`To whom much is given, much is expected.’- Jones tells players

By Stephan Sookram
“TO whom much is given, much is expected.” These were the words of Director of Sport Christopher Jones as he opened the 2016 edition of the National Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships yesterday.Ongoing at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue, the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) sanctioned tournament which commenced on Friday, had a break on Saturday for a brief opening ceremony, graced by the presence of the NSC boss.
And Jones, who was the guest speaker, said the players need to make proud those parents, administrators and coaches who are investing their time and energies.
In his brief remarks, the director opened by recounting words of the wise, while also adding that: “In any competition I consider that you have winners all round, because If you were not a winner, you would not have made it this far.”
He continued, “If you do not win first in this competition but you get second or third, it simply means you’ve had a bad day and if you go back the next day, you can very well win first place.”
He emphasised discipline as a watch word for the youngsters, saying: “In everything we do, we must demonstrate a level of discipline and respect for the game, because every game has rules we must be guided by and once you live your life in discipline, not only in tournaments and competitions, you will demonstrate it in life.”
Meanwhile ,GTTA president Godfrey Munroe contended that after a four-year hiatus, the tournament is back on the calendar with an aim to crown champions firstly and then identify talent to represent Guyana at the various international and regional tournaments.
At the end of day two yesterday, Jonathan Van Lange took the Novice category for males ahead of Sage Melville and Ravindra Mathura; while on the distaff side, Kiara Stall won ahead of Crystal Mellville and Nickey Melville.
Action continues today from 10:00hrs with the Boys’ Under-11 final,in which Kaysan Ninvalle will play Danesh Persaud, while in the girls’ division, Thuraia Thomas and Kassia Liverpool will play for the trophy.
In the girls’ Under-13 division, Nevaeah Clarkston beat Abagail Martin and Jamay Johnson, while in the boys’ division, Ninvalle will play Nyron Bisso.
In the Under-15 finals round-robin play off, Vincente Henery, Terrance Rausch, Nicholas Romain, and Ninvalle have moved onto the quarter-final.
The Under- 15 girls will see Selenas Jackman playing Clarkston in the final with the presentation ceremony set for 15:00hrs