Intense competition anticipated in GASP Scrabble opener

Jan 30, 2009 Sports

By Michael Benjamin

Abigail McDonald

The Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) has planned a hectic season that includes several overseas outings. The programme gets underway this Sunday with the GASP Open Championships slated for the Private Sector and Commerce Building, Waterloo Street, Georgetown.
The players have had a competitive season last year and judging from the fluctuating fortunes experienced by even the best players, it is apparent that top players, the likes of Fred Collins and Abigail McDonald, will have to be at their best to stave off the veracity of the younger players.
There has definitely been marked improvement by most of the players and names such as Paul Adams, Leon Belony, Maurice Munroe and Grace Hercules among others may very well feature more constantly this season.
GASP heralded the season with a get together among its membership at the Private Sector and Commerce building, Carmichael Street, Georgetown, Sunday last.
The cream of the country’s word formers attended the event and the atmosphere of camaraderie certainly belied the anticipated fierce rivalry expected at the inaugural tournament on Sunday. While at the function, the players engaged in a few games and even though these duels were inconsequential to the ratings, the level of application certainly laid the stage for the fierce competitions ahead.

Fred Collins

This Sunday’s tournament promises to be a scorcher and national champion, Fred Collins would be hard-pressed to stave off the likes of James Krakowsky, Abigail McDonald and Colin Chichester among others.
He will also have to be wary of the ever-improving Floyd Carmichael who has demonstrated remarkable pluck during the last season and despite early losses to the more seasoned players, closed off on a triumphant note, carting off the Scrabble Scramble tournament.
Carmichael displayed remarkable fighting spirit and closed the season with a number 10 rating, his best to date.
His tally of 40 wins from 66 games is highly commendable when juxtaposed with Fred Collins’ tally of 59 wins from 78 games. Carmichael also closed the season with an aggregate score of 25315 while Collins chalked up an aggregate score of 32827.
Other players that performed creditably during the last season are Grace Hercules who won 52 of her 102 games to finish with an aggregate score of 36652 and an average score of 359. Kampta Ramnarine also had a reasonably good season. He chalked up 17 wins from 36 games and amassed an aggregate score of 13103.
James Krakowsky won 59 of his 96 games and amassed an aggregate score of 38601 and an average score of 398. Moen Gafoor was the player to form the most bingos (163) for the year while Orlando Michael formed 128.
Ulric Harris and Leon Belony completed the top places in this category with 128 and 115 respectively.
With such statistics, almost any of these players can emerge victorious come Sunday morning.
However, with the fresh crop of talent like Paul Adams, the ever improving Maurice Munroe and Kampta Ramnarine among others, an upset is not altogether unlikely.