GUYANA’S quest for glory at the 23rd edition of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Barranquilla, Colombia got off to a conflicting start yesterday, in table tennis, with the men and women playing in the group stage of the team competition.
It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Guyanese as the women recorded a win and a loss in their two matches while the men lost their only match of the day.
Up first were the Guyanese ladies who are in Pool 3 along with Cuba, El Salvador and Barbados. They came up against Cuba in their first match and lost 3-0.
Cuban player Lisi Castillo defeated Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill in sets of 11-8, 11-7 and 11-6; Castillo’s teammate Idalys Lovet then dispatched Trenace Low in straight sets of 11-6, 11-6 and 11-7.
In the doubles match, the Guyanese duo of Natalie ‘Speedy’ Cummings and Edghill managed to win a solitary game but lost the match 3-1.
In the first two games, Cuba’s Lovet and Shelly Machado were tested to their limits but managed to win both games 11-8. However, in the third game, Cummings and Edghill managed to pull one back winning 13-11 before surrendering in the fourth game 11-7.
In their second encounter, the Guyanese women faced Barbados and won comfortably. Edghill faced Kenady King and won in straight games of 11-2, 11-5 and 11-1 while Cummings defeated Janae Lewis 11-9, 11-2 and 11-3.
In the Doubles encounter Lowe and Edghill made light work of Barbados’ duo Daniele Walton and Janae Lewis winning 11-7, 11-6 and 11-2.
Pitted in Pool 1 with Cuba and Colombia, the Guyanese men faced the top-seeded Cubans with Shemar Britton facing Cuba’s Livan Martinez; the latter took the first game 11-4 before Britton bounced back to win the second game 11-7. This was the only game won by the Guyanese men. However he lost the next two games with identical scores of 5-11,
Christopher Franklin then faced Cuban Jorge Campos and lost in straight games of 11-5, 11-3 and 11-4.
In the Doubles match, Nigel Bryan and Franklin came up against the Cuban duo of Martinez and Andy Pereira; they lost 11-7, 11-6 and 11-5.
After the first day of competition, the Guyanese women sit third in Pool 3 with three (3) points after two Team matches played while Cuba are first with four points, El Salvador second with three points but a better score ratio. Barbados are bottom of the Pool with two points.
Meanwhile the Guyanese men are second in Pool 1 with one point while Cuba are top with two points and Colombia are yet to play.
The Men head into action today against Colombia while the Women will face El Salvador.
The Guyanese table tennis contingent is as follows: Matthew Khan (coach), Godfrey Munroe (coach), Priscilla Greaves, Trenace Lowe, Christopher Franklin, Natalie Cummings, Shemar Britton, Nigel Bryan, Joel Alleyne and Chelsea Edghill.
