Not satisfied with their silver medal finish in the boys 18 years and under team event at the 21st annual Caribbean and Cadet table tennis championships in the Dominican Republic, Guyana last night added gold in the boys doubles through the efforts of Elishaba Johnson and Kyle Edghill.
The pair stormed to the title by defeating the Trinidad and Tobago pair of Aaron Wilson and Joshua Maxwell 3-1 in the final.
Johnson and Edghill reached the final with a 3-0 whipping of the number one seeds Carlos Guzman and Pedro Balbuena of the Dominican Republic in a thrilling, high-intensity encounter.
The other pair of Shemar Britton and Miguel Wong lost in the second round to Wilson and Maxwell 3-1.
Earlier, the team secured a silver medals in the team event, a result which guarantees the team’s qualification to compete in the first Pan American Junior and Cadet Championships scheduled June 25-30 in Vancouver, Canada.
Competing in the five team round robin final, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic ended in a three way tie after Guyana defeated Trinidad but lost to the Dominican Republic who were then beaten 3-1 by Trinidad.
Guyana started brightly with a 3-0 whipping of French Guiana.
Shemar Britton got the ball rolling with an 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 defeat of Liam Tertulien while Edghill too made light work of Samuel Hubert 3-11, 7-11, 7-11. Wong then wrapped up the tie with a 4-11, 4-11, and 4-11 defeat of Enzo –Pierre Madeleine.
Britton was simply sensational in their game against the Dominican Republic winning two games as Guyana went under 2-3.
Edghill playing the opening match lost to Carlos Guzman 5-11, 5-11, 8-11 before Britton levelled the match with an 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 defeat of Pedro Balbuena.
Johnson, playing the pivotal third match lost in five games to Pablo Linares 7-11, 11-8 11-7, 7-11, 8-11 before Britton once more tied the match with a 11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10 defeat of Guzman. Needing to win the decider Edghill went under to Balbuena 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 4-11.
The Guyanese returned to their winning ways in the next match blanking Aruba 3-0 with Britton defeating Donald Yargazaray 11-3, 11-8, 11-6, Johnson defeating Andrew Croes 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 and Wong defeating Jean Pierre Helmeyer 12-10, 13-11 and 11-8.
They then edged Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 with Aaron Wilson defeating Johnson 11-5, 11-8, 11-6, Luc O’Young losing to Britton 9-11, 5-11, 5-11, Joshua Maxwell going under to Edghill 6-11, 11-7, 8-11, 3-11, Wilson defeating Britton 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 7-11 and 11-3 before Johnson took Guyana home with a 11-9, 12-10, 11-8 defeat of O’Young.
The team now hunts gold in the individual events starting today.
