By Michaelangelo Jacobus
Amid much hype and excitement the ‘Road 2 Recovery’ International Volleyball tournament served off at the National Gymnasium last evening albeit two hours later than the 4 pm start it was originally scheduled for.
The tournament which boasts teams from Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad & Tobago and Brazil along with the local teams attracted a fair crowd and had a welcome atmosphere of cheer and warmth.
The female Demerara team had the honour of opening proceedings with a clash against their French Guiana counterparts. However, they ceded first blood to the visitors with a straight three- set loss.
The first two sets saw the French Guianese impose their dominance against a Demerara side which included West Indies female cricketer Cherryann Fraser. The first set began with both sides feeling out their opposition, testing tactics and positional plays, however, the French broke into their stride and took the first set 25-17.
By now in their comfort zone, the French side dispatched Demerara 25-11 in the second set which silenced the home crowd.
However, as if awakened from a slumber, the Demerara side came out inspired and put in a display worthy of the crowd’s cheers. The teams went back and forth with first the Demerara girls leading then the French regaining control. At one point the girls from Demerara found themselves leading the third set 20-17 with just five more points needed to keep themselves in the game. Alas, be it nerves or a lack of killer instinct, the Guyanese faltered and allowed French Guiana claw their way back with eight consecutive points to clinch the game. An anticlimactic end to Demerara’s misery.
The second match of the night saw the Demerara male team looking to set things right with their encounter against Suriname’s Yelyco.
Demerara’s men took the opening point in the first set with raucous cheers and caused more of the same with a second. The Dutch would take exception to this and came roaring back with five straight points of their own to set the tone for what would be a firecracker of a game.
It was a spike for spike contest with the opening set tied at 8-8 at one point. It continued in that fashion but Yelyco pulled away and outlasted their hosts to end up 25-19 winners of the opener.
The second game produced more fireworks but it was clear by now that the Surinamese held just a little edge. The second set went down to the wire but the Demerara men again lost, this time by a much closer margin, 23-25.
With the wind knocked out of their sails, the Demerara men surrendered the third set without much of a fight, giving Yelyco a three straight sets win.
Up to press time, the games were still on.
The tournament will continue today from 9 am at the same venue, serving off with action in the distaff side of the competition while the men will jump into action at noon.
The participating teams are Demerara men’s and women’s teams, Berbice Men’s team, Surinamese clubs Yelyco and Yellowbirds, French Guiana’s Mont Joly, Trinidad and Tobago’s Big Sepos and Brazil’s Roraima State team.
