Manie Eleuthere, Joshua Lubin, Leshon Francis and Stephen Steele secured their spot in the semifinals of the 28th Caribbean Region Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF) Championships on Monday, earning qualification for the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay. Saint Lucia’s Under-19 boys will compete at the Games in August but will first aim for a place in the finals at the ongoing CRTTF Championships in Barbados.
The team delivered an impressive 3-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, marking Saint Lucia’s strongest win against the Trinbagonians at this level. They remain the only English-speaking team in the semifinals, where they are set to face the Dominican Republic, while Puerto Rico and Cuba will compete in the other bracket.
In the quarterfinals, Manie Eleuthere dominated Josiah Joseph 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 13-11). Joshua Lubin fought hard to defeat Malik Gopaul 3-1 (14-12, 7-11, 14-12, 15-13), and Leshon Francis overcame Sekel McIntosh 3-1 (11-3, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8).
Earlier in the group stage, Saint Lucia suffered a 3-0 loss to Cuba but bounced back with a commanding 3-0 win over St Vincent & the Grenadines to secure second place in Group 3. Eleuthere swept Terence Ashton 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-8), Lubin defeated Lamont Gregg 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-8), and Francis cruised past Kimoni Shoy 3-0 (11-2, 11-4, 11-3).
The team will also compete in singles events this week, with Francis participating in the Under-15 boys’ singles and Shatal Francis in the Under-15 girls’ singles. Eleven countries are taking part in the championships: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, and St Vincent & the Grenadines.
