Junior Caribbean table tennis ...
Guyana cop singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles
Guyana Chronicle
July 28, 2003
GUYANA’S girls were glittering with pride and trophies on Saturday night, having excelled in every event on the closing night of the Junior Caribbean and Central American Table Tennis Championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The home girls copped the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles, while for the boys Barbados got top honours after they won the boys singles and doubles titles.
In the feature address at the closing ceremony, Director of Sports Neil Kumar extended an invitation to the Trinidadian and Barbadian teams to return for the Independence table tennis competition next year.
Kumar said he looked forward to having more CARICOM countries being part of the competition, though this would take time.
“Sports will bring us together,” Kumar said.
On Saturday night, Guyana’s girls proved their superiority with most of the matches being played among them.
In the singles event, 13-year-old Michelle John who was seeded number two, defeated fellow Guyanese Vida Moore to book a place in the finals with Jody Ann Blake. Being backed by the largest crowd of the tournament, Blake whipped John, after playing a sensible round, knowing that she had the edge. Blake executed her shots immaculately to win 4-0, 11-3, 11-3, 11-9, 11-3.
In the girls’ doubles it was all-Guyanese once again. Blake and Moore thrashed John and Delissa Cummings 3-0, with scores of 11-8, 11-8 and 11-6.
In the semifinal, John and Cummings defeated the Twin Island pair of Motilal and Subero 3-0, while Blake and Moore stopped the strong team of Felix and Russell from Barbados 3-1.
In the mixed doubles, Michael Waithe and Blake scraped the title away from number one and number two players in their respective divisions of Barbados, Sherrice Felix and Anderson Carrington.
That match which was a see-saw affair, saw Barbados going up 3-1 after the first four games. This, though, did not stop the Guyanese players as they dug deep to produce three games straight to take the prestigious prize 9-11, 3-11, 12-10, 15-13, 11-7, 11-7.
In the boy’s matches, seeded numbers one and two Barbadian players Kevin Farley and Carrington battled for the singles title.
As expected, the match was won by Farley; but it was no pushover, with Carrington putting up a tough fight, in the 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 win.
In the boys’ doubles, Farley and Carrington took on Guyana’s Waithe and Sankar.
The Barbadian pair dominated the match and Guyana lost three games to one, 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 6-11.
Along with the Junior Caribbean and Central American Table Tennis Championships, the Masters open tournament was also held at the Sports Hall.
In the women’s Over-35 and Over-40 singles Verna Edwards of Trinidad and Tobago copped first place; in the men’s Over-40 Doubles, Guyana’s Donald Duff and Michael Vieira defeated the Trinidadian team of Asgarali and Edwards 3-1.
In the Masters’ Over-35 doubles Barbadian Sealey and St Vincentian Stanley defeated the Trinidadian duo of Asgarali and Roopnarine 3-0 while in the Over-50 doubles Michael Vieira and Bruce Murray won against fellow Guyanese Muniram Persaud and Leon Yaw 3-1.
Earlier, the girls won the team title, while the Barbadian boys did the same.
Next month Guyana will be sending a contingency of eight players - four boys and four girls - to Jamaica to take part in the Senior Caribbean Championships.
