Derek Abrefa and Cylia Baah-Danso emerged tops of the male and female categories of the Ghana Table Tennis Association’s Top 8 competition hosted at the Accra Sports Stadium’s Rlg Hathiramani Hall on Saturday. The competition sponsored by Stanbic Bank also featured the Top 8 veteran players.

Derek Abrefa beat his arch rival and reigning champion, Felix Lartey in a hotly challenged men’s final. The two top seeds in the rankings of the Ghana Table Tennis Association proved their worth as they sold good serves, great hooks, back hands and fore hands and adopted loops when necessary.

No wonder the fans at the Hall had much to cheer about. Other players who took part in the Top 8 were Adolf Awortwe who keeps on being in the top four, Emanuel Asante, Isaac Davies, Emmanuel Commey, Acquah Aikins and Eric Addo.

In an equally exciting ladies’ final, between Cylia Baah Danso and Bernice Borquaye of the Ghana Armed Forces, the winner adopted the aggressor type of game while Bernice was very careful not to lose points as she is now a nursing mother.

Her best was not enough as the faster Baah Danso wanted to finish off quickly to take the trophy, and she did it in grand style and in the absence of Cynthia Kwabi, the number one seed, Cylia took the winning prize. Other ladies who appeared in the Top 8 were Linda Annor, Eva Amankwah, Augustina Bado, Beatrice Gyasi and Hilda Agbota. The Vice President of the Ghana Table Tennis Association, Mawuko Afadzinu whose Stanbic Bank sponsored the event said it was an impressive show that exhibited the current form of all the top players. He prayed that more of such tournaments come up to keep the players in top shape always before international events.

Some of the coaches were full of praise for the players. Eben Annag Whyte who claims to have trained all the top players, Abrefa, Lartey and co. said more corporate entities should come on board to support the game as there are vast talents and the game keeps the youth away from social vices. Both Derek Abrefa and Cylia Baah Danso noted that they will maintain their form and keep on winning. Both are in contention for the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) 2012 award. Other contenders are Felix Lartey and Cynthia Kwabi.