National player Chelsea Edghill and Brad Belle won the women and men’s singles titles respectively when the annual National Sports Commission (NSC) Independence tournament organized in conjunction with the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) ended at the National Gymnasium on Saturday.
Coming up against Akeicia Nedd, Edghill, a former Caribbean U13 girls champion, won 11-7,11-7,11-7 (3-0).
Joint third places were occupied by Jamaali Homer and Priscilla Greaves after they lost in the semi-finals to Edghill and Nedd with Edghill defeating Homer 11-6,11-9,11-4 and Nedd beating Greaves 12-10,11-1,11-6 (3-0).
Edghill and Greaves received byes to the semi-finals while Selenas Jackman lost to Homer 2-3 and Nedd defeated Kristie Lopes 3-0.
The men’s final was a bit of a damp squib as favourite Shemar Britton was forced to forfeit the match against Brandon Belle because of cramps.
Britton had reached the final by defeating Orin `Vege’ Hickerson at 7-11,6-11,12-10,11-7,7-11,11-8,14-12 while southpaw Belle defeated national player Joel Alleyne 11-8, 12-14, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8.
Hickerson and Alleyne were adjudged joint third.
In the quarter finals Britton defeated Stefan Corlette 11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-7; Ayube Khan lost to Hickerson 8-11, 10-12, 2-11; Belle defeated Xen Goliath 11-5, 10-12, 11-8, and 11-8 and Alleyne upset Nigel Bryan 10-12, 5-11, 11-5, 11-2, and 11-9.
Other results saw Britton defeating Patrick Couchman 11-5,11-6,11-6; Corlette defeating Jonathan Sankar 11-7,5-11,4-11,11-5,11-7; Kristoff Sukhoo losing to Khan 8-11,11-13,9-11; Khalil Ninvalle losing to Hickerson 3-11,8-11,10-12; Kyle Edghill losing to Belle 11-8,11-13,6-11,11-7,9-11; Miguel Wong going under to Goliath 11-6,8-11,11-5,8-11,9-11; Bryan defeating Elishaba Johnson 11-13,11-8,11-7,11-5 and Alleyne gaining a walk over from Sandor Kanhai.
The match of the day was however the U21 Open final between Bryan and Britton with Bryan prevailing 4-2.
Bryan triumphed 9-11, 12-10, 10-12, 13-11, 11-4 and 11-6.
Joint third place went to Johnson and Corlette.
In the semifinals, Britton defeated Johnson 13-15, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8.13-11 and Bryan defeated Corlette 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7 while in the quarter finals, Britton defeated Sheldon Atherly 11-5, 11-3, and 11-5; Johnson defeated Kristoff Sukhoo 11-7, 11-4, and 11-6; Bryan defeated Miguel Wong 11-6, 11-7, and 11-5 and Corlette defeated Akeicia Nedd 10-12, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8.
In the round of 16 Britton defeated Sunil Logan 3-0; Atherley defeated Dante DaSilva 3-0; Sukhoo defeated Alec Hopkinson 3-1; Kevon Corbin lost to Johnson 0-3; Kyle Edghill lost to Wong 2-3; Brandon Belle lost to Bryan 1-3; Nedd defeated Jeremey Singh 3-1 and Ryan Narine lost to Corlette 0-3.
In the boys’ doubles final Britton/Corbin defeated Johnson/Corlette at 5-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, and 11-6 with joint third place going to the pairs of Sukhoo/Narine and Edghill/Singh while in the junior mixed doubles final Kyle Edghill/Chelsea Edghill defeated Alec Hopkinson/Priscilla
Greaves at 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 (3-0). Joint third place went to Corlette/Selenas Jackman and Britton/
Nevaeh Clarkston.
In the semifinals Edghill/Edghill defeated Britton/Clarkston 3-2 while Hopkinson/ Greaves defeated Corlette/Jackman 3-2.
