Xenophen Goliath lived up to his name and his reputation yesterday by powering NP Electronics to the team title as the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) inter-corporation/ministry/organization team tournament concluded at the National Gymnasium yesterday.
Xenophen, a former national player and a player of proven calibre was a virtual goliath among the many small and part-time players that participated in the two-day tournament towering over them in more ways than one including height.
In the final against the Guyana Defence Force A team of Devon Richmond and Rono Joseph, Goliath won his two singles matches while Vieira won one as NP Electronics edged the GDF team 3-2.
NP Electronics raced out to a 2-0 lead when Goliath defeated Richmond, 7-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-13, while Vieira defeated Joseph 14-16, 9-11, 10-12.
However, the GDF team was not going to roll over and die and they roared back by taking the next two games.
The Joseph/ Richmond combination outlasted Vieira/Goliath 5-11, 11-2, 6-11, 11-7 and 11-6 in the men’s doubles while Richmond won the first of the reverse singles against Vieira 11-4, 8-11, 12-10, 11-4.
With the score knotted at 2-2 Goliath edged Joseph 3-2 winning 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 14-12 and 4-11.
In the semi-finals, NP Electronics defeated BT Electronics B 3-0 with Goliath defeating Raymond Mc Lennon 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, Vieira defeating Jerome Mitchell 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 and Goliath/Vieira defeating Mc Lennon/Mitchell 11-7, 11-5, 11-7.
In the second semi-final the GDF team got the better of BT Electronics A 3-0 with Richmond defeating Remy Taitt, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11 and Joseph defeating Vernon Rodrigues 11-5, 5-11, 6-11, 7-11.
In earlier results GDF A defeated Blue Thunder 3-0, NP Electronics defeated GUYSUCO 3-0, GDF B defeated Ptolemy Reid Rehab Centre 3-0, Bank of Guyana A defeated Ptolemy Reid Rehab Centre 3-0, NP Electronics A defeated Bank of Guyana B 3-1, Bank of Guyana B defeated Ptolemy Reid Rehab Centre 3-0, and BT Electronics A defeated Ptolemy Reid Rehab Centre 3-0.