By Frederick Halley
TORONTO, Canada – Defending champions Glory Guys shrugged off a fierce challenge from front-runners and newcomers East/West to once again enter winner’s row when the Canadian Dominoes Association (CDA) annual aggregate tournament climaxed recently at Fusion Bar & Restaurant, Scarborough, here.By far the most consistent team in the tournament over the years, Glory Guys had to call on all their reserves with East/West taking the early lead, but failing to maintain the momentum towards the closing stages.
In the end, Glory Guys emerged winners with a commanding 2886 games with East/West having to settle for the first runner-up spot on 2864, Cougars third on 2814 and Better Hope fourth with 2810.
Of the other sides in the nine-team tournament, Essequibo ended with 2801, Demerara 2780, Young Blood 2773, Titans 2761 and Empire 2751.
Zakir Khan, who is also the long-standing president of the CDA and who represented Better Hope, emerged as the leading scorer with 533 games, earning $180 (Can) in the process while Rashinal (Glory Guys) finished second with 503, Bernard Thomas (Glory Guys) third with 498 and Duggie Bacchus (East/West) fourth with 497. The second and third-place finishers took home $100 (Can) and $60 (Can) respectively.
John Gonsalves of Titans copped the title for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards with seven, while the consistent Zakir Khan had six and there were five each for Robin Gowkarran and Alim.
Glory Guys skipper Ryan Chung shared the most loves (seven), with his teammate Seeram Singh and Demerara’s Errol Budhoo finishing with six each. Chung collected $70 (Can) for his efforts.
Cash prizes totalling $5000 were handed out to all the participating teams with the winners collecting $1200; first runners-up $900; second runners-up $700 and third runners-up $570. All the other teams received $200 each. Several trophies were also up for grabs.
In a magnanimous gesture, Zakir Khan donated his winnings and an undisclosed sum to Empire’s Zane Cooman, who is in the process of furthering his academic studies. According to Khan, he’s very impressed with the youngster’s effort to upgrade his skills, hence the move to assist him.
Khan also disclosed that the CDA has been able to assist an orphanage in Guyana over the last year, with several items being donated, while some 30 persons were also fed.
The humanitarian efforts also extended to a library in Malvern, Ontario, while a family in Scarborough was the recipient of a refrigerator. Khan extended thanks to the players for making these ventures a reality.
However, Khan’s announcement that he was giving up the mantle as leader for the CDA was met with instant disapproval by the players, who all felt he has been doing an excellent job. Whether or not that decision will be reversed before the next season commences in October is unknown.
Glory Guys’ remarkable run of victories has increased to an amazing 11 out of 12 seasons. The only team to stop their unprecedented march were Cougars in the 2012-2013 season, when they finished second.