Cuba swept the team competition at the 62nd annual Caribbean Table Tennis Championships in Havana, yesterday.
In the men’s team final the Cubans blanked Puerto Rico 3-0.
Livan Martinez gave his team the lead with a hard fought 12-10, 4-11, 11-8, 5-11 and 12-10 defeat of Daniel Gonzalez while Jorge Campos made it 2-0 with a 12-10,11-2, 10-12, 11-5 defeat of Angel Naranjo.
The match however ended in an anticlimax after Puerto Rico’s Oscar Birrell was injured in his pivotal third match against Adrian Perez. Perez subsequently won the match 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, and 11-1.
In the women’s team final only Eva Brito of the Dominican Republic was able to win a match defeating Cuba’s Karia Gonzalez Perez 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5.
In the opening encounter, Cuba’s Daniela Carrazana Fonseca defeated Esmerlyn Castro 11-8, 11-13, 11-2, 9-11, 11-4.
Cuba’s Idalys Lovett then defeated former Caribbean women’s singles champion Yasiris Ortiz 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 and Fonseca duly wrapped up the tie with a 9-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10 victory over Brito.
The Guyanese players were in action yesterday as the singles event got underway and Shemar Britton was the most impressive of the lot.
Britton defeated Brayon Azor of Haiti at 4, 5 and 9 and Isaac Vila 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8.
Christopher Franklin defeated Paul Mackentoche at 8, 6 and 4 but lost to Samuel Galvon 10-12, 10-12-12-14.
Jonathan Van Lange lost to Tyrese Knight 11-8, 13-11, 3-11, 1-11 and 11-13 but defeated Khaleel Asgaralli 14-12, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7.
Miguel Wong lost to Richard Pietri at 5, 8 and 5 and to Kane Watson at 5, 7 and 4.
Chelsea Edghill defeated Anthonette Riley of Barbados 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 but lost to Fabiola Diaz 5-11, 11-6, 6-11, 8-11.
Natalie Cummings defeated Tsenaye Lewis of Jamaica 11-4, 12-10, 11-4, but lost 0-3 to Cuba’s Idalys Lovett 6-11, 3-11 and 8-11.
Priscilla Greaves lost to Daniely Rios of Puerto Rico 2-11, 5-11, 5-11.
