The national table tennis championships are definitely on this weekend.
That’s the word from president of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Godfrey Munroe.
The championships, which have not been for the past four years, will kick off Friday with play in several categories including the prestigious men and women’s singles competitions.
The national men’s singles champion is Nigel Bryan, who won the title at the 2011 championships defeating Paul Meusa 3-0 in the final to become the youngest ever champion in the history of the sport.
Those 2011 championships were without senior players Godfrey Munroe, Paul David, Christopher Franklin and Idi Lewis and those players are again likely to be absent Brayn will be forced to pull out all the stops if he is to make a successful title defence simply because of the number of hungry young challengers snapping at his heels.
The women’s singles title was won by Trenace Lowe who got past Chelsea Edghill 3-1 in the semi-final before stopping Natalie Cummings 3-1 in the final.
It is not clear if Lowe will be defending her title but Edghill and Cummings are sure to be in the reckoning.
Other competitions billed for this weekend include the `B’ Class Open singles, the 21-years-and-under male singles, the 21-years-and-under female singles and the `C’ Class Open singles.
According to Munroe, a former two-time national men’s singles champion, entry forms and prospectus were sent out to players parents and coaches previously.
Munroe said the decision to resume the staging of the championships was based on its importance in
- Providing and environment for the legacy and history of the sport with the crowning of national champions in the respective categories.
- Establishing a benchmark to which players must aspire in view of improving the competitiveness of the sport domestically.
- Allowing for the promotion and marketability of players.
He explained that the championships were not held over the last four years for varying reasons.
“Our inability to host these games distracted from our many achievements and the executive committee therefore felt it was very critical that every effort was made to have these championships hosted given its critical importance to structuring of key aspects of the sport,” he said.
According to Munroe, the reason for staging the tournament so early in the new year is so that the GTTA can to use the tournament
as a launching pad for the establishment and implementation of a national ranking system which would serve to improve transparency in the selection of national team members.
In this regard, he said, the committee took decisions to have three distinctively separate events for the national championships which would be a National Senior championship, a National Junior and Cadet Championships scheduled for February 2016 and a National Veterans and Doubles championships set for March of 2016.
“This, the committee felt, would lend to better manageability of the event and less difficulty in securing sponsorship for a 30-category event as done in the past when we hosted a full fledge championships,” he said adding…”The championships truly provide an environment to expose and showcase the next generation of our future champions.
“The likes of Shemar Britton, who has been winning several of the domestic competitions, defending champion Nigel Bryan, who won the last men’s tourney, Joel Alleyne, Edinho Lewis, Elishaba Johnson, Kyle Edghill, Orin Hickerson, Stephan Corlette and the ageless Colin France are all pretenders to the throne of National men’s champion, players who could truly provide some exciting table tennis,” he said.
“On the distaff side defending women’s champion Trenace Lowe is currently in Guyana preparing for the games so is defending Junior champion and Junior Olympian Chelsea Edghill who is currently playing on the intercollegiate circuit, the improving Natalie Cummings, Jody Blake Delicia Cummings, Neveah Clarkston, Priscilla Greaves and Salenas Jackman, all provide a roster for some competitive table tennis,” said Munroe.
B and C Class events
“The `B’ Class and `C’ Class events offer a new dimension to the national championships but is part of the association’s plan to establish a system ranking for all levels and tiers of players and to provide a system for measuring players development and an opportunity for players outside of the top tier to be able to win which would help with motivation and succession and transitioning,” said Munroe.
“With several of the players coming off a successful sojourn at the US Open Team Championships last year, GTTA members are of the opinion that the 2016 championships makes for very competitive event with keen rivalries among the players in the various categories given the abundance and nucleus of young emerging and immensely talented players and those with loads of potential currently playing the sport.”
Prizes /Awards
Prizes will be awarded to the first three finishers in each division and the awards include trophies and cash incentives, said Munroe.
Sponsorship
According to the GTTA head honcho, sponsorship is still being still be finalized although the GTTA has had favourable responses from Banks DIH Limited, the Joseph `Reds’ Perreira Foundation, the Guyana Olympic Association and last but by no means least, Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall.
