Jeffrey “Borah” Best traded shots with the best road tennis players of yesteryear during his heyday.
Now, the 1998 Banks Islandwide champion is about to roll back the years as he comes out of retirement to tackle the cream of today’s generation in the lucrative Massy Insurance Clash of Titans which has a record first prize of $12 000.
Best’s return to the road begins tonight when he faces former Barbados standout volleyball spiker Ivor Lashley in the fifth of the nine matches scheduled for The Villages At Coverley tennis court on the second straight night of preliminary play.
“I think road tennis need the impetus of the old players to come back to give the youngsters more confidence,” Best told NATION SPORT in an interview at the Players’ Reception at Bagatelle Great House last Thursday night.
“Everybody is saying that the old players done and they can make it. Antoine [Daniel] now come back and win [the Monarch of Court] so I decided that once I am fit, I am coming back to play because I still feel that I have something to contribute to road tennis,” Best said while explaining his decision to return to the fray.
Best, who has won numerous tournaments during his career of almost four decades, including the Anthony “Tiny” Jordan Memorial Classic, quit competitive tennis after winning the Berger Tournament five years ago.
He said his biggest problem in making a successful comeback will be his fitness.
“I’ve been hurt for the last month or so but once I’m fit, I can challenge anybody in road tennis,” Best affirmed.
“Once I remain fit, my expectation is to go straight to the semi-finals,” added Best, who journeyed to England for three successive years between 2001 and 2003 to promote the indigenous game in the United Kingdom.
Another oldstager, Winston “Charles McEnroe” Griffith, will also be on court tonight.
Griffith is slated to square off against the versatile Dwayne Lynch, a one-time former Barbados footballer and Division 1 cricketer, who has made a successful return to the sports arena after a serious motor cycle accident a few years ago.
Alexander “Fire” Clarke will get the ball rolling at 6:30 p.m. against Christ Church’s B class player, Simon Bayne, followed by a clash between Winston “Brolis” Padmore and former Gall Hill Division 1 football goalkeeper, Sylvanus Doyle.
Other interesting encounters include the showdown between Julian “Snake” Quimby and Leroy Best and the battle between Michael Jean and Anderson Smith.
