Chad Rowley helped himself to nine goals as T&T Under-18 boys waterpolo team swamped neighbours Barbados in their opening match of their four-team competition when the highly anticipated 2017 Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Swimming Championships splashed off at the National Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva, yesterday.
However, Rowley was not the lone player to have it all his way for the locals in their red, white and black swimming caps as Joshua Welsh got things started off with a first quarter hat-trick in the 32-minutes match while Rowley got two and Jason Hackett and Jean-Luc Hinds one apiece for a 7-2 lead at the first interval.
Rowley then fired in a hat-trick of his own and Hackett added a pair for T&T to push its advantage to 12-3 at the half-time interval with Barbados getting its goals from Xavier Smith-Taylor, one each in the first two quarters, and the other from Gabriel Mayers.
The third period saw Rowley (four) and Hinds (three) combine for all seven of the locals goals while Smith-Taylor, Gabriel Mayers, and his brother, Lemar Mayers were on target for Barbados, but by then the result was never in doubt at 19-6, T&T.
And in the final period, with Rowley rested the quintet of Hackett, Hinds, Welsh, Daniel Ammon and Charles Gillette added to the host tally to cancel efforts from Barbadians, Nathan James and Mayers (L) for a 24-8 final score.
However, earlier on in the Under-15 Boys, T&T suffered a nail-biting 12-11 loss, after leading 10-8 with less than two minutes to go in the final quarter of their clash with Bahamas, which also trailed 0-2 early on.
Both teams were locked at 3-3 at the end of the first quarter before the Bahamians edged ahead 5-4 at the half-time whistle.
However, T&T roared back in the third period and dominated 6-3 for a 10-8 advantage, only to lose composure in the final quarter and go under by the slimest of margins, courtesy a late item from Alexander Turnquest.
Gabriel Sastre with six goals was the main contributor for Bahamas while Turnquest and Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield got two apiece and the pair of Jayden Seymour and Gabriel Encinar, one each while Ross Gillette led T&T with a hat-trick and Everson Latchman and Yannick Robertson chipped in with doubles.
The quartet of Nathan Hinds, Antonio Newallo, Ross Gillette and Kelvin Caesar also scored in the loss.
T&T’s Open men and women team were scheduled to come up against Cuba and Venezuela in late matches last night which competition resumes from 1pm today at the same venue until Sunday, June 28.
Results
Under-15 Boys
Bahamas 12 (Gabriel Sastre 6, Alexander Turnquest 2, Jayden Seymour, Gabriel Encinar, Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield 2) vs T&T 11 (Ross Gillette 3, Everson Latchman 2, Yannick Robertson 2, Nathan Hinds, Antonio Newallo, Ross Gillette, Kelvin Caesar)
Under-18 Boys
Puerto Rico 16 (Miseal Adino 7, Jose Loubriel 3, Adrian Torres 2, Jafet Hernandez 2, Sebastien Villarini, Robert Benoit) vs Jamaica 9 (Cody Jones 4, Darren Neil-Gordon 2, Joel Parnel, Julian Shakes, Andrew Paul)
T&T 24 (Chad Rowley 9, Jean-Luc Hinds 5, Jason Hackett 4, Joshua Welsh 4, Daniel Ammon, Charles Gillette) vs Barbados 8 (Lemar Mayers 2, Gabriel Mayers 2, Xavier Smith-Taylor 3, Nathan James)
Open Women
Cuba 10 vs Mexico 6
Open Men
Pool A: Jamaica 14 vs Barbados 8
Today Matches
Under-15 Boys
T&T vs Bahamas, 1.30 pm
Under-18 Boys
Puerto Rico vs Barbados, 1 pm
T&T vs Jamaica, 2.15 pm
Open Women
Venezuela vs Puerto Rico, 2.45 pm
T&T vs Mexico, 4 pm
Open Men
Pool A: Cuba vs Venezueal, 3.30 pm
Pool B: Mexico vs Guatemala, 4.45 pm
Pool B: Dominican Republic vs Puerto Rico, 6 pm
Pool A: T&T vs Barbados, 7.15 pm