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Bishop’s win GTTA Teams Championships
Top Mae’s’ ‘A’ squad in two of three finals
By Edison Jefford
Bishop’s High School won two of three groups in the Business School-sponsored Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Schools’ Teams Championships in an animated Under 18 climax to snatch the overall title from Mae’s.
Bishop’s High began their campaign in the U-13 category with a comfortable 3-1 triumph over Mae’s’ ‘A’ team Sunday morning after knocking Queen’s College out of contention with a 3-0 in the semi-final the previous day.
WE DID IT!!! Bishop’s High School’s, Denzil Duff (centre) holds aloft the overall Table Tennis Schools’ Teams Championship trophy in the presence of team-members, Chelsea Edghill (right) and Jamaal Duff, who proudly display the other replicas.
Mae’s’ 3-1 win against Marian Academy set up their clash with Bishop’s for the title that the latter won without worry. Queen’s outclassed Marian for third place in the U-13 with a 3-0 win. The final was a precursor of the others.
Mae’s’ team that comprised Kyle Edghill and Rajiv Muneshwar, who won the Caribbean Cadet gold medal last year staged the colossal showdowns with Bishops’ national juniors, Chelsea Edghill, Denzil and Jamaal Duff.
It seemed as though Bishop’s were heading for a clean sweep of the categories when they defeated Mae’s 3-0 in the Under-15 final after demolishing Central High with the parallel result in the semi-final of that competition.
Mae’s had a difficult time in their semi-final but eventually won 3-2 before Bishop’s had the clear advantage in the final. However, Mae’s returned much stronger in the Under-18 category with Brandon Baldie leading the way. The U-15 and U-18 title matches were at their best late Monday night at the Sports Hall.
The last set featuring Baldie and Denzil Duff provided the spark and excitement of a true championship game with Duff taking the first two points after pressuring Baldie’s suspect backhand. Nevertheless, the game was far from over.
Duff then switched the pressure to Baldie’s forehand and the effect was immediate. The Mae’s senior player sent a return loop ballooning off the table to give Duff a 3-0 lead and the impetus the Bishop’s team needed for a clean sweep.
However, the tide turned when nerves apparently stepped in for Duff, who missed back-to-back forehand drives then a back-hand return to bring Baldie and Mae’s back into the game with a crucial latter half of the set in motion.
The duo ignited the small but vocal crowd at the Sports Hall in an entertaining exchange of points that lasted until the scores were levelled 8-8. Baldie seemed to have wanted the title more than Duff and his body language reacted.
He was shouting and motivating himself. He even asked his mother to not watch him to get rid of the nerves. Baldie won two straight points to go up 10-8 then 11-8 to close off Duff and secure a solitary title for the Mae’s team.
General Secretary of the GTTA, Godfrey Munroe said that the tournament was organised well while thanking the players for their gutsy efforts. He indicated that the event has had a positive impact of the national association for the future.
“We had a great tournament and there is no doubt about that. The players had a great time and we can all go away winners. We will be having more of such tournaments in the year based on what we see here,” he said before the presentation.
Munroe encouraged some of the potential players to join clubs at Malteenoes Sports Club and the Cliff Anderson Sport Hall. He thanked the teams from Corriverton and Essequibo for their participation in the championships.
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