Fred Collins in ominous form leading up to Caribbean championships

Aug 13, 2012 Sports

Carts off Open Championships

With less than three weeks to the Caribbean Championships scheduled for the Bank of Guyana Sports Club from August 23rd- 26th, former national scrabble player, Fred Collins demonstrated superb application and shrewd knowledge of words to amass 5 points and a positive spread of 293 to cart off the honours when the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) staged a open championship at the Malteenoes Sports Club yesterday afternoon.

Leon Belony

Abigail McDonald

Fred Collins

Collins rebounded from a second round defeat to Maurice Munro (18) to register victories over Ruby Cummings (40), Grace Hercules (100), R O Michael (73), Abigail McDonald (94) and Moen Gafoor (11), finishing the day on 5 points and a positive spread of 293.
Leon Belony demonstrated some measure of consistency, finishing 2nd with 4 points and a positive spread of 456. He lost a close game to Gafoor (2) and another to McDonald but rebounded to defeat Wayne Cave (74), Grace Hercules (142), Munro (228) and Michael (31). McDonald closed off the podium spots with 4 points and a positive spread of 411, while Munro clinched the special prize for the best player outside of the top ten rankings. McDonald’s victims were Belony (17), Cummings (155), Gafoor (86) and Cave (285).
The general showing of the players preparing for the imminent Caribbean Championships is indeed commendable and according to Collins, they stand a good chance of lifting the team championship from the defending team champions, Trinidad and Tobago.
Barbados will also field a competent team and the Guyanese players are cognizant that they will have to be at the top of their game if they are to cart off the spoils. Collins is the defending individual champion and he has indicated a desire to retain that accolade. The players continue to hone their skills during practice sessions at the Malteenoes Sports Club every Thursday night starting at 18:00hrs.