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McDonald is first female National Scrabble Champion
– dethrones Collins in epic final
The judgments were unanimous; everyone who witnessed the final of the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) National Open Tournament at Ocean View International Hotel last Saturday agreed that it was one of the best ever.
Defending champion Frederick Collins shakes hands to signify that he has conceded his crown to Abigail McDonald.
Even before the two combatants, defending three-time champion Frederick Collins and second-seeded Abigail McDonald took to the table in a room specially designed to host the event that would decide who is the best player locally, those in attendance knew it had all the markings of an epic battle, judging from the two players performances in the preliminary rounds and more importantly their form throughout the season.
The two gladiators did not disappoint as they traded ‘words’ the whole distance, before the younger McDonald prevailed 3-2 in the best of five games showdown that came to life from the first play.
McDonald raced to a 2-0 lead after registering wins by 23 and 85 points respectively, before the never-say-die Collins roared back to claim the next two by margins of 178 and 20 points successively.
That set the stage for a frenetic decider with Collins seemingly on a roll and McDonald, who admitted afterwards that she, was a bit nervous, but who enjoyed the bulk of the support, eager to dethrone the champ.
McDonald was the one to jump off to a great start and assumed the lead, but a few mistakes allowed Collins, the master of control and word knowledge, to ease back into contention.
The top five finishers in the GASP National Open Championship pose with their hardware for Kaieteur Sport.
However, McDonald, one of the few players to hold an impressive record against Collins, continued to utilise the bag to perfection, buying tiles that complemented her game and it helped her maintain a firm grip on the game.
Even what many considered a blunder down at the bottom of the game, when she missed the opportunity to register a playout after failing to insert the word ‘Tampons’ could not affect the end result, as she romped to a 100 points triumph and the title.
Speaking after the victory, the new champ, who was momentarily short of words, said she was extremely happy and felt that she had done herself proud.
“I’ve been saying all along that I owe it to the women in the sport, you’ve got players such as Grace Hercules, Ruby Cummings, Yvonne Murray and Carmen Gonsalves who’ve been involved in the sport for a very long time, but who never came close to doing this,” McDonald told Kaieteur Sport.
Describing the contest, McDonald conceded that it was intense and it did meet all her expectations, but felt that she competed really well and it was due to a lot of determination.
“I also had a lot of support, but this is not to say that persons were against Collins, but many were hoping that a younger player would finally breakthrough,” she reckoned.
She stated that in retrospect, she believed that even though a few opportunities were created to take full control of the match, she still felt that at the time, they were the best options she had taken.
“In the last game for instance, I was a bit unsure of a playout using the word ‘Tampons’, but at that stage I was ahead and did not want to risk anything, it was more strategic,” McDonald pointed out.
Asked how important the win was for her, she said, more than anything else, getting the schools programme off and running is most important.
“I would like to see that programme started very soon because I feel it could provide the impetus for growth in the sport.”
Meanwhile, Collins, after the loss said he was satisfied that it took the best player to beat him, but reminded that even the World Champion changes every year, referring to the highly competitive nature of the sport.
He added that the game is a result of the skill of the player and what the tile fairy has to offer.
“The game has become very competitive and perhaps in the next two years I’ll be giving it another shot,” Collins remarked.
He said that the result to his mind augurs well for the future of the sport and according to him the final was the best in recent memory.
During the presentation ceremony that followed, the winner carted off $50,000 and a trophy, runner-up- $30,000, third place- $20,000, fourth place-$10,000 and fifth place- $5,000.
In the individual awards – Yvonne Murray and Carl Gordon each received a prize for registering the Highest Bingos; Best Newcomer prize went to Anand Mohabir; Highest Game Score and Most Bingos prizes went to Moen Gafoor.
The entity thanked the following sponsors for their support, they included – Ram and McRae, Kay’s Diamonds, Farfan & Mendes, Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport, Abdool and Abdool Insurance Brokers, Courts, Oasis Water and Ocean View International Hotel.
Photo on server Claude as: Top Five: Caption- The top five finishers in the GASP National Open Championship pose with their hardware for Kaieteur Sport.
Photo on server Claude as: McDonald & Belony: New champion Abigail McDonald is congratulated by fellow player Leon Belong following her hard fought victory over Frederick Collins.
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