by KENMORE BYNOE NATIONAL VOLLEYBALLER Alain London has received the best new year's gift of his sporting life. The highly talented 18-year-old setter left the island yesterday to embark on a four-year volleyball scholarship at the University of Lindenwood, Missouri, United States. London has been a reserve setter on the Barbados senior team since 2002. However, as a key member of the junior team he led Barbados to the Caribbean Volleyball Championships (CVC) title in Aruba last June. Tallest setter His all-round ability also led the Barbados Community College (BCC) to double crown honours during the 2004/05 season. The 6ft 3in player is the tallest setter to don national colours. That height gives him the blocking edge which setters generally lack at the net. He has represented Barbados at two Junior CVCs, two Senior CVCs, the CAC Games, the Pan American Championships, two NORCECA tournaments and World Championships Qualifiers. London's scholarship came about by his No.1 fan, mother Roxanne London, targeting North American universities and colleges. Ironically, the positive response from Lindenwood arrived at the same time as an offer from New Haven, where several Barbados girls have gotten scholarships in the past. "However, the offer from Lindenwood was more attractive," said Ms London who will be travelling with her son to assist in his settling in. London, who studied mechanical engineering at BCC, will be taking up computer studies at Lindenwood. He expressed great thanks to the coaches and management of both the junior and senior national teams as well as the support of his teammates. However, the greatest thanks were reserved for his mother who supported him in all of his volleyball matches for Christ Church Foundation, BCC, the BNB Juniors as well as the Barbados junior and senior teams. Early days London also highlighted the work of Foundation coach Fernando Skeete who helped to mould him from his early days on the Foundation's under-15 team. The new year promises a lot for volleyball with "Cawmere" player Fabian Bartlett also getting a scholarship to the United States. This is the first time that males from Barbados have received volleyball scholarships to the United States, unlike the females who have landed more than 20 scholarships since 1986.
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