04th
March 2010
OECS # 1
Adrian Albert maintains his Dominance
Believe
it or not St.Lucia and OECS # 1 Table Tennis
player Adrian Albert is the one to defeat as
he proves yet again that over the last decade
he is the best player ever to emerge from St.Lucia,
not since Teddy Matthews dominated the Men’s
Table Tennis arena in the late 1970’s
into the early 1990’s has St. Lucia seen
such a dorminant player.
At the recently concluded 31st Independence
Table Tennis Men’s Singles Championships,
the sportsman of the year nominee swept all
before him to win the men’s title. Albert’s
compatriot Chris Wells in the semi-finals extended
the champion to an exciting thriller five games.
On the way to the final Albert disposed of Wilburn
Mathurin 3 - 0; Dexter Theodore 3 - 0 and Franklyn
Noel 3 -1.
For the first time in the championship, we saw
in the semi-final round, Adrian faced his sternest
test when challenged by Chris Wells. Wells started
the first game with an attacking onslaught that
Albert could not match, winning that game 11-
6. Not to be outdone, Albert started to match
Wells in stroke play and scraped home in the
second game 11 - 9. The battle was now on and
the third game became crucial to both players
as they attempted to dominate each other. Neither
player gave ground until 15 all when Albert
sealed the game with a flurry of backhand and
forehand loops.
Albert now led 2-1, but Wells was not undeterred.
In the fourth game he unleashed his best tennis
fury by attacking and retrieving relentlessly.
Albert appeared phased at the end of the fourth.
It was now 2 games all and the final game was
to come and the championship trophy.
|
