Union Bank Dust ’Em At Lagos Table Tennis League

Union Bank Table Tennis Club have emerged overall winners of the maiden Oba Idowu Abiodun Oniru Lagos State Table Tennis League, which ended  last weekend at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Hall, Rowe Park, Yaba.

The pair of Ashimiyu and Shola Oyetayo of Union Bank Table Tennis club defeated Ahmed Adeyinka and Mojeed Olayiwola of SpringFresh Table Tennis Club in straight sets.

Ashimiyu and Oyetayo, who outplayed the pair of Kazeem Adeniyi and Dotun Ayelumo of Union Bank Table Tennis Club had led the weekly event for a period of five weeks before wrapping it up in the final as they went home with the sum of N50,000, while  Adeniyi and Ayelumo settled for N30, 000.

In the women’s event, Rashidat Ogundele and Fatima Bello of Union Bank Table Tennis Club defeated the pair of Atinuke Olaide and Ganiyat Ogundele, who play their professional table tennis in Europe, three sets to two to win the N50, 000 prize money.

Oyetayo, said the weekly competition was the tonic, which the Lagos State table tennis players need to perform better at the EKO 2012 Games,. He stressed that the tournament has elevated the status of the sport in Lagos State, believing that most of the players have stepped up their style of play. He said this will make them medal prospects ahead of the festival in November.

Nigeria’s professional table tennis player, Atinuke Olaide, who plays in Ponta Do Pargo, a Portuguese first division team, said she was impressed with the performance of the state’s female ping pongers in the tournament, adding that their performance is an indication that Lagos may make a clean sweep of the medals available in the festival.

For Prince Tijani Oniru, the sponsorship of the tournament would continue considering the enormous skills displayed by the participants.

“Our sponsorship of table tennis is to partner the Lagos State Government in its bid to develop grassroots sports in the State. The step was taken by the Oniru Royal Family to contribute our own quota in line with the policy of the administration of Babatunde Fashola in sports development, and we believe that government alone cannot do it,” he said.