Past versus present TT showdown for CASH Saturday

Past table tennis players several of whom were national champions will take on the current crop of national players in a one-day extravaganza this Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 4pm.

The event is the brainchild of former national female Table Tennis champion, Chelsea Edghill, who is back home on holiday from the United States where she is attending college.

The event has the backing of the Guyana Table Tennis Association whose president Godfrey Munroe is himself a two-time former national men’s singles champion.

However co-ordinating the event on behalf of the GTTA is another former national player and current vice president of the GTTA Gary Pratt.

According to the GTTA, the event will be used as fund-raising one for the upcoming senior Caribbean Championships in Jamaica.

“It’s a fund-raising event to garner funds for the senior Caribbean Championships,” Edghill told Stabroek Sport in a recent interview. 

She indicated that there is no cost attached to enter the venue and that drinks and food will be on sale for patrons who will be entertained by two generations of Guyana’s top racket wielders.

Spearheading the past players will be former Caribbean men’s singles champion Sydney Christophe and his brother Mike.

Mike and Sydney Christophe share the distinction of both being national men’s singles champions of this country with Sydney holding the record for the most wins followed by Mike Baptiste.

Mike Christophe will  be the manager/player of the past side which will also include three-time former men’s singles champion and defensive wizard Colin `Hasegawa’ France, one time men’s singles champion Andy `The Dragon’ Anderson,  Leslie `Peasy’ Gill, Andrew `Zeuss’ Daly, Donald Duff and female player Jody Ann Blake.

The present stars will be led by current national men’s champion Christopher Franklyn, Edghill, Nigel Bryan, Natalie ‘Speedy’ Cummings, Joel Alleyne, Shemar Britton and Elishaba Johnson.

Two of the Generation Next players in Jonathan Van Lange and Kaysan Ninvalle will also be on show while there will be several exhibition matches.

There are a number of special invitees to witness what should be a fun day of table tennis for the connoisseurs.