By Vanessa Cort

IT was a day of sunshine, laughter, some tears and pure sportsmanship, as players ‘battled’ for trophies at the Smalta Rebel Junior Tennis Tournament.

The air crackled with excitement and anticipation as the competitors faced each other across the nets on tennis courts located on the compound of the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry (GBTI) in Diamond, East Bank, Demerara.

The ‘thwock’ of tennis balls hitting racquets rang out during hard fought games, where players, sometimes grunting with effort, ran back and forth in the sweltering heat. I wondered how they even did it, as I sat in the shade and watched them, focused on their game, seemingly oblivious to the piercing rays of the sun.

There were timed pauses for water and the games resumed with renewed vigour.

The boys under-18 finals saw Nathan DeNobrega and Gerald Scotland facing off in a match which, the first one and then the other took a set, before leading to decider, eventually won by Scotland.

This was the third time these two had met each other in finals and the second time in this Smalta tournament. On all three occasions Scotland won in matches so close they could have gone either way.

The girls under -18 was not as closely fought, with one player, Paula Kalekeyzi, clearly more experienced than the other, Kimora Erskine. Nevertheless, the match was entertaining as both girls fought for each point.

When we spoke, after the match, Paula, the winner, revealed that she has been playing tennis for 12 years. Kimora, who did well to get to the finals, was playing against her for the first time.

Both Kimora and Nathan, ‘got down’ on themselves when they delivered poor shots or found they were in the losing position. And this led to tears at the end of the games, testifying to their deep love and commitment for their sport.
It was high quality tennis that continued in the next round when Michael Fordyce and Rafeeq Prince faced each other in the boys under-12 finals, where Michael emerged the winner.

The boys’ and girls’ novices showed how much they had learned and I was informed by Coach Erskine that this would be novice Nikosi Bacchus’ last appearance in this category. He was about to join the ‘big guns’ which, from the smile on his face, made him very happy.

After lunch the boys and girls’ doubles finals got underway and the battles continued, with Paula and Erin Tucker locked in a heated exchange against Kimora and her cousin, Naomi Erskine. The latter two girls won the match, coming from behind and asserting their dominance.

The boys, playing a faster-paced game, saw Denzel Luthers and Gerald Scotland giving no quarter to Navendra Arjune and Nathan DeNobrega, eventually triumphing in three sets.

As we chatted after the matches, most of the players told me they would like to advance to the highest level of their sport, and Luthers actually set 2027 as the date at which he hoped to be well on his way to achieving this dream.

But without the exclusive sponsorship of Guyana Breweries Inc., producers of Smalta, this tournament would not have been possible.

The company’s brand manager, Kimberly Jaigobin, spoke of their commitment to sponsoring community programmes and their delight at backing the Rebel tennis players.

She told the gathering of parents, players and supporters at the trophy ceremony, following the tournament, that her company was “happy to be on board” and congratulated the competitors for their “amazing performance”.

All the major winners were presented with six-packs of Smalta, and all participants wore branded tee-shirts in three colours from the company, which also provided funding for snacks.
The trophy ceremony saw all the competitors and club members being rewarded for their efforts, with the champion boys and girls receiving plaques in addition to their trophies.

Once again, a proud Coach Erskine voiced his satisfaction at how the players performed, including tiny four-year-old Jannia Grannum, whose tennis racquet looked almost as tall as she. It left me in wonder at how she managed to hit the ball over the net, which she did with ease in a ‘knock up’ demonstration after the trophy presentation.

At the end of it all I shared smiles with all concerned. Another successful final had just taken place without a hitch and I, a tennis fan, had gotten my first taste of high-level local tennis, sealing yet another Smalta Rebel Junior Tennis Tournament.

And a word to all you tennis players out there from the acknowledged female G.O.A T. (Greatest of all time) of the sport, Serena Williams, who said. ” I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but how they can recover when they fall”.