… Saunders defeat Jackman in five-set thriller
EDWARD ‘Bo’ Favorite pulled out all the stops to take home championship honours in the ‘B’ Class category of the Rasville Table Tennis Club’s first anniversary in house championship last Tuesday night at the clubhouse, located in Rasville, Roxanne Burnham Gardens. On the same night, national selectee Tyriq Saunders defeated his nemesis and fellow national selectee Salinas Jackman in a thrilling five-set encounter, which had spectators cheering every point won in what can be described as a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ between the two Under-13 players.
Other winners included Dwayne Gibson and Anfernne George who won the ‘A’ Class and Beginners’ categories on Sunday, but it was Favorite, along with the Saunders/Jackman matches which brought the residents to the venue.
Following the playoffs, three players, Favorite, Josiah Charles and Joshua Nichols – all residents of Rasville –  competed for the top three positions in the ‘B’ Class category and after defeating Charles 11-9, 11-8 in the first match, Favorite churned out his top game to demolish Nichols 11-3, 11-4 while Charles also thrashed Nichols 11-3, 11-6, leaving him in an emotional state.
Seven participants registered for the Under-13 category, among them Saunders, Jackman and Keifer Brandt, who had upset Jackman in the preliminaries, to top the group heading into the playoffs.
However, the old adage ‘Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place’ was applicable last Tuesday night, as Jackman, who, along with Saunders, was named in a provisional squad by the Guyana Table Tennis Association for the Junior Cadet Championships to be held in Jamaica, turned the tables on Brandt.
Her fore and back hand loops were devastating to watch, as she unleashed them like a swordsman unsheathing his sword, leaving Brandt in a helpless position on her way to winning their semifinal matchup 11-6, 11-6.
In the other encounter, Shamar Norton forced Saunders to a third game, after he lost the first at 6, won the second 13-11 before bowing out in the third 11-6, handing Saunders a place in the final against Jackman, while he was left to battle Brandt for the third place playoff which he lost 12-14, 13-10.
Saunders won the first game 11-6 but lost games two and three 7-11, 6-11 to a revived-looking Jackman, who forced him to call a timeout at the completion of the third game, with the scorecard reading 2-1 in favour of Jackman.
That break worked for Saunders, who took game four 11-5, to force a deciding fifth game, much to the delight of coach Melissa Dow-Richardson, who found it hard to contain her joy, as she looked at the fruits of her labour which began one year ago.
Both players showed why they were selected by the GTTA, as they battled back and forth for the lead, with Saunders calling on his forehand loops, while Jackman used her backhand to telling effect, coming back from 4-8 to force the game into deuce.
In the end, Saunders won the game 12-10 and the matchup 3-2, to take home the first-place trophy, while Jackman, who burst into tears when she was told the game was over, was given a rousing round of applause from the spectators.
Gibson took the ‘A’ Class category, after he got the better of Mario Nichols 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 in the final, after defeating Josiah Charles 11-3, 11-7 in their semifinal matchup, while Nichols triumphed over Denzil Jones 6-11, 11-4, 13-11 in the semifinals with Jones going on to upstage Josiah Charles 11-4, 6-11, 11-7 for third place.
All remaining matches, in the Doubles, Elders, Assistant Coaches and Rasville Wild Card categories will be played during the first week of May, capping off with the announcement of the Elite Rasville Table Tennis Club (RTTC) Team which will be coached by Dow-Richardson.
Through the continued assistance of national player Idi Lewis and the sponsorship of Dr Duncan of Computer World in Middle Street, the RTTC was outfitted with purple and green-coloured warm-up/player tops, which they will be used in GTTA competitions.
An exceptional array of table tennis friends, including celebrity players Idi and Edinho Lewis, Christopher Franklin, Joel Allen and national coach Colin France, visited and spent the afternoon with the club and its members last Sunday, the first day of the championships.
Also visiting were Rev. Jacqueline Bourne, owner and proprietor of Jackie’s Fashion House, who received a special reward in recognition of the “platinum support” that she has given to the budding community empowerment venture during the foundation year 2011-2012.
The coach would like to express heartfelt gratitude to all sponsors and supporters, during the year 2011-2012 and for the Championships in particular, Trophy Stall (Bourda Market), Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, Director of Sport Neil Kumar and other well wishers in general.