- surgery prevents Madhoo from defending title

The 2008 National Darts Championship held over the weekend by the Guyana Darts Association (GDA) saw a new men’s singles champion being crowned.

The tournament which was expected to be a tussle between defending champion Norman Madhoo and currently Guyana’s highest internationally-rated player, Sudesh Fitzgerald, never materialized.

Contacted for a comment as to why he did not turn up for the nationals, Madhoo who has had a troublesome knee problem over the years said that on October 15 he  underwent surgery and has not yet recuperated.

Norman said that at present he is undergoing rigorous therapy in the hope of making the national team to the Bryden’s Open in Barbados on November 13. Madhoo said that he has less than two weeks to see how his knee will hold up.
Meanwhile in matches played at the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) Sports Club over the weekend Fitzgerald showed his mettle, walking away with one individual title and two team titles.

In the team tournament, consisting of four players which was played first, the team of Fitzgerald, Mark Semple, Christine Amyan and Bryan James won over Anil Latchman, Sherwin Greene, Francis Correia and Guy Wharton.
In the mixed triples Fitgerald’s team did not make the finals and the team of Latchman, Christine Amyon and Greene took the title from Christopher and Hemwattie Amyan and Andrew Balchand.

In the mixed doubles Balchand teamed up with H. Amayan to defeat Christine Amyan and Latchman to take the title.
When the men’s doubles had reached the finals stage the team of Fitzgerald and James and Latchman and Greene stood alone but when the score was checked the Fitzgerald-led team was crowned National Doubles Champions.

With only two titles undecided the ladies and men’s singles, the CCWU Sports Club was all on fire as everyone wanted to see who would replace Madhoo and who would dethrone defending champion Rosetta Hiralal. Hiralal would have none of that though as she turned back the challenge of newly-crowned mixed doubles champion Hemwattie Amyan and the seasoned Jean DeSouza to defend her title with rapturous applause from the crowd, much to the dismay of Amyan and DeSouza who had to settle for second and third respectively.

In the men’s play  the wily Fitzgerald showed why he is the best currently as Latchman and Christopher Amyan had to feel the effect of consistency. Latchman who shot a round of 180 out of a possible 180 could not stop the hot Fitzgerald who walked away smiling with the coveted title of Guyana National Darts Champion 2008.

Latchman settled for the second spot and Amyan third when the curtains came down.