Unpreparedness resulted in dull performances ― Coach Leacock
Coach of the four-member tennis squad which recently represented Guyana at the International Tennis Federation Under-12 Junior Development Tournament in Curacao, Leyland Leacock, says his team dull performance was due to unpreparedness.
Speaking to Guyana Times Sport, Leacock said due to limited facilities his team practice sessions were reduced to a mere two hours per day for a two-week period thus the results was poor. “In comparison with the other competing nations the necessary resources are afforded to them to develop their games to be quality competitors. However in our case there are limited resources (especially facility) to develop top players.”
Nevertheless he is of the view that the four players who represented Guyana are very talented and could match any opponent once their skills are nurtured and they are afforded with the adequate training.
National U-12 tennis team (from L-R) Sekai Akilah Jones, Vadeanand Resaul, Coach Leyland Leacock, Adesh Khayyam and Sarah Klautky prior to their departure
None of the players made it out of the consolation group to the main bout but they all managed wins which the coach said was due to their eagerness to perform. Trinidad won the boys’ category while Jamaica dominated the girls’ competition.
Guyana was represented by two girls and two boys at the event which is ITF’s signature annual tournament for identification of emerging talent in the Region. The players were selected based on their domestic performance; the two girls selected based on all year round performance locally and overseas, while the two boys were selected based on all year round performance – selection of five boys playoffs round robin Vadeanand Resaul, Wayne Baker, Adesh Khayyam, Nigel Lowe, Anish Sharma.
The national team comprised Girls – Sarah Klautky, 12 years old, and Sekai Akilah Jones, 11; and the Boys – Vadeanand Resaul, 11 and Adesh Khayyam, 11 years old.
The Guyana Tennis Association received financial support from the ITF to ensure they prepare and field participants at the event.
However, Leacock believes the government should be more instrumental in ensuring that there are proper facilities to enable top results. “The Guyana Lawn Tennis Association cannot make this happen without government’s influence. They (government) should assist to build courts to facilitate players’ development,” urged Leacock.
According to Leacock, who travelled with the team, it is always a privilege to represent your country and he believes the players performed to the best and would have learnt from the event to help them in their growth for future tournament.
