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Abigail McDonald turns in credible performance

Nov 30, 2009 Sports

Thailand national cops world scrabble championships

By Michael Benjamin
National Scrabble Champion, Abigail McDonald turned in the best performance by any local player to date but failed to win the World championships when that tournament concluded at the Zon Regency Hotel Malaysia, Saturday evening last.
Instead, Thailand’s Pakorn Nemetrmansuk carted off the spoils after defeating 2007 World Scrabble champion, Nigel Richards 3-1 in the best of five finals affair. Nemetrmansuk won the first two games 429-419, 670-303 before dropping the third 394-443. He then rebounded to take the decider by a slim spread of 19 (499-480) to relegate Richards to the second place.
McDonald finished the competition on 9 ½ points out of a possible 24. One of her victims, Trinidadian Leslie Charles, whom she defeated by a spread of 78, in an earlier game, rebounded to score 10 points in the tournament. McDonald also registered victories over Michael Tang (Malaysia), Cecil Fernandes (Oman), Ralph Lobo (United Emirates), Anthony Gomes (Qatar) and Rohaina Tanveer (Kuwait) among others.
Her performance represents the best by any Guyanese that has attended the tournament to date. Former national champion, Fred Collins represented this country at the 2007 championships in Mumbai India and managed to register 9 points while Michael Carter, who represented this country at the very tournament in Adelaide, Australia, in 1999, failed to make an impression. Guyana was first represented at this level by Randal Gibbon at the games hosted in Washington USA in 1997.
Meanwhile, former national champion, Fred Collins was high in praise of McDonald’s performance. He said that his experiences while attending the Mumbai championships acquainted him with the hurdles that McDonald would have had to cross to lift the coveted title. He said that upon his return from the Mumbai championships he had indicated the high level of the championships. He further said that the aptitude of local players would definitely require a shot in the arm if they were to come anywhere near winning the prestigious accolade.
Collins explained that competing at the world level was extremely demanding and the fact that McDonald could have earned that much points speaks highly of her application.
He further implied that local word formers would now have to develop the appropriate strategies if they are to come close to winning the prestigious prize.
McDonald earned the right to represent this country at the World Championships after coming out on top of the heap in the national championships in May this year. She subsequently defeated Collins 3-2 in a best of five showdown at the Ocean View Hotel Lilliendaal ECD, three weeks later.
The top word former received the blessings of corporate Guyana to facilitate her journey to Malaysia. She returns home sometime this week.

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