courts, Roche Caïman.

The event will start with an exhibition match at 4pm between the national coach, Frenchman Frederic Canal, and Australian Tim Horpinitch, the former national team head coach. This will be followed by the prize presentation and a cocktail party.

As prizes, the men’s and women’s winners will get R3,500, runners-up R2,400, third-place finishers R1,800 and fourth-place finishers R1,000.
The organisers said that bad weather and renovation work on the courts hampered the smooth running of the league, played over three rounds.

G. G.