Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Jonathan Gillette and Russell Ferreira scored eight goals each as T&T began the inaugural South American Swimming Confederation (CONSANAT) Water Polo Under-17 Championships with a resounding 27-6 mauling of Uruguay on Tuesday. This was in one of four matches played on the opening day of the championship at the Horacio Martinez Aquatic Complex, Copacabanna, Colombia. The quartet of Kieron Emmanuel, Marc Stauble, Shaquille Mitchell and captain Daniel Tardieu chipped in with two goals each while Ryan West, Andrew Chin Lee and  Johann Callender added one each.

For Paraguay, Pedro Ferrer scored four and Diego Sosa, two. In the other boys’ matches, Brazil swamped Venezuela 20-7 and host Colombia crushed Perus 15-3. Brazil swept aside Venezuela 23-5 in the lone girls’ match. However, in their second match yesterday morning, T&T suffered a 27-5 drubbing at the hands of a rampant Brazil which was led by Gustavo Guinaraes seven goals. Guilherme Gomes (4), Pedro Stelet (3), Felipe Martins (3), Henrique Lopes (3), Guilherme Campos (2), Fabio Mendes, Lucas Pinto, Matheus Filellini, Gabriel Salgado and Pedro Vergara chipped in with one apiece for the “Samba Boys”. For T&T, Ferreira scored two goals while Emmanuel, West and Tardieu got the others. Venezuela rebounded to drub Peru 13-5 and Colombia humbled Argentina 19-7 in other early matches yesterday.

The T&T boys were also scheduled to play Peru last night before meeting Venezuela and and host Colombia in their finals over the next two days. The tournament in Colombia is a stepping stone for the locals who have been dominant at the Carifta Games  and Caribbean Islands Swimming Championship. The locals are also using the tourney as preparations for the Pan Americab Junior Championship later this year after securing a spot with the first place over at last year’s CISC event, with one gold and two silver medals. The current Under-17 boys’ team is making the thrust for a place at the World Junior Championships to be held next year. Their passage there will be via ongoing success at 2011’s regional tournaments, then on to a probable top five finish at the premier inter-regional tournament, the Pan Am Junior Championship  to be held in August.

T&T Under -17 water polo team

Andrew Chin Lee, Christian Chee Foon, Daniel Tardieu, Johann Callender, Jonathan Gillette, Joshua Cabral, Kieron Emmanuel, Marc Stauble, Sebastian Van Reken, Russell Ferreira, Ryan West, Shaquille Mitchell, Oludare Marcelle Technical staff: Peter Gillette (manager), Alan Too-A-Foo (coach), Charissa Hackshaw (referee).


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