Ghana Table Tennis Association rolls out plan for national trials for African Games

Ghana Table Tennis Association has released a list of forty-nine (49) players, made up of thirty (30) males and nineteen (19) females for the upcoming National trials to select players for the African Games scheduled for Morocco in August this year.

The list which includes regular players such as Derek Abrefa, Felix Lartey, Bernard Joe Sam and Emmanuel Commey who together won Bronze for Ghana at the last African Games in Congo Brazzaville, has surprise call-ups to the fold.

Making a debut invitation are Junior and Cadet players who excelled during the World and African Junior Championships held in Accra in April. They are left-handed penholder Joseph Amissah, Augustine Baidoo, Desmond Osei, Samuel Hagan, Godwin Nyarko Aseku and Daniel Tawiah. It will afford them an opportunity to prove themselves and offer then a chance of breaking into the senior national team.

In the female category, current Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) player of the year and world championships participant Celia Baah-Danso leads the list of players, alongside experienced colleagues Cynthia Kwabi, Eva Adom-Amankwaa, Mrs. Hilda Asare and Eva Ampah.

Call-ups have been also been extended to Junior and Cadet players in the persons of Augustina Baidoo, Millicent Ankude, Matilda Fodu, and Diana Opoku for their tremendous improvement.

Surprise call up to the national team justifier is ten (10) year old mini-cadet player Emmanuella Yaa Kyere who is world ranked number 411 in the ITTF Cadet category. She has been in impressive form all year round having displayed much talent during the West African Regional Hopes Program and also during the World Junior and Cadet Championships held in Accra.

According to the Release, the Justifiers will be in three (3) stages with the first stage taking place from 3rd to 5th July, second stage taking place from 10th to 13th July while the final stage will take place from 17th to 18th July 2019 respectively.

Venue for the trials is the D. G. Hathiramani Hall of the Accra Sports Stadium under the supervision of the National Chief Coach Anthony Owusu Ansah.