Panday breaks 26-year losing streak against Grant

Jun 13, 2016 Sports

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The GBTI Independence Jubilee fans witnessed history between rivals Harry Panday and Rudy Grant. In the Men’s 45’s Singles, Rudy Grant failed to maintain his winning record against Harry Panday in the semi-finals of the tournament. The match had its fair share of contention from the onset of the arrival of the players. There were verbal exchanges between Panday and Grant on the commencement of the match which fueled the rivalry. The match was one of consistency and endurance as the veterans fought tooth and nail for each point. It was evident that Panday was fit and focused on the win as he wasted no time to secure the first set 6-2.

The previous match between Albert Razick and Grant left him drained after the sets of tennis. There were several instances of outbursts on the court as the players were fighting history. Panday recalled that he never defeated Grant in a tournament and during this moment he had his eyes on the prize and was not bothered by the incidents. He held to the strategy of strong net play to secure the set at 6-1 and his first victory. To the shock of the spectators, Grant refused to recognize the custom of a handshake after the match.
Speaking with the GLTA, it was stated by the Vice-President that there will be an investigation to ascertain the dispute and address the non-sportsmanlike conduct to correct the discipline of players. It was stated at the beginning of the tournament that the GLTA is taking a hard line on players conduct and an established disciplinary committee will be the adjudicating body on these matters. Nevertheless, Panday expressed his joy of accomplishing this victory and reminisced on the long way he has come with Grant.
Afterwards, four energetic players emerging from Sheltez club set aside familiarity and emboldened hopes of winning their first round doubles match. Jordan Beaton and Ciara Pooran placed their rivals, Robert Bostwick and Shivanie Persaud, on their heels with an aggressive 2-0 lead in the first set. Serving at 2-0, Persaud tried to fend off break points but Beaton/Pooran were determined to seal half of the set with a winner and followed by a double fault which allowed Beaton/Pooran to edge to a 3-0 lead.
After securing 3 games of the set, Beaton served with hopes of rising to a 4-0 advantage. This was brushed aside by Bostwick/Persaud who broke Beaton’s service game, allowing their team to suffer a loss with no points during the game. It appeared that they would mount a fight however they struggled to gain traction with the set slipping from their reach at 6-3.
Rumbling through the second set, Pooran stomped her teams’ authority by securing her service game. As the double pairs switched sides, Bostwick requested an umpire as his suspicions rose that there were possibly inaccurate calls. Consequently, Persaud served and lost service game, resulting with a repeat of break for Pooran/Beaton mirroring the first set.
Hope for the trailing doubles pair came as Beaton failed to hold his service game, signaling Bostwick/Persaud emergence on the score board. Bostwick lost his service game after being under immense pressure, resulting in a sizeable lead of Pooran/Beaton to 3-1.
The game of tennis is described as a gentleman’s sport but there was no stopping the Pooran/Beaton train as they launched vicious attacks delivering a ball to Bostwick’s chest. It was no denying that Pooran/Beaton were determined as a new pair on the GBTI scene taking the set comfortably at 6-1 and game (6-3, 6-1).
Afruica Gentle and Cristy Campbell joined forces this tournament as ladies doubles partners. The partnership developed for the first time after they squared off in the finals of the Rebel Tennis Club Championship earlier in the year. The team was strong and well balanced as the mature Campbell was able to complement the fierce Gentle. They defeated Nathalie Ramdhyan and Margaret Subryan in the ladies quarter finals 6-1, 6-0.
The match between junior player, Heimraj Resaul, and seasoned senior player, Kester Abrams, took many unsuspected twists and turns. The Roriama senior found it difficult to string consecutive points to gain a game over Resaul as the accurate spin serves proved to be his demise. Resaul crafted his points by taking his opponent off the court with deep angles, exposing the weak points and an open court. This was coupled by the taunts of motivation by his fellow club mates. It seemed the match would be a one sided affair as the experienced Resaul bombarded Abrams to take a 6-1 win in the first set.
No one anticipated the course of the second set as the two traded breaks and went back on serve. Resaul took a 2-1 lead and it appeared Abrams got a better rhythm of his competitor’s serve. The heavy top spin continued to draw errors on the unorthodox double fisted fore and back hand of Abrams, but there was a shift in his game plan as he displayed more aggression and stepped into the court taking the ball earlier. The pair progressed evenly to 5 games a piece on serve. At the critical junction of the game, Resaul service game was put to the test when Abrams took a 30 love lead but failed to capitalize as Resaul consolidated his service and pressured Abrams’ whose energy dwindled and forced errors which cost him the game at 7-5.
Matches continue throughout the week at the GBTI Recreational Centre, Bel Air.

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