ICHS, Wolmer’s in schoolgirl tennis clash
Immaculate Conception and Wolmer’s Girls will keep up their rivalry for supremacy in schoolgirl tennis when they meet this morning at 9:00 in the final of the LIME National Tennis Finals at the Eric Bell Centre.
Defending champions Immaculate brushed aside Montego Bay High, 6-1, in the semi-finals yesterday, with Michaelann Denton, Sonam Khemlani, Serena Harjam, and Megan Viera winning their singles matches.
Immaculate also won two of the three doubles match to face Wolmer’s Girls in the nationals finals for the third time.
Denton defeated Shadae Findley, 6-1, 6-2; Khemlani stopped Tasha Lee Wray, 6-2, 6-2, while Harjam and Viera blanked Abby McLeish and Gabrielle Johnson, 6-0, respectively.
Like Immaculate, Wolmer’s captured all the singles and the first of the three doubles match for an insurmountable 5-1 lead over Holy Childhood High.
Phadria Kepple beat Krystal Rhone, 6-1, 6-1; Sarah Orett cut short Daneisha Northover, 6-0, 6-2; Kaliese Kelly sent Felicia Wong packing, 6-1, 6-1, and Analese Mosely worked over Kharis Howard, 6-2, 6-2.
Wolmer’s coach Jordache Deuce said the National Heroes’ Circle girls will be meeting Immaculate for the third straight year in a final.
Despite suffering 3-2 and 6-1 losses to Immaculate in consecutive finals, Deuce believes Wolmer’s will turn the tables on their arch-rivals this time around.
“As long as our girls go out there and do what they have to do, all should be over by the end of the fourth singles match because we have the players who can win all singles match,” Deuce said.
Efforts to get Immaculate coach Arthur Phillpotts for comments were unsuccessful.
The match of the day should be the clash between Immaculate’s Denton and Wolmers’ Kepple, the top two players in schoolgirl tennis.
In the Boys semi-final, Wolmer’s punished Jamaica College, 6-1, to advance to the final against Campion College, who beat Hillel, 4-1.
Corey Richmond, Alex Anderson and Kareem Flowers ensured that Wolmer’s were on their way, while Ramone Doyley, Andrew Bicknell, Kristov Gayle stood solid for Campion.
The Boys’ finals will also start at 9:00 am.