Guyana team wins Caribbean table tennis event in Brooklyn
By Joe Chapman in New York
Guyana Chronicle
October 13, 2003
BROOKLYN, NY - The Guyana #1 team, led by Paul David who won the final and decisive match 3-2 against his Jamaica opponent Michael Grant, defeated the Jamaica #2 team to emerge winners of the team event of the Caribbean Open Table Tennis Initiative hosted by the Dynamic Table Tennis Community (DTTC) which concluded yesterday after two days of action at Brooklyn Athletic Club here.
The Guyana team comprised former junior national players Paul David and Lester Cummings, along with Shawn Embleton and Moses Kilkenny, while the Jamaica team was represented by past national player Michael Grant, Owen Irving and Odingo Mitchell.
The teams contesting the competition were: Guyana with two teams, Jamaica a similar amount and the other from Haiti.
The Guyana # 2 team was made up of former junior national Leslie Gill, Usama Nausrudeen, Linden Thomas and Shawn Abrams.
The format was each team of three with the remaining members in the five-man team and reserves for the two singles, a doubles and two other singles games.
The Guyana #1 team had scored victories over their number #2 team 3-0, beat the Jamaican #1 team 3-2 and won against Haiti 3-0.
In the finals Guyana were locked in a tense battle after the first two opening singles games were split as David won and Cummings lost. Then the pair went down to their rivals Michael Grant and Odingo Mitchell to put Jamaica ahead 2-1.
But the team change was made bringing in Shawn Embleton to play the next game against Mitchell.
Embleton proved a tactical move, with his soft touch presenting problems for his opponent. Embleton played superbly to defeat his Jamaica opponent 3-2 after being down 2-0 at one stage.
In the decider, David was hyped up and with a crave to ensure Guyana came out on top he blazed the way to come from behind to win in five games.
The singles tournament was set for yesterday with Guyana's Sydney Christophe, a former Caribbean champion, expected to participate in the open singles event while leading the Caribbean side against a select U.S team.