Guyana’s Kaysan Ninvalle Saturday night wrote his name in the Caribbean Table Tennis history book when he won the boys’ 11 years and under singles title as the curtain came down on this year’s Caribbean pre-cadet and cadet championships at the National Indoor Sports Centre, Jamaica.
Ninvalle won this country’s only gold medal of the championships but had to dig deep to outlast Trinidad and Tobago’s Jalen Kerr in a tough match which went the distance.
The Trinidadians had ruled the roost in the team events winning all and seemed enroute to another clean sweep in the individual singles events.
However, young Ninvalle had other ideas and in a gripping, thrilling five setter prevailed 3-2 over Kerr winning 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7.
It was the only final the Trinidadians lost.
Guyana had two other players in the finals both both Neveah Clarkston and Isaiah Layne lost in the finals of the U13 girls and boys’ divisions respectively.
Clarkston settled for silver losing to Trinidad’s Shreya Maragh, the division’s top seed who was also forced to dig deep to prevail against Clarkston ( 3-2) 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9.
In the boys’ U13 final, Trinidad’s Derron Douglas, the top seed defeated Layne 11-8, 12-10, 11-3.
Teams from Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana participated in the championships.
