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Absence of lighting at Woolford Avenue facility ends exhibition contest
The absence of lighting fixtures swiftly dulled the crisp cool sunny afternoon which was perfect for the enthusiastic spectators who showed up to watch the Tennis Association’s Men’s Over-35 exhibition duel between Berbician Champion Godfrey Lowden and US Diplomat Albert Razick. It was an unacceptable ending to a great matchup of two seasoned tennis players whose skills were clearly evenly matched throughout the two hour battle.
The match ended abruptly at nightfall in a tie with Lowden taking the first set 7-5 and Razick clinching the second set also at 7-5. Both players amicably agreed to forfeit the deciding third set in the absence of light.
From Left Mr. Albert Razick, Umpire Dr. Steve Surujbally and Mr. Godfrey Lowden
Razick won the toss and decided to open serve which was fruitful giving him an immediate 3-0 advantage against his opponent. The turning point for Lowden came on his second service game when he closed off his game at love and stepping on the gas to tie the game at 3-3. The American maintained an effective serve which helped secure a 5-4 lead, but the veteran Guyanese player showed excellent reflexes in his volleying skills that gave him the following 3 games to close the set at 7-5.
The second set was as exciting as the first one with passion, determination and endurance. At 2-2 both players had their service game broken. The players held their service games, eventually bringing the game to 5-5 much to the delight of the spectators. Razick lost his opportunity to go 6-5 after losing a set point earlier and finally breaking Lowden’s serve to secure the set at 7-5.
At the brief closing ceremony, an elated Razick said, “It was a good match and I am happy that it did not end 6-love.”
President of the Tennis Association, Grace McCalman thanked Dr. Steve Surujbally for his assistance with coordinating and umpiring the match. She also thanked the spectators and promised that this is the first of many exhibition matches in a bid to create more interest in the sport especially in preparation for tennis’s Inter Guyana Games which is to be hosted in Guyana during late October this year. “But not without an early rematch of this fantastic match, so stay tuned,” she said.
Sean Richmond, member of the National Sports Commission, represented the Director of Sports as a spectator. She thanked Mr. Richmond for his presence to witness the environmental shortcomings in which tennis is expected to be developed to its fullest potential. She continued to make a plea to the Ministry for the facility to be upgraded to a standard to be able to maximize its usage and to encourage renewed international interest.
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