Reigning national women’s Under-21 and Senior singles champion, Brittany Joseph and Under-18 champion Chelsea Fong both won two matches apiece to lead WASA ‘A’ over Arima Table Tennis Club, 5-4 and on the brink of the Division Two crown in the East Zone Table Tennis A-1 and A-2 Tournament on Tuesday night.
Joseph, a three-time senior national champion, began with a 12-10, 15-13, 11-4 win over Emmanuel Chuniesingh to get WASA ‘A’ on level terms at 1-1.
This after team-mate Ambika Sitram-Watson fell to Abraham Francis 3-11, 11-6, 1-11, 6-11 before Joseph went under to Francis by default due to an injury, and then returned to beat Kibwe Lee 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 to put her team up 5-2 and certain of victory.
Fong got her wins over Lee, 12-10, 15-13, 11-4 and Arima captain Chuniesingh 11-4, 9-11, 4-11, 13-11, 12-10 but was beaten by Francis 11-9, 11-4, 7-11, 6-11, 11-9 in a dead-rubber.
Sitram-Watson had the other vital win for WASA ‘A’, 13-11, 11-5, 11-2 over Lee, while the other wins for Arima came from Francis, 11-3, 6-11, 11-1, 11-6 against Sitram-Watson, who was also beaten by Chuniesingh, 11-9, 6-11, 7-11, 9-11.
With the victory, its third from as many matches, WASA ‘A’ carried its record to maximum nine points, one behind D’Abadie Youths which ended with a 3-1 record, while Arima Table Tennis Club is third with a 2-2 record and eight points.
Last night, WASA ‘A’ went into its final match versus Arima Hawks (1-2) with five points with victory cementing a hold on the title.
On Monday night, in the A-1 Division, former five-time national champion Reeza Burke and Arun Roopnarine both played unbeaten in leading Arima Hawks to a comprehensive 8-1 defeat of D’Abadie Youths.
Burke outplayed Michael Nanton 11-8, 11-7, 11-6; Everton Sorzano 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4 and Sherdon Pierre 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7, while third ranked locally Roopnarine defeated Sorzano 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, Pierre, 11-3, 15-13, 11-6, and Nanton, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.
Wellington, Arima Hawks’ third player on the night was also impressive in beating Nanton, 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5 and Sorzano, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 after losing his opener to Pierre, 10-13, 1-11, 6-11.
It was the first win for Hawks to go to three points, three adrift of unbeaten WASA ‘A’ while D’Abadie is next with a 0-2 mark and two points, one more than WASA ‘B’.
Last night, Hawks faced WASA ‘B’ and the latter also battled D’Abadie Youths, both at WASA while today, WASA ‘A’ meets Hawks in what is expected to be a title decider.
