Guyana’s women’s table tennis team bowed out of the team event at the 59th annual Caribbean Table tennis Championships now underway in Havana, Cuba after going down 0-3 to the host country in last night’s semi-final.
They were down to play the loser of the Jamaica/ Dominican Republic clash last night for third place.
It was a gallant run by the female team which defied the odds to reach the semi-finals after enduring a harsh draw.
Grouped with the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, two of the favourite teams, the Guyanese lost their opening game to the Dominican Republic 1-3 with form player Natalie Cummings being the only winner.
Faced with a must-win situation in order to reach the semi-finals the Guyanese girls rose to the challenge inflicting a 3-0 whipping on Puerto Rico.
Southpaw Trenace Lowe, who is yet to fulfill her amazing potential, defeated Alanis Rodrigues 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-1 to give the locals the perfect start.
Next up was Chelsea Edghill who beat Ana Paola Rivera 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7 and Cummings duly closed out the tie by beating Kristie Torres 11-5, 11-3, 11-5.
The team, in their opening match had been beaten 1-3 by the Dominican Republic with Eva Brito defeating Edghill 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, Esmerlyn Castro beating Lowe, 6-11, 11-4, 11-3, 13-11, Cinthya Sanchez losing to Natalie Cummings 8-11, 9-11, and 5-11 and Brito defeating Lowe, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-4.
They then rebounded to blank Martinique 3-0 with Cummings defeating Mevene Avrila 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, Edghill stopping Oceane Miredin 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 and Lowe beating Leila Rapinier 11-4, 11-1, 11-3.
The men’s team too found themselves grouped with the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, but unlike the women, they were unable to overcome that hurdle.
However according to President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association Godfrey Munroe, the men’s team should have been ranked much higher especially after participating in the Islamic Solidarity games in baku, Azerbaijan early in the year.
“Guyana should have been ranked higher than the other teams with the exception of Dominica Republic and Cuba based on the team’s showing and acquisition of world ranking points based on their play and participation in the 4th World Islamic games Azerbaijan May 2017,” wrote Munroe adding that the GTTA protested the seeding but to no avail.
The men’s team lost to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico 0-3 and 1-3 respectively to crash out of the reckoning for championship honours. They were down to play Dominica last night and a win will see them challenging St Kitts/Nevis for seventh spot.
Against the Dominican Republic, Christopher Franklin lost to Emile Santos 4-11, 3-11 and 4-11, Shemar Britton lost to Samuel Galvez 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-4 and Nigel Bryan lost to Isaac Vila 10-12, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4.
Against Puerto Rico men, Franklin lost to Ricardo Jiminez 11-6, 14-12, 11-6, Britton beat Sebastien Echevarria 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 10-12, Joel Alleyne lost to Hector Berrios 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 and Jiminez beat Britton 11-9, 11-1, 12-10.
