Martin, Bowens win LJD VI Block 14 & Under Tennis Tournament

April 1, 2021 by
  • Courtney Lindsay v Eric Jospeh
  • Malaika Bowens v KaMaria Wheatley
  • Courtney Lindsay v Kmathi Wheatley
  • Eric Joseph v Kishawn Martin
Participants of the LJD VI Block 14 & Under Tennis Tournament won by Kishawn Martin and Malaika Bowens. Photos: BVITA

The Long Look Tennis & Education Center hosted the LJD VI Block 14 & Under Tournament on Saturday, March 27. Six players participated in the BVI Tennis Association sanctioned youth event to include four boys and two girls.

Three boys, Courtney Lindsay, Eric Joseph and Kmathi Wheatley, played round-robin matches to meet Kishawn Martin in the finals.

In the round robin matches, Eric defeated Courtney (4-0; 4-2) and Kmathi (4-2, 4-2) to face Kishawn in the finals who won the match against Eric (4-0; 4-0). Despite the game scores, the match featured long rallies with Eric putting pressure on Kishawn who ultimately secured each game played to get the win.

In the girls’ finals, Malaika Bowens defeated KaMaria Wheatley (4-0, 1-4 7-4) in what was a very competitive match.

Long Look Tennis & Education Center Coach and Director/President of the BVITA, Ms. Carol Matthews congratulated the winners on their results and commended all players for their efforts. She went on to thank the event title sponsor, LJD VI Block, along with the supporters for their contribution to a successful event that is one of many aimed at the development of the sport in the Territory.

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5 participate in USTA Caribbean Junior Development Tournament

September 2, 2019 by
Deandrea Baijnauth playing in Boys 14 placed third in the USTA Caribbean Junior Development tournament in Peurto Rico, August 23 – 25, 2019.

The US Tennis Association (USTA) Caribbean Junior Development tournament for Boys & Girls 10, 12, 14 and 18 took place in Puerto Rico, August 23 – 25 and drew 136 participants including 5 from the BVI and 5 from St. Croix. The round-robin format of pro-set (4) games placed players in groups of four with the top two players advancing to quarter final & semi- finals.

Deandrea Baijnauth, playing in Boys 14 placed third after he won his match against Sofian Baibeche (4-3), lost to Jose Desiderio (2-4), defeated Javier Marrero (4-2) and Brian M Quinones Arroyo (4-2) to advance to the semi finals. He played against Juan Arill in a competitive match but eventually lost (2-4 , 4-3, 7-5). He defeated Guillermo Mendez (4-1) to secure his podium finish.

The Boys 10 matches were played on a 60′ court and it proved to be a learning experience for Declan Wheatley who had never competed on that sized court before. He lost (0-3) in matches played against Edwin Rivera Mendez, Omar Jayden Davila and (0-3) Marco Ramson.

Amia Wheatley competing in Girls 12 won two out of four of her matches but did not place. Amia’s wins were 4-1 against Yanielz Andino and 4-3 against Adriana Fegueoa Peze. She lost 0-4 to Lara Rodriquez and 3-4 Natalia Aponte.

Zoe Richards in Girls 14 also played four matches but did not place. Her first opponent retired with a 2-1 lead for Zoe. She won (4-3) against Elena Pietrantoni and lost to Mardi Roques (1-4) and Victoria Cajigas (2-4).

Mikyle McMillan played Boys 14 but did not place after he lost both his matches. He was defeated by Fabian Colon (0-4) and Angel Burgos (0-4).

“We are grateful to the BVI Olympic Committee for financially making it possible for the players to participate; supporting the development of our youths and sport,” said Mrs. Carol Mitchell, President of the BVITSA.

The tournament was open to beginner and intermediate players, seeking  to provide them with on-court experiences following the recommended progression: Orange Ball  (10U), Green Dot Ball (12U) and regular ball (14U and 18U). 

Puerto Rico is the only Caribbean Island  hosting Junior Development Tournaments using all three balls the same time and because of  the geographical location,  it’s ideal for the VI’s juniors who are recreational players.

  • Mikyle McMillan (l), Boys 14
  • Amia Wheatley (r) Girls 12
  • Zoe Richards (l) Girls 14
  • Declan Wheatley (r) Boys 10
Filed Under: BVI Olympic Committee, Tennis, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

6 VI juniors to attend tennis development tournament in Puerto Rico

August 14, 2019 by
6 VI players to participate in the USTA Caribbean Junior Development Tournament, Puerto Rico, Aug 23 – 25, 2019

Six youths will participate in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Caribbean Junior Development Tournament in Puerto Rico, August 23rd – 25th. The young tennis players attending the tournament and who are part of the BVI Tennis Association junior development programme are Amia Wheatly, Declan Wheatley, Deandrea Baijnauth, Malaika Bowens, Mikyly McMillan and Zoe Richards.

The tournament is open to beginner and intermediate players, seeking  to provide them with on-court experiences following the recommended progression: Orange Ball  (10U), Green Dot Ball (12U) and regular ball (14U and 18U). 

Puerto Rico is the only Caribbean Island  hosting Junior Development Tournaments using all three balls the same time and because of  the geographical location,  it’s ideal for the VI’s juniors who are recreational players.

“We are grateful to the BVI Olympic Committee for financially making it possible for the players to participate; supporting the development of our youths and sport,” said Mrs. Carol Mitchell, President of the BVITSA.

Filed Under: BVI Olympic Committee, Tennis Tagged With: , , ,

VI’s Junior Tennis Players inspirational at regional tournaments

May 17, 2018 by

Source: BVI Tennis Association

Colesha Corea, Kaleik Ross and Zoe Richards represented the territory at the 6th annual Caribbean 12 & Under Junior Invitational Tennis Tournament hosted by the at the National Tennis Center in Campsite, St. Johns, Antigua from May 4-8, 2018. Photo: BVITA Face Book

Within the eight months of recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Virgin Islands’ junior tennis players’ performances at regional tournaments have been inspirational.

Three of the  BVI Tennis Association’s juniors recently competed in the 6th annual Caribbean 12 & Under Junior Invitational Tennis Tournament hosted by the National Tennis Center in Campsite, St. Johns, Antigua.

Colesha Corea, Kaleik Ross and Zoe Richards represented the territory from May 4-8, 2018 at the Eastern Caribbean tournament which saw 35 young players from 7 countries represented to include BVI, St Lucia, St Vincent, France, Trinidad & Tobago, USA, and host country Antigua & Barbuda.

On day one of the tournament, Team BVI played five matches securing two wins and losing three. Zara Ghuran of Trinidad & Tobago defeated Zoe Richards 4-0, 4-4, Kaleik Ross defeated Youri Rassat of St.Baths (France) 4-0, 4-1, Camille Rondy of St.Baths (France) defeated Colesha Corea 4-0, 4-1, Zoe Richards defeated Sydney Kentish of Antigua, 4-1, 4-2, James Haden of Trinidad defeated Kaleik Ross 4-2, 4-2.

Round Robin matches followed the next day. Of the pool of 18 girls Zoe placed 10th, advancing to the main draw and Colesha placed 16th but did not make the main draw.

Kaleik placed 12th out of 17 boys. His results were not enough to advance him to the main draw.

In the Consolation First Round Colesha Corea defeated Mahkya Suffren of St. Lucia 3-4, 4-0 (10-6), Kaleik Ross defeated Clement Peuchot of St.Baths (France) 2-4, 4-2 (10-5) and Colesha & Zoe won their doubles match defeating the St. Lucia #2 team, 4-0,4-2..

In the Main Draw, Ariel Kelsick of Antigua defeated Zoe Richards 4-1, 4-2.

Jaiden Julien of Antigua won the Boys’ Championship with Jace Quashie from Tobago taking the title of Boys’ Finalist

Brasha Dyer of Antigua won the title of Girls’ Champion with Ariel Kelsick also of Antigua coming in second as the Girls’ Finalist.

VI represented in Barbados
Competing from March 31 – April 5 in the 2018 C. O. Williams COTECC U14s International Junior Tennis Tournament in Barbados, Deandrea Baijnauth played successful Round Robin Matches defeating Bajan players, Neil King (4-0,4-0)
and Christian Goddard (4-1,4-1) to qualify for the Main Draw.  Deandrea was ultimately defeated by Christian Gill of Barbados 6-3, 7-5.

All four promising juniors have signed up to attend the Celsius Tennis Academy in Sarasota, Florida (August 6-10, 2018).

The BVI Tennis Association extends appreciation for support to the BVI Olympic Committee, BioSafe Treatment, the BVITA tennis coaches, Celsius Tennis Academy, Guana Fund, Hon. Mark Vanterpool and several parents / guardian including Mr. & Mrs. Baijnauth, Mr. & Mrs. Corea, Ms. Pat George and Mr & Mrs. Richards.

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National Tennis Development program takes off

November 24, 2016 by

By BVI Tennis Association

Youth tennis development in the BVI Photo: BVITA

Youth tennis development in the BVI Photo: BVITA

The National Tennis Development Program concept was to revolutionize tennis in the territory but the BVI Tennis Association faced the challenge of identifying and establishing a location that would serve as a National Tennis Centre to help sustain the federation’s growth in the Virgin Islands.

“Despite the challenges, the BVITA has managed to achieve the objective,” said Mrs Carol Mitchell, President BVITA. “We have secured another venue for a Junior program at  Long Bay. We also visited  Anegada, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda where we engaged with the youth and received an enthusiastic response. Youths are our focus because they are the future.Tennis goes across gender, race and ethnicity. It’s an International Sport.”

The BVITA will launch an After-School Program at Long Bay, West End on Wednesday, November 30 from 4-6 pm.

On Thursday 1st December, the BVITA will host Play Day at the Long Look-East End Public Courts from 4-6 pm.

On Friday, December 2 – 3, the BVITA will host the Junior Development Tennis Tournament at the Long Look-East End Public Courts. The tournament will be open to all tennis players in the 10 & Under, 12 & Under, and 14 & Under categories. The event will take place from 4.00pm – 6.00pm on Friday and from 10.00am – 4.00pm on Saturday.

The BVITA will also offer High Performance Junior coaching at Long Bay,West End from 4.00pm – 6.00pm on Monday, December 5.

For activity details and more information on registration, please contact Carol Mitchell by email at britishvita@gmail.com or by ‘phone on 544-2140.

The BVITA extends thanks to the BVI Olympic Committee, International Tennis Federation, Olympic Solidarity/ International Olympic Committee, Mike Barrell, Ministry of Education, Sports & Culture. Long Bay Beach Club/ Long Bay Villa and the Media for bringing awareness to the sport.

Filed Under: Tennis Tagged With: ,

BVI tennis players dominate Banco Popular Jr Tennis Tournament

September 28, 2016 by

Sources: BVITA/BVI Platinum

Harsh Banthia U14 and U16 Champion and Deandre Baijnauth U12 Champion of the Banco Popular Jr Tennis Tournament 2016 hosted in St Thomas, Sept 23 – 25. Photo: BVITA

Players from the British Virgin Islands Tennis Association dominated the court at the Banco Popular Jr. Tennis Tournament in every category they were registered in.

The tournament, which was hosted over the weekend, September 23-25 in St. Thomas, saw six local athletes participating in three of five of the categories – the Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 categories. The other categories were Under 10 and Under 8.

Deandre Baijnauth won the Under 12 championships and Harsh Banthia dominated in both the Under 14 and Under 16 championships.

The other members of the BVI team were Adrian Baijnauth, Dmoni Green, Jahmal Bertie and Malcolm DaBreo.

The BVI team was said to be the most popular team at the tournament, which saw other teams coming from St. Thomas and St. John.

President of the Association, Carol Mitchell shared sentiments from the audience, who stated that the BVI team brought out the competitive spirit of the tournament.

“They all worked hard and they deserve it,” said President Carol.

Results:
Under 12
Deandre Baijnauth defeated Brad Robinson 6-4,6-2 and Christian Beicher 6-4, 6-3 and went on to win against Krishna Daswani 6-2, 6-0.

Under 14
Harsh Banthia defeated Biton Charles 6-0, 6-0; Azad Daswani 6-1, 6-0 and won the championship by defeating Luca Hotze 6-2.6-2

Under 16
Harsh Banthia defeated Adrian Baijnauth 6-0, 6-0; and took the championship match against Luca Hotze 6-2, 6-2;

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BVITA To Launch Tennis Awareness Project

May 19, 2016 by

Photo provided

Photo provided

By BVI Platinum

The British Virgin Islands Tennis Association (BVITA), in collaboration with the British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee, are set to launch a campaign to raise awareness of tennis and to encourage more residents to play the sport.

Project Consultant, Mike Barrel revealed the venture in a press briefing on May 17th 2016 at the Department of Youth and Sports.

The project dubbed ‘Tennis Revolution’ is said to introduce a number of creative and innovative ways to make tennis interesting for the residents in the Territory.

“The project is an opportunity for children and adults to approach tennis in a very different way. It is a very ambitious project; something we see can be very beneficial to the BVI. We hope to make tennis much more accessible to different people, no matter the age or the gender.”

He added that the BVITA intends to introduce the project into the schools in the BVI and their curriculum, as well as in the various communities around the Territory.

The project is scheduled to run from September 2016 to September 2017.

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New board elected for BVI Tennis Association

September 4, 2015 by

By BVI Platinum.com

11220133_465549176951726_6830258997258272399_nLong time tennis coach, Carol Mitchell has been elected President of the BVI Tennis Association, taking over the organization from Dion Anselm.

The association held elections on Monday and elected Mrs. Judith Vanterpool, Vice President; Mr. De Shawn Matthew, General Secretary; Mrs. Lenia Green, Treasurer; Ms. Dionne Liverpool, Public Relations Officer; Mr. Patrick Mitchell, Development Officer/Player Rep.

Among the aggressive goals for the new board is the formation of a national team; implement a national tennis player rating; hiring a national coach; introduce the International Tennis Federation (ITF), junior tennis initiative (JTI) programme and focus on the 2015 Virgin Islands 14-and-Uder Boys Necker Cup Qualifying Tournament.

JTI is a 14-and-under junior development program funded by the ITF, which forms a key part of the National Association’s player development pathway.

A national JTI program provides opportunities for increased participation in tennis, as well as identifying the most talented players for focused player development within a nation.

The JTI incorporates key elements of 10-and-under tennis within primary schools and clubs; junior development tennis for children 12-and-under and 14-and- under within all the secondary schools and clubs; junior performance tennis for the most talented 10, 12 and 14-and-under.

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