Other Sports of Thursday, 27 February 2003

Source: gna

Fight between fans halts table tournament

Fight between fans from Accra and Koforidua temporary by halted proceedings at the "Who is Who" tournament organised by the Ghana Tennis Association for the eight best players in the country to determine the best player in country.

The fight started when supporters of Nana Yaw Boateng of Koforidua Secondary Technical School trailing Eric Amoah, a Holland-based by a set, refuse to allow Boateng to continue play on grounds that he was being cheated.

This infuriated followers of Amoah, most of whom are Accra-based, alleging that the destruction was a calculated attempt by supporters of Boateng to save him from a possible defeat.

Enquiries by GNA Sports revealed that Boateng was not showing the ball before serving which Amoah protested on a number of occasions of which some points were subsequently deducted.

The organisers say since the tournament is likely be used to select a squad for the World Table Tennis Championship slated for France in May, this year, it ought to conform with international regulations.

"It happens that on most occasions that Ghanaian players travel out for international tournaments they are penalised for not observing some basic rules", one of the organisers told the GNA.

Attempts to contact the national coach proved unsuccessful, as he was out to organise security for the tournament.

At the time of the commotion, none of the four matches has ended.