The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

COORDINATOR Philip ‘PJ’ Major said they were pleased with the turnout for their Island Tennis Cup.

The event was hosted recently by the Harrold Road Tennis Club at the Tom ‘the Bird’ Grant Community Centre. It attracted over 200 competitors who participated in a free tennis clinic for children and competition for some of the more seasoned players.

A number of top national players, including Kevin ‘KJ’ Major Jr, Joshua Turnquest, PJ Major and Marvin Rolle were in attendance, lending their support to the event, which saw the tennis club provide the refreshments for all the participants.

“It was great. There was a lot of good vibes. A lot of people came out and supported the event,” PJ Major said. “We gave the tennis community something that I don’t think ever experienced, so we want to continue to do things like this, not only here, but in the Family Islands as well.

“We have to start where you can, but the goal is to take this and touch every island with these events and hopefully, at some point, we can develop a programme for the kids on all of the islands and bring them some of these great Bahamian tennis talent for them to see so the people in the community can see these players who they only see on television or in the newspapers.”

There was also a pro-am segment between the Harrold Road Tennis Club and the community. A lot of the players got to play with the local community.

In the junior singles division, Dentry Mortimer won 8-6 over Gabe Davis, while Kevin Major Jr defeated Joshua Turnquest 8-5. Mateo Rivas and Major Jr teamed up to beat Kevaughn Ferguson and Marvin Rolle 7-6 (7-5) in doubles play.

“It was the first time that a lot of people in the community got to experience something like that,” PJ Major said.

“It was so good to see the support we got from the different tennis communities around the world as well.

“We had a great show. It was amazing. The people got to see some great tennis right in their community. We also got to see a lot of kids introduced to the sport and to see kids who got to mix and mingle with players who are already in the sport.

“Kids met new kids.”

Island Tennis, comprising of PJ Major, Marvin Rolle, Mateo Rivas and Kevin Major Jr, is a programme that was launched in February, 2022.

There are a number of coaches involved in the programme, including Iesha Shepherd and Joshua Turnquest.

J Major and brothers Jackson and Patrick Mactaggart said they are pleased to be a part of Island Tennis.

“It takes hard work, preparation and a love for the sport to put together such an amazing event,” he said.

“The Island Tennis team is ready to develop the sport around The Bahamas and use it as a tool to unify the community.

“I want to thank Harrold Road for welcoming us and being a great host. We accomplished our goals and the event exceeded our expectations.

“I am looking forward to doing more events in the future and expanding the love of tennis throughout the community.”

PJ Major said they will inform the public on the next venture and the venue where the event will take place. “This is something that we want to do to unite the community with the tennis community,” he added. “We want to introduce more people to the sport because we believe that tennis has a lot to offer.

“We want to open the door for kids and people to be a part of something that can make a big difference in their lives,” explained Mr Major.

For persons interested in learning more about Island Tennis, they can call 242-467-2320.