The National Sport Commis-sion’s (NSC) annual Mash-ramani table tennis tournament scheduled to get underway this Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall has been postponed to commence Monday at the same venue.
National table tennis coach, Linden Johnson told Stabroek Sport yesterday that the tournament had been rescheduled to accommodate the finals of the students’ costume competition and karate competition over this weekend.
“The Mashramani schools costume competition was shifted from the National Cultural Centre to the Sports Hall on Friday so we were asked to push the tournament back,” Johnson said.
In addition to the schools costume event there will be a karate competition on Saturday and Sunday at the country’s lone multi- purpose sports venue. Johnson said the response to the tournament had been positive.
“We have several entries so far, up to last week we had about 50 entries,” the coach indicated, adding that the junior categories will be the focus of this year’s Mashramani table tennis tournament.
When asked if the tournament will be used as a base to channel players into the national senior and junior table tennis team, Johnson explained that the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) is merely helping with the organisation of an NSC event.
“The GTTA is working along with the NSC, it’s really NSC’s tournament,” Johnson said, shying away from the question of selection of the top players in the Mashramani event to represent Guyana at overseas tournaments. General Secretary of the GTTA Godfrey Munroe had identified several overseas table tennis championships that the association will be eyeing this year as they gear up for the Olympic and Pan American trials.
The annual Mashramani tournament is expected to attract the cream of the country’s top players, including 2006 Junior Sportswoman of the Year, Trenace Lowe playing in the junior and senior categories.
Lowe will face strong challenges from 2004 and 2005 Junior Sportswoman of the Year, Michelle John, while 2003 Junior Sports woman, Jody Ann Blake will look for a rebirth in the women’s singles.
The tournament’s 2005 and 2006 men’s singles champion, Christopher Franklin will have to put in his best performance to overcome his rivals, Idi Lewis, Paul Meusa, Colin France, Godfrey Munroe and Tristan Gaime.
In the younger age group categories, 2006 Caribbean mini-cadet champion, Nigel Brian will be pressed to relinquish his psychological edge over Joel Alleyne, Stephan Patior, Samuel Fraser, Brandon Baldie, Elishaba Johnson, Jamal and Denzil Duff.
Counterparts in the girls’ categories, Tiffany Blair and Ambrose Thomas, among others, will be on show at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from Monday. The competition starts at 4 pm each day and will conclude on Friday, March 2.
Johnson said that heated battles are expected at this year’s tournament since the prestige of the Mashramani tournament has grown every year. He said that the players are always eager to explode at the event each year.
