LIMA, Peru (CMC):
JAMAICA'S MEN'S bad-minton team registered their only group win against Caribbean colleagues Trinidad and Tobago and went on to finish seventh at the World Championship Thomas Cup qualifying series this past weekend.
The Jamaicans, led by national number one Bradley Graham, blasted T&T 5-0, but lost to Canada, Brazil, and Peru in the pool stage of the Pan American qualifying series for the Thomas Cup in Japan in April.
In the semi-finals, the USA and Canada beat Peru and Guatemala respectively to earn automatic qualification for the April 28 to May 7 Thomas Cup and the USA went on to clinch the title with a 3-2 win over the Canadians in the final.
Trinidad and Tobago clinched eighth spot when they won their play-off match against Puerto Rico.
Represented by Graham, Garron Palmer, Emelio Mendez and John Martin, Jamaica contested Pool A in which they lost 5-0 to Canada, 4-1 to Brazil, and 4-0 to hosts Peru, while shutting out T&T.
In the play-offs, the Jamaicans lost to Brazil (1-4) and beat T&T 5-0 for a second time in the tournament, before defeating Puerto Rico (4-1) then losing to the Mexicans to place seventh overall in the tournament.
POISED
The Jamaicans had appeared poised to snatch sixth place when Graham beat Jose Luis Gonzalez, 21-11, 21-18 and Palmer dismissed Daniel Orozco, 21-15, 21-17 for a 2-0 advantage. But the Mexicans fought back with Jesus Aguilar beating Mendez to reduce the deficit, then Orozco and Aguilar beat Graham and Palmer to level the tie at 2-2. Gonzalez and Salvador Sanchez then wrapped up the win for the Central Americans when they defeated Mendez and Martin at 11 and 15.
In their pool matches, T&T lost all their games against Brazil, Peru, Canada and Jamaica - by 5-0 margins. And in the play-off phase, they lost 4-1 to Brazil, 5-0 to Jamaica, and 4-1 to the Mexicans before defeating Puerto Rico 3-2 to avoid finishing in the cellar position.
Against Puerto Rico, T&T got their victories from Anil Seepaul, a 21-18, 21-23, 21-16 winner over Victor Perez, Seepaul and Kerwyn Pantin, who got a walkover result against Perez and Mario Oyola in the first men's doubles, and Darron Charles and Rahul Rampersad defeating Julio Diaz and Esteban Rivera in the second men's doubles.
