Ten men teams with 2-0 record on rain soaked day

COURLAND, Tobago, November 14, 2014 - Canada, USA and Puerto Rico, the three men’s team in the running for the overall team title each had teams to end the first day of the tenth and final leg of the 2014 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit with 2-0 records.

This despite, play being marred by persistent showers at the scenic Turtle Beach, Black Rock Heritage Park as rain played a key role in the day’s proceedings as  the tournament officials had to take the decision to play most of the afternoon matches as one-set contest.

This was due mainly to the poor weather as well as the late start to the competition due to heavy rain, the day before which left most of the venue unplayable while poor afternoon lighting did not help matters.

Despite those problems, Canada-A Chaim Schalk and Ben Saxton won both their matches in Pool A as well as Barbadians Daran Gill and Sheldon Roach to reach the knockout stage.

Schalk and Saxton beat Trinidad & Tobago-B Kevin James and Kaleel Yearwood 21-2, 21-8 and also swept past Dominican Republic’s Luis Castillo and William Sanchez 21-8, 21-9 while Gill and Roach won by default from Castillo and Sanchez, and then outlasted James and Yearwood 21-8.

In Pool B, USA-A Jacob Gibb and Casey Patterson defeated Curacao’s Giandro Tokaay and Homi Cathalina 21-8, 21-10 and Bonaire’s Emanuel Silie and Percy Prudencia 21-5 while TTO-A medal hopefuls, Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield brushed aside Tokaay and Cathalin 21-14, 21-11 and stomped Silie and Prudencia 21-1.

Puerto Ricans, Roberto Rodriguez and Eric Haddock, winners in Manzanillo, Mexico are somewhat of the shock unbeaten team in Pool C as they first humbled TTO-C Kareem Thomas and Tevin Edwards 21-10, 21-6 before getting the better of Canada-B Canadian men’s team of Josh Binstock and Sam Schachter, silver medal winners at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in Doha, Qatar on Sunday after securing gold a week earlier at the Parana Open in Argentina, 21-17 in one of the one-set clashes.

Binstock and Schachter are still in the hunt though after beating St Lucians, Joseph Clercent and Sheldon Descartes, 21-11; 21-14 while the latter defeated TTO-C, 21-9, 21-18 to leave both teams at 1-1.

El Salvadorians, Carlos Escobar and David Vargas enjoyed a great first day in Pool B registering victories against TTO-D, Nathaniel Noreiga and Marcus Moore, 21-6, 21-5 and St Vincent’s Franklin Cassius and Kemaul Lee 21-5 while Arubans, Mitchell Daniels and Eargenell De Cuba also won twice, 21-12, 21-12 over St Vincent and 21-10 against TTO-D.

In Pool E, Costa Ricans Rooper Espinoza and Bryan Monge had a lot to be happy about despite the inclement weather as they spanked TTO-E Kersen Trim and Stephan James, 21-6, 21-2 and rallied past Jamaicans, Ryck Mc Kenzie-Webb and Christopher Walters 22-20, 21-15 ahead of their pool decider with Cubans, Sergio Gonzalez and Nivaldo Diaz.

Gonzalez and Diaz, who have won three times this season already, are also 2-0 after beating Trim and James 21-1, 21-6 of TTO-F and Jamaica’s Mc Kenzie-Webb and Walters, 21-14, 21-11.

And in Pool F of the 24-men’s team draw, the dangerous Mexican duo of Juan Virgen and Lombardo Ontiveros, coming off a win in the first stop of the Mexican Beach Volleyball Tour at Monterrey last week and winners on the tour in Puerto Rico humbled TTO-F Christian Francois and Kevin Rivers 21-9, 21-8 and USA-B, William Allen and Trevor Crabb, 21-19, 22-20.

Friday Men’s Results:

POOL A: CAN-A d TTO-B 21-2, 21-8; CAN-A d DOM 21-8, 21-9; BAR d DOM 21-0 (by default); BAR d TTO-B 21-8;

POOL B: USA-A d CUR 21-8, 21-10; TTO-A d CUR 21-14, 21-11; USA-A d BON 21-5; TTO-A d BON 21-1

POOL C:  PUR d TTO-C 21-10, 21-6; CAN-B d LCA 21-11; 21-14; LCA d TTO-C 21-9, 21-18; PUR d CAN-B 21-17

POOL D: ESA d TTO-D 21-6, 21-5; ARU d VIN 21-12, 21-15; ESA d VIN 21-5; ARU d TTO-D 21-10;

POOL E: CRC d TTO-E 21-6, 21-2; CUB d JAM 21-14, 21-11; CRC d JAM 22-20, 21-15; CUB d TTO-E 21-1, 21-6;

POOL F: MEX d TT0-F 21-9 21-8; USA-B d GUA 21-15, 21-18; MEX d USA-B 21-19, 22-20; GUA d TTO-F 28-26;