Defending Caribbean men’s darts singles champion Norman Madhoo failed to defend his title at the 17th Caribbean Darts Championships held recently in Trinidad and Tobago.
However, Trinidad and Tobago-based Lorna Walters teamed up with New York based-Guyanese Jackie Clarke to shoot their way to the female doubles title at the championships held from July 25-August 3 at the Cascadia Hotel and Convention Centre.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport yesterday national champion Madhoo said that the competition was of a high standard adding that the small Guyana contingent fared well despite winning only one title.
Madhoo, the defending men’s singles champion was beaten in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles competition by Joe Cebrynski.
According to Madhoo, the Guyana team comprised locals Jean De Souza, Jean Singh, Sudesh Fitzgerald (ranked at 141 on the World Darts Federation points table) Lalchand Rambharose, Mark Semple and Floyd Jaundoo and Andy Muir from Florida, Jackie Clarke from New York and Williams.
Madhoo, world ranked 211, said that the biggest problem getting the team to Trinidad was sponsorship.
He said Clear Water inc. supplied the team jerseys while Dyna’s Embroidery and F&H Printing chipped in.
Each player was forced to pay for their own airfare. The players were also required to pay their hotel bills and pay for their meals and internal travelling which, Madhoo said, caused the team to have only 10 players instead of 15.
Madhoo, though, was loud in praise for his team which tied for sixth overall from the 12-team event.
The championships was won by the hosts Trinidad and Tobago with 86 points followed by Bahamas, 80, Florida, 79, Barbados, 71, St. Lucia, 61 while Jamaica and Guyana ended on 58 points each.
Madhoo said the Guyana team managed to beat some of the tougher teams in the competition including Jamaica 8-4, Belize 7-5, Turks and Caicos islands 9-3 and tied with Florida 6-6.
In some of the other title shootouts, Madhoo and Clarke in the mixed doubles lost out to the Bahamas pair of H. Brown and T. Johnson while Florida-based Andy Muir put up a good fight for Guyana before losing in the men’s singles semi-final going down to eventual tournament winner E. Haylock of the Cayman Islands.
Madhoo stated that while the Guyana Open should be staged sometime in November he will be preparing for the Bryden’s tournament to be held in Barbados from November 13-16 where the South American as well as the Caribbean singles tournament will be held. Over five thousands pounds will be at stake with the eventual winner getting a spot in the Ladbrooks World Tournament to be held in London, England at the end of the year. Madhoo said that he was looking to do better than last year when overconfidence got the better of him in the Bryden’s tournament final causing him to go down 4-3 to the champion after being comfortable ahead leading 3-1 before his game crumbled.