MTM Holds Craig Bean Memorial Tournament
In honour of Craig Bean, Manders Tennis Management [MTM] hosted the Craig Bean Memorial Championships at the Fairmont Southampton last weekend.
A spokesperson said, “Manders Tennis Management hosted the Craig Bean Memorial Championships at the Fairmont Southampton last weekend, with Manders proud to be given the opportunity to remember someone particularly important to him.
“Bean was the top junior player on the island when he passed at the age of 18 in a road accident in 2000.
“Gavin Manders spoke of the importance of preserving the memory of former youth tennis player Craig Bean by hosting a tournament in his memory.”
“Hosting the tournament was really special for us,” said Manders. “Craig is someone I looked up to, and having the Bermuda tennis community come together to help us celebrate something that transcends the sport, was truly special.
“I sat down with Mr. and Mrs. Bean to come up with the best way to honor Craig with his birthday coming up, and I believe it was a perfect week. Working with the Bean family who was there every step of the way to help MTM bring the event to life, was an amazing experience, and I feel honored and blessed to have the opportunity.
“Holistically, this event had it all. Great energy, quality tennis, grass roots involvement, special comebacks, sportsmanship, Bermuda tennis growth, community support and nothing but positive vibes, all characteristics that embodied what Craig represented on the court.
“It was an opportunity for us to show the younger generations how much he meant to all of us and tell the story of his life as we remember it.
“He was about four years ahead of me, but I used to watch him and look up to him.
“He had such an amazing energy and personality about him; he had this energy that was just contagious.
“His name has lived on and I’m now at an age to properly articulate just what he meant to me. It felt like the right time to honor him with a tournament like this. Truly a special birthday present to him as he watches down on us.”
The spokesperson said, “Seeing such a tournament being held also brings a great sense of fulfillment to Craig’s father, Richard, who reflected on his pride at being able to see his son’s memory living on in a way to help inspire the next generation of Bermudian players.”
“To see Gavin host a tournament like this is lovely and we as a family really appreciate it,” said Mr. Bean, a former president of Port Royal Tennis Club.
“I know Gavin has spoken about looking up to Craig and we feel really honored. At the time Craig was playing there was a really nice crop of Bermudian players and it’s nice to see the sport continuing to grow on island.
“It was great to see some of the young players follow in his footsteps and it’s lovely to know his legacy is living on. Tennis was always his main sport and to see him still being able to be an inspiration to others makes us really proud.
“Sometimes it still feels like yesterday that we lost Craig but it makes us really proud to have something like this to remember him by.”
Tournament referee Jovan Whitter said, “The Craig Bean Memorial was a historic event for us at MTM. Between the number of participants, who those participants were, having his parents and extended family out to volunteer and soak up the atmosphere, we couldn’t have asked for a better event.
“The emotions were high all week as everybody could feel the weight of what Craig meant to the Bermuda tennis community. From a personal perspective it was an absolute joy to see some of the players from his era as a junior come back out in his memory. Thank you to all that played and supported.”
Number one and winner of the Open A Division Tariq Simons said, “I thoroughly enjoyed playing the Craig Bean Memorial, not as much because I won, but more because of the atmosphere that was created. It’s awesome to have that many people out to watch tennis in Bermuda all in memory of a special person that meant so much to so many, Craig Bean.
“To the spectators, players, the Bean family and MTM, thank you so much for creating the atmosphere we enjoyed throughout the entire tournament.”
The spokesperson said, “The main event showcased an all MTM final with Gavin Manders facing off against student Tariq Simons. Jared Rego brought in by MTM to catch the essence of the night gave a recap below of the entertaining final while a large crowd looked on.
“Young rising star Tariq Simons took control right from the start and never looked back to win the inaugural Craig Bean tennis tournament at the Fairmont Southampton courts on Friday night.
“Simons, facing his own teacher Gavin Manders, got off to the perfect start after the current Bermuda #2 won the toss and elected to serve. The teenager edged a few long exchanges, pushing Manders this way and that before eventually breaking his serve.
“However, in typical Gavin fashion, the 34-year-old came right back to level with a break of his own, placing a few hard groundstrokes towards the corners in the process.
“Both players held serve comfortably to gain some service confidence after the aggressive start by the returner in the opening moments. However, in the fifth game, which went through four deuces and had a few swashbuckling points, Simons stole his second break of the night.
“The Bermuda number one, after holding his own serve easily, stole yet another break after pushing Manders forward and back with a perfect variety of shots. However, the pressure of serving out the set got to the teen and Gavin broke back, before the veteran held serve to put even more pressure on Tariq.
“However, some brilliant spot serving coupled with total composure helped Simons hold his nerve to clinch the opening set in just under forty minutes 6-4, as the raucous crowd watched on with anticipation.
“The second set opened up with a simple hold for Manders, who ramped up his level early to steal an immediate break and open up an advantage. However, some brilliant timing and shot selection brought Simons back on terms, first breaking Gavin’s serve and then consolidating it.
“The most entertaining portion of this fiery encounter had to be the final few games; Manders and Simons traded breaks in four games, as the level of cat-and-mouse action ramped up in front of an awestruck crowd.
“An excellent all-round performance from Simons, one of Bermuda’s youngest #1 players, was concluded with one of his finest ground shots of the night on match point.
“Manders, who came in with a sore left calf injured from a previous match – the semi-final against Scott Redmond – hit a high looping ball to keep himself in control of the point. Yet, Simons was equal to the defensive shot and hammered a jumping shot down the line to clinch the match 6-4, 6-4 in just under two hours.
“An impressive overall performance from the local number one, but Manders gave it everything he had in a typical cat-and-mouse affair.”
Winners and Finalists:
- Open A Winner – Tariq Simons
- Open A Runner-up – Gavin Manders
- Open B Winner – Moziah Selassie
- Open B Runner-up – Mike Toyer
- Women’s Winner – Kirstin Saltus
- Women’s Runner-up – Morgan Lightbourne
- Green Ball Winner – Malahku Selassie
- Green Ball Runner-up – Jaden Jones
- Orange Ball Winner – Ollie Anderson
- Orange Ball Runner-up – Selina Bascome
- U12 Girls Winner – Sienna Outtrim
- U12 Boys Winner – Kyan Hands
- U12 Boys Runner-up – Tom MacLoughlin
- U14 Girls Winner – Tejah Bean
- U14 Girls Runner-up – Amaya Rollins
- U14 Boys Winner – Tom MacLoughlin
- U14 Boys Runner-up – Ethan Anderson
- U16 Boys Winner – Mackai Whitter
- U16 Boys Runner-up – Vincent Boisvert
- Over 45s Winner – Jon Brunson
- Over 45s Runner-up – Lionel Bartley
- Over 55s Winner – Arnold Manders
- Over 55s Runner-up – Finote Hiwot
