By Kiev Chesney
Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago were locked in the race for top spot with four title wins each going into today’s final round of the 13th annual Caribbean Junior and Cadet championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Trinidad, already with wins in the boys’ Under-18 and under-15 team events, added two more titles to their tally with wins in the U-18 boys’ doubles and the U-15 mixed doubles events.
In the Under-15 mixed doubles final played on Saturday night, Kadesia Abbott and Khadeem Moore survived a dramatic come-from-behind attempt from Nigel Bryan and Ambrose Thomas, to win 11-5, 11-4, 11-13, 6-11 and 11-9.
The Trinidadians led 10-9 in the final game and on the next point, the ball appeared to come off the table which would have meant that the scores would have been tied 10-10.
But umpire Vernon Rodrigues consulted with scorer Own John and then announced that John was of the opinion that the ball had landed on the edge of the table (chinked) before going off. The match was subsequently awarded to the Trinidad pair.
Yesterday in the boys’ Under-18 doubles final, Kenwin Small and Zeke Huggins defeated Kyle Bornoe and Rakellon Pierre 3-2 in a gripping all-Trinidadian final.
The red, black and white soldiers of Trinidad and Tobago almost claimed gold Saturday night when Ashley Quashie and Small defeated Warren Hackshaw and Trenace Lowe to advance to the U-18 mixed doubles final. However, Guyana had the dependable pair of Darwin Walcott and Michelle John ensured the gold stayed at home when they prevailed 3-2 in the final.
Team Guyana then began a very productive day yesterday when they captured two more titles.
John and Lowe raced to a comfortable victory against Trinidadians Avonelle Abraham and Quashie in the girls’ Under-18 doubles final just as they did in the final of the U-18 girls’ team event.
And Bryan avenged his loss in the U-15 mixed doubles final on Saturday night when he teamed-up with Denzil Hopkinson to capture the boys’ U-15 final in straight sets against Trinidadians Moore and Matthew Pillai.
Team Jamaica’s dominant U-15 pair of Yvonne Foster and Tracy Ann Datadeen captured the second pair of gold medals for themselves and their country in the girls’ U-15 doubles.
The singles round of the competition which began last evening, will continue today with John and Lowe hoping to force an all-Guyanese final in the girls’ U-18 category while Trinidadians Small and Borneo are strong candidates for the boys’ U-18 final.
Bryan will look to bring it home for Guyana in the boys’ U-15 singles while Moore of T&T and Jermaine James of Jamaica will try their best to get past the hometown favourite.
The championships end tonight.
