at Amoah National Table Tennis Open

Koforidua based Table Tennis Coach Ebenezer Annag Whyte proved once again why he must be recognized and hounored at a national platform when his two players took the gold and bronze medals at the Eric Amoah National Under 15 Table Tennis Open.

Emmanuel Ofori of Koforidua SecTec defied all odds and stiff challenge from Ashanti Region representative, Godwin Nyarko to go down 1-0 and fight back to win a 3-1 in an exciting game full of cheers to grab the Boys Under 15 gold at the rlg/Hathiramani Sports Hall of the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday.

He credited his victory to Coach Whyte who adviced him to be calm to overturn the defeat into wins. “ My coach made me to warm up enough so when I came on the board, I was charged and ready to win” he told yours truely

Ernest Okyere, also from the Eastern Region, who defeated the reigning champion Emmanuel Aboagye of the Central Region in the preliminaries, took the third prize to add up to the best players in Ghana nurtured, groomed, produced, prepared and produced by coach Annang Whyte who loves every thing white.

They displayed powerful loops, strong backhand play and crazy swearves that sent opponents to the other way to make the coach smile and wave his white handkerchief in joy.

Accra based Lawrencia Dei benefited from support from the Ghana Table Tennis Supporters Association to win the Girls Under 15 beating Volta Region’s Matilda Fuda who displayed wonderful gamesmanship, but was intimidated by the support for Lawrencia who represented the Ashanti Region as she attends Yaa Asantewaa SHS and her coach, Robert Amartey in Accra specially requested her participation in the competition.

Fuda who was seventh last year said she could have won if the game was played in her home, but Coach Amartey explained that this was the time of Lawrentia Dei and members of the Black Loopers must watch out because she is coming up like wild fire and capable of beating some senior players.

Coach Whyte attributed his success to discipline and time consciousness. He hinted that since 2006 he had produced most of the juvenile champions who have grown to become international stars and honoured, but he is yet to be recognized as the producer of Ghana Table Tennis champions.

In the exciting “Executive Class Game”, the daddy of Lawrencia Dei, Samuael Dei beat Jason Onyame CEO of Devine Travels to win the trophy, medal and cash prize, with Sammy Sackey aka coach Jimmy Lokko taking the third prize.

Eric Amoah, the Former National champion who exhibited some of his skills in the game with Solomon Akunnor, another National champion said his Foundation is about to do many things for the youth and educational institutions.

He appealed to the companies in Ghana to support his ventures aimed at bettering lives of Ghanaian youth and giving them hope and inspiration that they can make it in any sports and not only football as he made it with the ping pong game.

Samuel Dei of Mallas Cold Stores said Table Tennis is a decent game which parents should allow their kids to participate. He observed that training is the key to becoming a champion because he has invested in getting a whole set of Table Tennis equipment for his family and winning together with his daughter is a great feeling and achievement.

Among the guests who graced the occasion were the proprietress of Seven Great Academy, who supported the event and a product, won the female event, Ben Nunoo-Mensah of the GOC and the media.

The second 2014 Eric Amoah tournament drew competitors from Kumasi, Swedru, Winneba, Cape Coast and Koforidua to challenge their Accra counterparts.

Amoah expressed his gratefulness to companies like ICS, Alordia Promotions.