Former top TT player doing well in the US
Stabroek News
June 8, 2002
A former leading junior player Andrew Kirton is doing well on the table tennis circuit in the United States where he has migrated.
Kirton is a former top player locally who was named to the national men's squad to prepare for the annual Caribbean championships in Colombia 1996.
Kirton missed the championships after he left to take up permanent residence in the US. Back home on a short holiday, Kirton told Stabroek Sport that he has had a number of successes since leaving Guyana. His favourite stomping ground is the annual Browsville Open championships where he won the men's singles at the 2001 summer tournament. He later returned to cart off the Open tournament played in December.
At this year's Brownsville Open, Kirton gained a bronze medal by placing third.
The former North Georgetown Secondary School student also scored successes at the Spin Tech Open in March 2001 and the Albany Open this year where he teamed up with Kelvin Duesbury to win the doubles title.
He also reached the semi-finals of the New Jersey Open.
His biggest win this year was the scalp of number one seed Roy Slyback whom he defeated 3-0 at the Indiana Open. However he followed up that defeat with a loss to Jason Miller in the quarter-finals.
Kirton now has his eyes fixed on the US Open in Fort Lauderdale Florida from July 2-8. He will team up with former school mate Mosi Killikelly in the doubles.
Kirton trains regularly at the Champions TT Club in New York with fellow Guyanese Paul David, Idi Lewis and Duesbury.
He leaves tomorrow to prepare for the US Open and later in the year the annual North American TT championships in Baltimore, Maryland.