Teenager Raheem Nurse showed great confidence as he took on Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith.
By Morissa Lindsay
When you have the country’s best road tennis player on show there is bound to be a large crowd and while Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith won in straight sets, it was his teenage opponent Raheem Nurse that won the hearts of spectators.
The 14-year-old Nurse, a student of the Grantley Adams Memorial Secondary School, despite losing 21-11 and 21-12 against Griffith, definitely ensured that he announced himself as one for the future when the round of 32 continued last night in Belfield, Black Rock.
Wearing his Kure Oxygen-sponsored shirt along with grey short pants, Griffith won the toss and opted to let Nurse serve from the right of the court in what was a top-notch matchup of the night. The match was an indication of what was to come as the clash between hometown lad Trevor Ifill and Jamar Best and the showdown between Wendell Farrell and Michael Jean brought further excitement to the night.
However, it was the game featuring Griffith and Nurse that had much to lose particularly for the former who has been one of the most dominant players in Barbados over the last decade.
Some of those in attendance were rooting for Nurse and strongly believed that the youngster could stage an upset which also contributed to a nervous start from Griffith.
Nurse played a fearless attacking game as the scores were locked 5-5 intially in the opening set and shaped up what was anticipated to be an exciting contest between the two. The brother of another road tennis prodigy Shakeem Nurse, the young Nurse had an especially flashy attacking forehand shot that when executed sent the crowd into a frenzy.
While he had his work cut out for him, Nurse exhibited a level of confidence that is commendable going up against Griffith and playing shot for shot with some lovely rallies.
However, experience has proven to be the best teacher and Griffith’s standard and overall game execution are without doubt high class and he switched it up and forced Nurse to make the mistakes.
Added to that, Griffith had his father Mark Griffith Sr. in his corner backing him all the way and that might have helped to alleviate some of the pressure felt coming from the crowd.
Similar to the first, the same level of intensity was maintained in the second set and with the deafening silence as the rallies unfolded, the sound coming from the racquets of both players was music to the ears. Griffith was predictably physically and mentally stronger and Nurse must be commended for sticking it out against the reigning national number one men’s player. Beaten but in no way disgraced!
After the match Nurse was consoled by the senior Griffith and the fact he took his defeat to heart showed his dedication, commitment and desire to do well in the sport.
Jalesa Holder- Vaughn defeated Grace Gill in the opening match of the night.
As the saying goes, ladies shall be first and yesterday was no different as the victorious Jalesa Holder-Vaughn and Grace Gill met in the opening encounter of the night. Holder-Vaughn who is solidly built won 21-13, 21-13 over Gill but will need to tidy up her game heading into the round of 16 as she gave away too many points. Gill of course did not mind the errors from Holder- Vaughn as it allowed her to earn easy points.
Holder-Vaughn’s twin sister Jessica did not have the same good fortune as she lost in straight sets 21-9 and 21-13 against Juliet Worrell when the two met.
There were two matches on the night that went down to the wire and the first featured Michael Jean who defeated Wendell Farrell 21-19, 11-21 and 21-19 in a keenly contested game. Farrell who had RIP written to the front of his shirt put up a spirited fight but that did not save him as he was eventually buried.
Trevor Ifill who played on familiar territory in front of his home supporters did not disappoint as he won 21-16, 13-21 and 21-14 when he met Jamar Best in the two best of three showdown.
Among those who also advanced on the night were Adrian Scott 21-7 and 21-8 as he mauled Dale Glasgow. Kerry Francis made light work of Lloyd Deane 21-13 and 21-14 while in two other female matches played on the night, Estherphyne Holder trounced Michelle Griffith 21-12 and 21-13 and Rachel Smith clinched a hard-fought 21-12 and 22-20 victory over Denise Collymore. morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb
