Guyana’s Colin France toppled a star-studded field of table tennis racquet-wielders, which included two former Caribbean champions, to capture the prestigious Reality and Maintenance Services Limited Supersingles men’s crown in Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend.
In a pulsating six-man round robin final, held at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Chaguanas, France defeated former two-time Caribbean men’s singles champion Lionel Darceuil by three matches to one to cart off the US$200 first prize.
France and Darceuil were meeting in a virtual final after both players entered the final round robin game with three wins as against one defeat.
“I was extremely tired at this point but I told myself I wasn’t losing to Darceuil and had to go in deep. It was do-or-die,” France told this newspaper yesterday.
The tournament was not without the usual drama which, this time, was centered on the International Table Tennis Federation’s recent ban of the toxic speed glue which was replaced by a water-based glue for all international tournaments.
And former Caribbean junior boys champion Kevin Farley of Barbados was caught using an illegal glue and lost by default to France despite winning the encounter 3-0.
According to France when Farley’s racquet was first tested a red light came on signifying the use of the illegal glue.
Farley, France said, subsequently produced another racquet which was cleared.
But immediately after the game was completed, an official tested the racquet again and the red light came on indicating that the racquet was glued with a banned substance.
“After the match the official grabbed the racquet and put it back in the tester and the red light came on,” France recalled.
France’s next opponent was Trevor Farley, Kevin’s brother, and the former two-time Caribbean men’s singles winner handed France his only defeat of the round and the tournament winning a gripping five setter by three matches to two.
The evergreen France had earlier made light work of Trinidad’s Courtney Pugh and Michael Nanton winning by 3-0 scores.
He had also scored the upset of the tournament taking out the in-form Curtis Humphreys.
In so doing France who whipped the number one seed Humphreys, 3-0, avenged a defeat having lost to the same player in May this year in the semi-finals of the Silver Bowl tournament.
Defending champion Anthony `Sandfly’ Browne did not take part.
France, a table tennis coach attached to the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club table tennis section, is the first Guyanese to win this tournament.
He is indebted to Guyana Cricket Board president Chetram Singh, Michael Vieira of NP Electronics, Robb Street, Nigel Johnson of Nigel’s Supermarket, Harold Hopkinson, Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey Edghill and Mr. and Mrs. Bish Panday for making his participation in the tournament possible.
