There has been a very successful series of inaugural ITF Junior championships at the Anguilla Tennis Academy last week. The pleasurable but competitive events not only provided a great deal of publicity for the island, but also drew attention to the classy tennis academy at Blowing Point – created by the visionary Mr. Mitch Lake.
The championships attracted players from some 30 regional, extra-regional and international countries. They comprised over 100 juniors and more than 35 seniors plus some 200 other persons including coaches, family members and supporters.
Mr. Karl Hale, Tournament Director for the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, and Micky Williams, who has also been associated with the tournament were among a number of persons at a press conference over the past weekend. They both spoke highly about the tennis academy and were pleased that Anguilla had hosted the championships. Many of the players also joined in expressing pleasure to be in Anguilla for the first time and to have had the opportunity to play at the high-end facility.
Mr. Cardigan Connor, Parliamentary Secretary Tourism and Sports, said he was thrilled to be at the first Anguilla Cup Tournament and that it had been “an exhilarating week of tennis.”
He went on: “The Anguilla Tennis Academy is truly an outstanding facility, the creation and labour of love given to us by founder Mitch Lake. We know that it has been a longstanding goal for Mitch to host, on an annual basis, as a major event at the Anguilla Tennis Academy. We are proud to have helped him realise his dream; and I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the Anguilla Cup next year.”
Mr. Valentine Banks, a leading tennis player in Anguilla, also lauded Mitch for developing an interest in the sport and for providing opportunities for children and other young people over the years through the tennis academy.
“Long time ago there was a gentleman by the name of Eric Martineau who took under his wings young children like Mitch and they played tennis under his guidance,” Banks recalled. “They appreciated the game so much that Mitch was able to elevate himself educationally through tennis. Now, what we see here is the result of Mitch’s efforts in going out there, learning the game, understanding business, and developing his idea for the Anguilla Tennis Academy. It is a dream which has come true for a number of us and that could not have been realised without the efforts of Mitch.”
Mr. Banks added: “Let’s start by ensuring that Mitch gets the recognition that he deserves because what I am seeing here is just astonishing.”
