… Women’s hockey team lose first game

ON the second day of the ongoing Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, the Guyana National Men’s and Women’s table tennis teams bowed out of the Team competition while the National Women’s hockey team suffered a loss in their opening game against the Dominican Republic.

After beating Barbados on Thursday to keep their quarter-final hopes alive, they faced El Salvador yesterday and lost 3-0.

Natalie Cummings came up against El Salvador’s Estafania Ramirios and was defeated in the first two games 11-5 and 11-8 before hauling one back at 11-8. However, Ramirios went on to take the next game 11-5 to wrap up proceedings.

Up next was the tenacious Chelsea Edghill who faced Emme Arias and lost 3-2. Arias took the first two games with identical scores of 12-10 before Edghill fought back with two straight sets of 11-3 and 11-4. However the fifth and final game went to Arias 11-8.

In the doubles match, El Salvadorian pair, De-Ying Wang and Arias, beat Edghill and Trenace Lowe 3-1, to knock Guyana out of the competition. They won 9-11, 12-10, 11-8 and 11-9.

The men, who lost to top-seeded Cuba on Thursday, faced host nation Colombia and were beaten 3-0.

Christopher Franklin played Joaquin Villegas and suffered 6-11, 11-8, 8-11 and 8-11. Meanwhile Shemar Britton tested Julian Ramos but lost 9-11, 7-11, and 9-11. In the doubles clash Nigel Bryan and Christopher Franklin went down to Villegas and Miguel Aguirre in games of 8-11, 9-11 and 1-11.

Meanwhile, the hockey ladies, playing in their first group game against Dominican Republic, did well in the first half but succumbed to four late goals.

The Guyanese were frustrated in attack but defended well until late in the game, Dominican Marian Gonzalez swept home a field goal in the 40th minute which opened the floodgates.

Cecilia Paganini added a second in the 43rd minute before Ana Williams Rodriguez and Paula Birocho added two more in the 55th and 57th minutes respectively.

The Games continue today with the Men’s National hockey team in action while the squash players will also take the court.