Guyana’s Shemar Britton copped a bronze medal in the 18 years and under category of the 21st Caribbean Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF) junior and cadet championships in the Dominican Republic yesterday.
Britton was beaten in the semi-finals 3-4 by eventual winner Aaron Wilson of Trinidad and Tobago.
Wilson won 11-7, 11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 9-11, 8-11 and 11-8 before going on to defeat Carlos Guzman 4-0 (2, 6, 3 and 2) in the final.
Earlier, all four Guyanese in the main draw qualified from their respective groups with Britton and Miguel Wong emerging second while Kyle Edghill and Elishaba Johnson won their groups.
Britton competing in Group Two defeated Trinidad’s Daniel Benoni 3-0 but lost 2-3 to the Dominican Republic’s Pablo Linares.
Johnson competing in Group Three defeated the Dominican Republic’s Carlos Guzman and Kinfry Carabello 3-1 and 3-0 respectively.
Wong, competing in Group Four defeated Aruba’s Donald Yarzagaray 3-1 but lost to Trinidad’s Luc O’ Young 1-3 while Edghill, the current national champion, topped Group Seven with convincing 3-0 defeats of the Dominican Republic’s Pedro Balbuena and Arialdi Mota respectively.
In the quarter-finals Britton defeated Johnson 4-1, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-2 and 12-10, Edghill defeated the Dominican Republic’s Omar Andujar 11-5, 11-5 and 11-6 before losing to Guzman 11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9 and 11-7 while Wong lost to Balbuena at 5, 7 and 7.
In the cadet singles Guyana’s Nicholas Romain defeated Pedro Cabrera 4-11, 11-7, 11-7 and 11-6 but lost in the next round to Trinidad’s Jesse Dookie 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 10-12 and 8-11.
The team which placed second in the boys 18 years and under team event thereby qualifying for the inaugural Pan American games in Canada in June and also won a gold medal in the boys’ singles through Edghill and Johnson returns home Tuesday.
GTTA general secretary Linden Johnson was the coach of the team.
