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The annual Mayberry Investment Limited (MIL) Junior Tennis Championship, to be held at the Liguanea Club from July 7-11, has been upgraded from a local championship to a regional tournament. This was revealed by tournament organiser, Llockett McGregor, on Wednesday.
The championships will now be called the Mayberry Investment Limited Junior Caribbean Tennis Championship. As part of the rebranding of the tournament the organisers will now compete under the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system, a global system that rates all tennis players on a single scale, based on their match results.
“This year we have also added a new dimension to the tournament by making it a Caribbean championship,” McGregor said.
He pointed out that adding the UTR system to the championship, will have numerous benefits for aspiring young players.
“The UTR is the way to go. Normally you have the ITF (International Tennis Federation – rating system), now you have the UTR, and this is what colleges and universities look for. You build your ranking based on the number of points you acquire.
“This is the first year we will include it in the Mayberry tournament and going forward, we hope that we will be able to attract entries from around the Caribbean,” McGregor said. He added that they were expecting a contingent from Guyana for this year’s tournament but they have pulled out of the tournament.
“We have also been talking to people from St Vincent and St Lucia so I am sure that next year, you will see some of those countries taking part,” he stated.
Marketing manager at Mayberry, Desiree Wheeler, said the last two years were difficult because of poor weather but she is optimistic that they will have brighter days this year.
“I am a bit excited because the last two years have been affected by bad weather. For this year I am just looking forward to seeing the athletes, not only having fun but doing their best. I am praying for good weather throughout,” she said.
Meanwhile, for the first time, Mayberry will be providing branded sponsored gear for the participants.
“This year we are coming out with a bit more merchandise for the athletes. They’ll have branded shirts just to make our mark a bit more pronounced. So we are looking forward to that, and for it to be bigger better. Hopefully with more sponsors as well, and just to see the growth of tennis in Jamaica,” Wheeler said.
More than 40 participants will compete in U12, U14 U16 and U18 categories. The tournament will start on Monday and run through to Friday, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. each day.
“Tournaments like these are important. It is where juniors get the exposure, playing against different players. You need tournaments like these for them to come out and express themselves and show their talent.” McGregor added.
English (US) ·