Skeete to start lawn tennis development programme
Guyana Chronicle
July 6, 2003
FORMER president of the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA), Williams Skeete, is back from a three-year hiatus and will immediately start a development programme from this Tuesday at Non Pariel court, Woolford Avenue.
Three progammes will be conducted simultaneously - one for Under-8 children using plastic paddles on a small court, Level I Juniors 8-18 years and Seniors.
The programmes run until July 18, after which a Junior competition will be played July 18 and 19 and a mini-tennis Under-8 tournament on July 20.
A competition for Novices is fixed for August 8, 9 and 10 then a National Open Championship on August 15, 16, 17.
After the National championship, a National team will tour Suriname on August 23, guests of Dolphin Sports Club in Paramaribo.
Persons wishing to be part of the training programmes could contact Skeete at Non Pariel daily between 16:00 hrs and 18:30 hrs, or on telephone number 627-8008.
Skeete was a self-taught player, who later became coach and then president of the governing body. His presidency, he said, was a stormy one because there were persons who could not accept a leader who was from the grassroots. Sponsorship for programmes became a problem because of the friction and he decided to cease functioning in the post.
“But nothing of significance has been happening recently in terms of the development. I felt obligated to return and do this series of training programmes and competitions,” Skeete told Chronicle Sport yesterday.
Skeete said this was the first step to create and re-establish a new association later this year, to govern the sport on a national level.
There are some clubs still functioning but they have not met in any national championship for some time, according to Skeete. These clubs make individual tours overseas.
The active clubs are: Castillani, National Park with Debbie Bumbury, Georgetown Tennis Club at Le Meridien Pegasus, Non Pariel that became active again about a month ago, Demerara Sugar Terminal, Timehri Tennis Club and one at the GNCB court in New Amsterdam with Carol Humphrey. (Isaiah Chappelle)