This past weekend, BahaMar was host to a thrilling junior tennis tournament. The IC Winterbotham Junior Series is an ongoing event created and run by Neil Mactaggart, Mickey Williams, Kit Spencer and Ivan Hooper (of Winterbotham Bank and Trust).
The IC is made up of people who are passionate about tennis and want to see it grow as both a sport and as a community.
One of the IC’s goals is to create a fun, inclusive and competitive environment in which to develop young tennis players. Throughout the event, there was a constant buzz of excitement from the competitors, as they each played 5 or 6 matches over the two and a half days of the tournament.
Players, parents and spectators all enjoyed the positive, competitive and lively energy that filled and surrounded the BahaMar tennis courts.
The IC Winterbotham Junior Series is so grateful to BahaMar and the immense help of Minos Miranakis, Director of Tennis, for making this event a possibility, and for the opportunity to use their spectacular venue.
The competitors in this tournament include the top U10 and U12 tennis players in the Bahamas, and their enthusiasm for the game and camaraderie between one another is inspiring to see.
The tournament culminated in exciting fashion with a down-to-the-wire finish in the Boys U12 division when Jackson Mactaggart defeated Matthew Shapiro from Boca Raton, Florida 16-14 in the match tiebreak of the final match of the group of first place finishers from Saturday's round robins. ((7-6 (9-7), 2-6,16-14) Both players had multiple match points in the tiebreak with a high level of tennis being displayed throughout the match.
The complete list of winners & runners-up, respectively, is as follows:
Girls U10 - Winner: Millie Beukes, Finalist: Sarai Clarke
Boys U10 - Winner: Jack Boals, Finalist: Gabin Chechin-Laurans
Girls U12 - Winner: Saphirre Ferguson, Finalist: BreAnn Ferguson
Boys U12 - Winner: Jackson Mactaggart, Finalist: Khai Rees
Charlie Farrington Sportmanship Awards - Boys: Alec Hooper, Girls: Caylie Paine Little Mo Kindness Award - Matthew Stuby
The IC would like to again thank Winterbotham Trust for their generous sponsorship of this junior series, to the Little Mo Internationals tournament for providing five free entries, to Minos Miranakis and the Racquet Club at Bahamar for hosting the tournament and to the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association for their unwavering support.
Thank you also to Tournament Referee, Mickey Williams for his tireless efforts and professionalism, without which this event would not be possible.
The IC Series takes a break for the summer but will resume in November with a tournament in Freeport. In the meantime the BLTA begins a series of U14 & U16 tournaments at the Gym Tennis Club, June 8 - 10; any player at least 11 yrs old as of June 8 is eligible to enter.
It will feature a round robin format to maximize match play opportunities, similar to the IC Series so you are encouraged to enter your children/ students who are of age.
