Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
Wolmer's Eldad Campbell returns a forehand to Hillel's Dax Vernon (not in picture) in action from the Cable & Wireless Secondary Schools All-Island Championships at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre on Friday. Campbell won the match 6-1, 6-0, pushing Wolmer's to an eventual 3-2 win over Hillel.- JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
WOLMER'S BOYS' bold ambitions of snatching a third straight Under-19 title were realised when they finished off Hillel 3-2 in the Cable & Wireless Secondary Schools tennis competition which concluded at the Liguanea Club on Friday night.
Fading light had forced play at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre to come to a halt with the scores between the teams tied at 2-2. It was Wolmer's No. 1 and top junior, Eldad Campbell, who brought the team back on level terms when he beat Dax Vernon 6-1, 6-0, leaving the five-game tie of three singles and two doubles to be decided by the final doubles game. However, with the conditions rapidly deteriorating the decision was made to move the match to the Liguanea Club.
THIRD STRAIGHT HOLD
There, Campbell and Kristopher Martin had no problems in finishing off the tie, easily getting by Vernon and Adam Vaz 6-1, 6-0, to secure the school's third straight hold of the Alexander Cup.
Playing at No. 3 spot, it was Martin who got the Heroes' Circle team off to a fast start when he turned back Hillel's Christian Battaglia 6-2, 6-2.
Hillel pulled themselves back on level terms when their No. 2, Vaz, scorched Wolmer's Sadique Elliot 6-1, 6-0. Battaglia and Scott Raymond then teamed up to get the better of Elliot and Stephen Hunter 8-4.
In the girls' Under-19 final, Holy Childhood came from behind to stun defending champions Heinz Simonisch 4-1 and claim the Farquharson Cup.
SOLID START
Last year's most outstanding player (girls) Pauline Hylton got Heinz Simontisch off to a solid start when she got by Kamieka Blake 6-3, 7-5. However, that would be their only win as Holy Childhood's Leanne Spence and Kemila Barrett registered singles wins and then teamed up to put the issue out of contention with a win in the first doubles match.
In Under-16 action, Norman Manley's surprising run came to a disappointing end when they were demolished 5-0 by Campion for the Richard Russell Cup. Holy Childhood made it a double when their girls also captured the Under-16 crown with a 3-2 defeat of Immaculate.
Immaculate triumphed in Under-14 play, clipping the Academy 3-2, while Campion also notched another title when they demolished Wolmer's Boys 3-2.