–seals his fourth consecutive National TT Singles title

MANY table tennis pundits thought the era of Christopher Franklin would have come to an end this year and the reign of Shemar Britton would have begun—but they did not take several factors into consideration, the most obvious being that the 37-year-old knows how to win.

Christopher Franklin stroked his way to his fourth consecutive National Table Tennis Singles title last evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall; there was no flamboyance in his execution, he was calm, calculated and in control.

At the other end, the future king of the sport, Britton, was again left short—his fluency and execution which he flawlessly displayed in the early rounds were on the backburner against one of the better table tennis players Guyana has ever produced.

Franklin won the opener 11-4, but Britton was able to answer his shots in the second game to win 11-8. The see-saw battle between the two continued with Franklin showing his finesse with an 11-5 rebound in the third.

Again, Britton answered. He went up 4-0 in the fourth and had some testy spells against his nemesis, but triumphed nevertheless 11-7.

Despite the match being tied, Britton was always mentally in second place. His body language gave away his nervousness and Franklin being a master tactician pounced on it.

Game five was won by Franklin 11-8 after he made the necessary adjustments. He had moments of outbursts when he won games or scored crucial rallies, but almost instantly he re-focused and regained his composure.

The 14-year age difference between the two was not obvious in the movements at the table, but it was clear in the brilliance of shot selections and impeccable placement.

Britton had a few positive moments in the sixth game and had his fans cheering him on, but Franklin showed no mercy to seal the win 11-7.

Prior to that clash, Franklin had defeated Miguel Wong 4-2. Although Wong played solid table tennis, Franklin was able to rise to the occasion. In the other semi-final clash, Britton defeated another future star, 15-year-old Jonathan Van Lange 4-1.

Wong and Van Lange were adjudged joint third place finishers.