Lagos State Table Tennis League ends on a high note
Union Bank Sports Club have emerged the champions of the 2012 Lagos State Table Tennis League.
Union Bank withstood serious opposition from Springfresh Club and Union Maritime, as they won the majority of laurels in the men and women events.
The final was witnessed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Wahid Oshodi; representatives of the Oniru Royal Family, sponsors of the eight-week league; and other officers in the ministry.
Ten men and women teams made it to the grand finale and they were drawn into two groups with five teams in each group of the championship held at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park in Yaba.
The top teams qualified for the semi-final with Union Bank, Springfresh and Nigeria Police, making it to the last four in the men?s event. Also, Union Bank ladies were joined by Union Maritime, J30 and Nigeria Police in the semi-final of the women?s division.
However, it was the end of the road for the Union Bank team one led by the duo of Jide Ogidiolu and Kazeem Makanjuola. Having led the league from week one to the end, the pair failed to qualify from the group during the finale to give the bankers? teams two and three the chance to lay hold on the title.
For the Springfresh team captained by Ayo Omotara, they put up a good fight to match their pre-tourney boasting with action, by making it to the final stage before conceding victory to Union Bank two in a match that ended 3-0 in favour of the bankers.
Omotara and his teammate, Olajide Omotayo were at their best in the finale, but their efforts could not save them from losing to Union Bank?s duo of Ganiyu Ashimiyu and Sola Oyetayo in the men?s final.
Fatimo Bello paid no respect to the pedigree of foreign-based Ganiat Ogundele and Olaide Atinuke in the women final as the southpaw player inspired the bankers? ladies to overcome Union Maritime 3-2 to lift the trophy.
For Prince Tijani Oniru, his family’s sponsorship of the tournament will continue, considering the enormous skills displayed by the participants.
?Our sponsorship of table tennis is a clarion call to support and partner the Lagos State Government to develop grassroots sports in the State. This step is taken by the Oniru Royal Family to contribute our own quota, in line with policy of the administration of Babatunde Fashola in sports development, and we believe that government alone cannot do it,? he said.
Jide, formerly a professional footballer, is now a sports writer.
