They may not have conquered on the courts but Bermuda's junior tennis players returned with a wealth of experience from their respective tournaments in the Dominican Republic, writes Gayle Alleyne.

The Island's 16 and Under girls' and boys' teams competed in the North/Central America & Caribbean Pre-Qualifying Event's Junior Federation and Junior Davis Cups respectively last week, while the 14 and Under players took part in the World Junior Tennis Competition a week earlier.

The Junior Davis cup squad did not fare well, losing all of its matches to bring up the rear among nine teams. Their female counterparts, however, gave the touring party something to smile about as they finished sixth out of ten teams in the Junior Federation Cup, beating Honduras and Guatamala en route.

"We then had to play Costa Rica to decide fifth and sixth place and we lost that though we battled hard," said coach and Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association President Terry Smith yesterday.

He noted that despite the results, Bermuda achieved its overall objective which was to expose the youngsters to the standard of play at this level. Hopefully, this will serve them well should they be chosen to represent the Island in future tournaments.

"Both teams performed well considering they were up against stiff competition. It's the first time we've attended these competitions and we were playing teams who compete every year. It was very tough but I would say the kids learned a lot.

"This was a developmental tool for us and, if these kids go on to play for Bermuda, I hope they would have gained some knowledge that they can use in their preparation and that they can also pass on to their other colleagues here."

In the Junior Federation Cup, won by El Salvador, Bermuda finished third in Group Two behind the eventual winners and Puerto Rico. They then played Costa Rica for fifth and sixth position and lost that tie 2-1. Bermudians Kara Fisher and Ashley Brooks bounced back from losing their singles matches to beat Maria Moya and Andrea Brenes 6-4, 6-4 in the doubles.

Among the boys, Smith highlighted the performance of John Masters whom he said "had some good matches".

"Because we lost, the results did not always reflect how we played. Also, they were using the `no advantage' system. So sometimes you would battle to deuce and then one more point would cost you the game.

"Some of our squad also got sick while we were there so we were not at full strength towards the end," explained the coach who was assisted by Laverne Stowe.

Meanwhile, in the 14 and Under World Junior Tennis tournament, Bermuda's boys finished last out of ten teams while the girls were eighth out of ten. Their coach was Howard Cross, with Rochelle Quinn as his assistant.

Squads

Junior Federation Cup: Ashley Brooks, Kara Fisher and Zoe Fisher.

Junior Davis Cup: John Masters, David Campbell and Kyle Smith.

World Juniors (boys): David Thomas, Larsson Grimm and Johnny Holland.

World Juniors (girls): Jasmine Quinn, Amanda Burns and Jacqueline Lambert.