Not many Guyanese racquet wielders can boast of winning the `Holy Grail’ of regional table tennis.
Bruce Edwards is one of them.
In fact, Edwards is only the second Guyanese to win the highly-coveted men’s singles title at the annual Caribbean Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF) championships.
Edwards’ win in 1974 came two years after Errol Caetano’s historic triumph.
Since then only George Braithwaite, 1979, and Sydney Christophe, 1992, have tasted that sweet nectar of success that comes with the knowledge that you are the best in the Caribbean.
Small wonder that today, Edwards is considered not only a legend but a table tennis icon by some.
Stabroek Sports caught up with Edwards at last year’s North American teams table tennis tournament in the United States of America (USA) where he teamed up with former national champions Andrew Gorsira and Andy Anderson.
“We had a very good tournament although we ended up in the `B’ division,” he said.
The North American tournament attracts a potpourri of players from all over the world which makes it a very exciting tournament especially since world class players usually compete there.
Last year was no exception with Jorg Rosskopf, 1992 Olympics men’s singles silver medallist and 1989 world championships men’s doubles champion among the world class players on show there.
Edwards and company narrowly missed out competing in the top tier which would have given them the opportunity to play against Rosskopf and company.
Nevertheless, Edwards said players in the `B’ division also exhibit a very high of level table tennis.
In the 1970s Edwards, then a lithe young man with tremendous footwork, was among the top table tennis players in Guyana. His all out attacking style was a treat to watch and back then he played with what was called a green racket, a racket with green coloured rubbers on both sides.
Though he was among the top players locally he was never able to win the national men’s singles title but better things were in store for him, though he did not know it at the time.
Edwards, who migrated to North America in the 1970s, told this newspaper that he had stopped playing after he migrated to Canada.
“When I first got overseas I had to make a decent living so I had to quit the game for about 20 years to put food on the table for my family and, after 20 years, I resumed playing. “It took me about a year to get back into condition and start playing at a higher level,” he recalls.
Edwards disclosed that he has tasted a bit of success since he resumed playing, winning a couple of tournaments in Toronto.
He has also played in several tournaments in the USA which has resulted in him acquiring a US rating of 2300.
Gorsira recalls the Bruce Edwards of the 70s.
“Well, Bruce was always an offensive player, typically, a forehand player. His backhand was weak but it kept him in the game but his agility and his ability to cover the entire table with his forehand was actually the cause of his success and he continues to play that way.”
Gorsira, himself a former national men’s singles champion also spoke of Edwards’s evolution to keep up with the game which has made significant changes since then.
“What he has done in recent times, he has added a dimension to his game he has decided to play with anti (a type of rubber) on his backhand and pips on his forehand which has created havoc especially in this tournament where he has beaten several players above his ranking.
“Bruce is not as agile as before but he has compensated by changing the rubbers he plays with,” said Gorsira.
Caribbean King
The 1970’s could be considered the golden period of table tennis in Guyana. Not only were there three Caribbean men’s singles champions in Caetano 72, Edwards, 1974 and Braithwaite 1979, Carol Davidson also won back-to-back title triumphs in 1973 and 1974 while Doreen Chow-Wah won in 1970.
Edwards remembers that 1974 championships in Barbados like if it was yesterday.
He also disclosed the secret for his success which not surprisingly was simply “hard work.”
“It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to that stage and, in the end; it was worth every sacrifice, every ounce of sweat lost, and every hour of training.
“I worked my tail off every day, in the gym, jogging… everything I earned; I had to work hard for.
“I used to run three times a week and practise three hours a day,” he said adding …”It was truly a remarkable feeling being Caribbean champion.
Edwards’ toughest match was probably his encounter against a former two-time Caribbean men’s singles champion by the name of Lionel Darcuiel whom he defeated in the semi-finals before he destroyed Barbadian Anthony Holder in the final.
Not content with winning the men’s singles he added the men’s doubles title with Gorsira and also won the mixed doubles making him easily the most outstanding player at the championships.
Edwards said he felt overjoyed by the triple triumph.
“Table tennis back in those days was very, very good. Guys were into training very hard and my toughest local competitors were Mike Baptiste, Christopher Chung Wee, Gorsira, Mike Christophe and Garth Isaacs before he migrated,” he recalled.
Though he never won the national men’s singles title, losing to Gorsira and Baptiste among others, he said he never stopped practising as his aim was to be the best.
He was fortunate to have the opportunity of training under two Chinese coaches in 1973 and 1974.
Asked to compare the standard of the game then to now he said that the standard of play today has risen tremendously.
“There are lots of kids playing and more coaches. Table tennis is the number two sport in the World.”
Current Editor of the Guyana Chronicle and former vice president of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Godfrey Wray said Edwards was known as “Hurricane Bruce” in his heyday because of his all out attacking style.
In those days Edwards encompassed superb footwork with forehand strokes, mainly drives but alas, those skills have over time deserted him.
At 66 years of age Edwards is no longer the player he once was. He has put on weight and, as Gorsira mentioned previously, cannot play with the same agility he displayed in his youth.
This has resulted in him being forced to adjust his style to cope with today’s ultra aggressive players who use strong forehand and backhand loops as their main weapons.
“At 66-years-old, I’m looking for something that can outsmart the youngsters and as such I use anti rubber on by backhand and short pips on my forehand.
“My style has not changed. Nothing has changed. I hit every ball consistently although my moving ability is not there. I’m not so nimble as before.”
Speaking a little of the changes in the game Edwards said he applauds the move by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to shorten the game from 21 points to 11 points.
Edwards said he does not plan to stop playing anytime soon.
Questioned about his plans for retirement he said: “I plan to continue playing until I can’t play.”
