National darts players excel in Brazil despite familiar bugbear

By Avenash Ramzan

The efforts of the Sheik Yassin-led executive of the Guyana Darts Association (GDA) to grow, develop and popularise the sport have taken root with a small contingent of local darts players breaking new grounds in Brazil.

Competing under the Golden Arrowhead, a six-member team returned home on Tuesday afternoon from the Central and South America World Championship Qualifiers where their obvious skills and determination to succeed were on display.

Competing against several players from various clubs in Brazil as well as those from numerous Central and South American nations at the Girasol Plaza Hotel in Palmas, the Guyanese delivered a fine performance that must surely warm the hearts of the GDA members, who have been working tirelessly to foster much-needed recognition to the game.

Sudesh Fitzgerald and Victorine Chandro teamed up to win the Mixed Doubles, an achievement Yassin described as “very special.”

Fitzgerald, arguably Guyana’s leading player, also became the first non-Brazilian to win the Brasilia Professional Open championship; he then got second in the 501 Singles Open and third in the PDC World Championship Qualifier.

Fitzgerald and compatriot Luis Miguel Ramirez Merlano finished second in the Brasilia Professional Men’s Doubles, while Fitzgerald took fourth in the Brasilia Professional Championship Cricket.

The other members were David Dharamraj, Lallchand Rambharose and Dr. Terrence Joseph. Rambharose finished fifth in the PDC World Championship Qualifier.

LACK OF SUPPORT

As much as Fitzgerald is enthused by his own personal performance and that of his compatriots, he is peeved at the lack of support for the game in Guyana.

Like so many other local sport organisations, the GDA is starved of funds, and Fitzgerald’s utterances during an interview upon arrival at the Eugene F. Correira International Airport at Ogle were indicative of a man who is perturbed by the struggles sportsmen and women routinely face in their endeavour to represent the country.

One who is candid, Fitzgerald argued that the reason for Guyana being behind the other nations at the tournament was the fact that their players travel and compete in high-level competitions in Europe and elsewhere. With miniscule support for the game here, Fitzgerald insinuated that such lofty height is just a dream for players in Guyana.

Yassin meanwhile, is encouraged by the performance of the players, noting that it is “no easy task” to travel, compete and excel, especially in a sport that does not attract “the masses.”

Despite the main challenge in securing funds, Yassin assured that the GDA will continue to decipher ways and means of making the game more attractive and popular, thereby giving it marketing value.

One such initiative is a partnership with Trophy Stall geared at the staging of monthly tournaments.

Below are the summarised results of the different categories the Guyanese contested in Brazil.

 Mixed Doubles

1. Sudesh Fitzgerald and Victorine Chandro (Guyana)
2. Diogo Portela and Roberta Zylbergeld
3. Bruno Rangel and Reneta Rangel
4. Sven Costa Schneider and Daniella Pivorato

501 Singles Open

1. Diogo Portela
2. Sudesh Fitzgerald (Guyana)
3. Sven Costa Sschnieder
4. Artur Valle

PDC World Championship Qualifier

1. Diogo Portela
2. Alexandre Sattin
3. Sudesh Fitzgerald (Guyana)
4. Troy Bhujhawan
5. Lallchand Rambharose (Guyana)

Brasilia Professional Championship Open

1. Sudesh Fitzgerald (Guyana)
2. Bruno Rangel
3. Kevin Jacob
4. Diogo Portela
5. Sven Costa Schneider

Brasilia Professional Championship Men’s Doubles

1. Diogo Portela and Sven Costa Schneider
2. Sudesh Fitzgerald and Luis Miguel Ramirez Merlano
3. Bruno Rangel and Artur Valle
4. Alexandre Sattin and Samuel Oliviera

Brasilia Professional Championship Cricket

1. Diogo Portela
2. Sven Costa Snieder
3. Troy Bhujhawan
4. Sudesh Fitzgerald (Guyana)