Abrefa regains number one rank in Ghana Table Tennis

Derek Abrefa

of Ghana Immigration Service regained his enviable top position in Ghana Table

Tennis when he beat Felix Lartey in the finals of the one day Ghana Table

Tennis Open Championship played at the rlg Hathiramani Hall of the Accra Sports

Stadium on Saturday October 6, 2012.

He displayed

good sense of judgment, tactical discipline and patience to beat the more

aggressive former champion, also of the Immigration Service.

Emmanuel

Commey, another Immigration Service personnel beat Adolf Awortw in the third

place game. The two semi finalists from the Immigration Service also put up

wonderful performance to the delight of fans that were at the Hathiramani Hall

to see the Championship.

In the

ladies category, Cylia Baah-Danso lost her title as number one seed to Cynthia Kwabi

who beat Linda Annor

in the ladies finals. Baah-Danso settled for the third position after disposing

off Bernice Borquaye of the Ghana Armed Forces, the nursing mother who was able

to make it to the top four said she had not trained enough for the championships

due to short notice, but hoped to bounce back in grand style.

The event

was sponsored by Seven Great Princess Academy School and Malas Iced Blocks

Company Ltd.

Presenting

prizes to the winners, Madam Evert Brown of Seven Great Princes School said

there are vast talents to be tapped in the game and every effort must be made

available for Ghana Table Tennis to develop to the international level. She

wondered why an event like the Championship was not held every month to unearth

new talents and keep the top seeds always active.

Coach Owusu

Ansah donated sets of table tennis balls to the regions that brought players to

the event. Akeem Brookman from the Ashanti region told yours truly his players

do not have the equipment to train which is why they couldn’t get a top 4 place,

but believes with time, the National Sports Authority will get the right

tables, bats and balls to produce champions from the region that is

noted to have produced most sports talents.

Rev.

Richmond Quarcoo, the chairman of the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA)

praised the players and urged them to keep on training for two more

competitions before the year ends. He said lack of sponsorship is killing the

game and appealed to companies and individuals who love the sport to come on

board to make Table Tennis better in Ghana.

“Please do

not go home to sleep, keep on training as there is another event next month.

There is no magic in sports, the only magic is training to become perfect,”

Rev. Quarcoo cautioned the players.

He added: “We

want to appeal for support and sponsorship. Our equipment are quite expensive

and we cannot manufacture the appropriate tables here. We also need good

international standard bats and balls to produce quality players and

champions.”

Credit:

Sammy Heywood Okine /