AHEAD of their participation at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Australia and as part of their preparation for the event, male and female table tennis teams are set to attend a Central America and Caribbean (CAC) qualification tournament in Cuba which commences on February 28 and ends March 3.

Table tennis has been allotted eight spots on Guyana’s team to the Commonwealth Games, for players and officials.
So far the Guyana Table Tennis Association has shortlisted Christopher Franklin, Shemar Britton, Nigel Bryan, Joel Alleyne for the male side, while Trenace Lowe, Natalie Cummings, along with Joyanna Blake and Priscilla Greaves, as standbys, are the female prospects, according to president of the GTTA, Godfrey Munroe.
The possibility of an overseas-based player is also being considered. However, the player’s availability is still uncertain. The coach/manager for the team is expected to be Idi Lewis. The GTTA has until March 9 to submit the final team to the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA).

It is also expected that from this list players for next week’s CAC qualifiers will be selected, and it is hoped that apart from striving to qualify for the July 19 – August 3 CAC Games, the team can gauge their performance against the regional competitors’, as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games.

“I’m excited, (I’ve) been training really hard for three months now,” said Britton ahead of heading to Cuba next week. The 19-year-old is particularly hopeful of making the CAC qualifications

“And (I’m) really looking forward to playing, to see my level right now and also qualifying for CAC Games.”
Only the top eight of men’s and women’s teams and the top four players of the men’s and women’s individual events, whose countries have not qualified in the team events will qualify for CAC.

A former Caribbean silver medallist Britton should be among the final players. If selected, this would be his second time representing Guyana at the Commonwealth Games. He was the youngest player on the team at the last Commonwealth Games in 2014 in Scotland.
Britton has also played at the North American team championships and many other international tournaments.

Munroe shared that he is pleased with the team selected, since they are the best players that Guyana has to offer.
Apart from the main objectives, Munroe sees it as a critical opportunity for the players to gain experience.