Women TT team snatches bronze ———-Munroe satisfied with Guyana’s display
President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Godfrey Munroe said yesterday that he was pleased with Guyana’s showing at the Central America and Caribbean qualifying tournament currently underway in Havana, Cuba. Munroe, though not surprised, hailed the sacrifices of the players for their success which resulted in both the male and female teams qualifying for the CAC games in Columbia, later this year.
Guyana’s Trenace Lowe outdid herself with upset wins over two players from the number one seeds Guatemala to help Guyana to a 3-2 triumph in the opening round.
Lowe defeated Andrea Montafur and Mabelyn Enriquez while Natalie Cummings defeated Andrea Estrada as Guyana stopped the top seeds in their opening round of the tournament.
The Guyanese, however, suffered defeats at the hands of neighbours Venezuela 1-3 and to Mexico 0-3 in the semifinals.
The lone victory against Nezuela came from Lowe (nicknamed T Lo) who ripped apart Venezuelan’s Neridee Nino, a 2016 Olympian, winning 11-9, 11-6, 11-5.
The men’s team was well led by national champion, Christopher Franklin as they rallied to defeat St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Haiti, before exiting the tournament at the quarterfinal stage to Guatemala.
They had also suffered early rounds defeat to Trinidad, Panama and Barbados.
“Yeah I am happy with the overall team’s performance. It’s ideal in the context of what we are seeking to build and achieve in the long term,” Munroe told Stabroek Sport.
Munroe feels the exposure gained at the qualification tournament serves as ideal preparation for the upcoming Commonwealth Game also billed for this year in Australia.
The success, he added, weighed heavily on knowing what was at stake which proved to be the principal motivating factor.
“Knowing that it was a trial involving the top teams from Central [America] and the Caribbean and that the level would be high since all teams would have been preparing were all critical.
“We were able to be better prepared than a few other outings. The process though was not without a few hindrances; despite the challenges of venue for training but we [GTTA] were committed to providing the requisite support exposure to players,” he told Stabroek Sport.
He further indicated that the GTTA selflessly expended monies to allow the players to attend the qualifiers. In this regard, he noted that the move was even more rewarding since players earned the much sought after ranking points.
Looking ahead, Munroe said: “The long-term plan for 2018 is to try to medal at CAC games and win the Caribbean championships.”
He commended the players for “the sacrifices and all contributors who continue to throw their support behind table tennis and the players.”
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