U-18 tennis players to compete in Hathiramani champs

 Tennis players under the age of 18 years will for the first time compete in this year’s edition of the annual D.G. Hathiramani Memorial Table Tennis Championship  scheduled for  the Hathiramani Sports Hall at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday.

  This  is a clear departure  from the usual professionals who have always been stealing the show and hitting the headlines.

The move, according to organisers of the competition, was to identify young talents, polish and develop them for the next ITTF Africa Cadets and Youth Championship scheduled for Tiziozou, Algeria, in April 2016.

The national ping-pong coach, Anthony Owusu, told the Graphic Sports in an interview that with tennis now gaining much popularity in Africa, it was important for Ghana to take advantage to strengthen her  base.

This, he said, could be done by not only  casting the net wider  to identify talents at the youth level, but also groom them  for future tournaments.

He said creating youth competitions regularly would also  induce them to develop much interest in the sport to sharpen their skills.

The competition,which is organised each year to commemorate Indian-born Ghanaian legendary ping-pong administrator, D.G. Hathiramani, is being sponsored by former national table tennis coach, Dr. E.A. Quaye.