Nttf National League Finals Hold Friday 17th October 2014

After one day rest, action will return to the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium on Friday as the final of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) national league holds.

Eight teams will compete in the knockout stage for places in the semifinal stage of the men’s event. In the women’s category, four teams will battle for places in the final.

Other teams will slug it out with favourites like Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Union Bank Sports Club.

The NSCDC team will be led by Kazeem Makanjuola and Ganiyu Ashimiyu while the Union Bank female team will be spearheaded by Fatimo Bello and Halimotu Ayinla against highly-rated NSCDC inspired by National Sports Festival champion, Rashidat Ogundele.

For the pairing in the men’s round of eight, NSCDC will face Nigeria Police Force while Union Maritime will face G-20.

Springfresh Smashers will clash against Union Bank while IAR&T battles Sunshine of Akure for places in the last four.

The Union Bank’s duo of Fatimo Bello and Halimot Ayinla will spearhead the bankers’ team campaign when the team takes on the Nigeria Police Force team led by Sidi Yaya for a place in the final.

In the second semifinal tie, highly-rated NSCDC ladies will battle Springfresh Smashers.

Prior to the commencement of the league, Sunshine’s Boboye Adeniyan admitted that they are ready to confront any team in their bid to repeat the feat they achieved during the pilot league.

“I know it is going to be tough and we can also do what we did during the pilot league. It is obvious that it is a tall order for us in the final but we are indeed in top form to battle any opposition that may come our way,” Adeniyan said.

Nigeria Table Tennis Federation

Also Makanjuola said they will be unstoppable for the title. “I don’t think we will play to the gallery unlike what happened to us when we started the league. This is the final and we have to be at our best if we want to clinch the title. We are battle ready and I am sure we will lift the trophy,” Makanjuola said.

With N2.5m at stake as prize money, the federation has said that the finale will be glamorous as top dignitaries.

NTTF National League Serves Off October 9

Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has fixed October 9 for the official kick off of its national league.

According to the Secretary of NTTF, Chinedu Ezealah-Ogundare, the league became necessary following the success of the pilot league staged early this year, while 30 teams across the country are expected to take part in the tournament holding at the National Stadium in Lagos.
Four players are expected to make up a team and the Olympics system of play would be used in order to acquaint the players with the new format of play.

Also, the new International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) approved plastic balls will be during the competition in order to acquaint the players with the new balls.

According to the national coach, Nosiru Bello, the new ITTF approved balls would be deployed during the competition as this ball would be used in most ITTF major competitions including the forthcoming African Championships holding in November in Sudan.

Nigeria’s Ojo Onaolapo serves the ball to India’s Kamal Sharath Achanta (unseen) during their Bronze Medal Team table tennis match at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on July 28, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

According to the referee of the competition, John Peters, the tournament would also help the federation to select players for the forthcoming African Championship while individual performance would be considered in the final selection of the players.

In the prospectus, the league would involve 20 male and 10 female teams made up of four players per team and they are expected to garner points to qualify for the top eight and top four, which is the grand finale holding on October 17 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The deadline of team’s registration has been fixed for October 3 while teams are expected to arrive Lagos for the competition on October 8 to finalise their registration for the championship scheduled to hold at the knock-up hall of the National Stadium.

“We want to ensure that our players are in top shape for major competitions and this is one of the ways we want to achieve this. Also, we are going to use it to select the remaining two slots in the male national team for the African Championship holding in Sudan. Already three players have been penciled down based on their performance in recent times and we also want to give the local players the opportunity to be part of the team and that is why we are going to use the competition to pick the remaining two players.

In the female category, we are hoping that we can pick the best to represent the country in Sudan. We want to be selecting players based on their recent form and with this tournament we will do this,” the NTTF scribe said.

Among the teams lined up for the league are Union Bank Sports Club, Springfresh, Union Maritime, Police Machine, G20, Nigerian Civil Defence Corps, Sunshine of Akure, Calabar Rovers, Rivers Angel and a host of others.

Falconets Get New Assistant Coach, As Dedevbo Drops 6 players

Head Coach of the Falconets, Peter Dedevbo as dropped six players from the list of 35 players invited to camp. In preparation for The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Canada 2014.

The players are:
Sidi Ajibola – FC Robo Lagos.
Lilian Tula – Taraba Queens.
David Florence – Tewo Queens Oyo.
Uchegbo Chidinma – Yaba Queens.
Ayomide Ojo – Police Team, Lagos.

Another player Fasilat Adeyemo was decamped for for failure to report three weeks after Camp resumed.

Dedevbo said the players were dropped because they could not ” endure the rigours of training”.

The Falconets will leave Abuja for Ondo State on monday the 26th of May for a friendly game with Sunshine Queens of Akure, the game will be played on Wednesday the 28th of May in Akure.

Meanwhile the Nigeria Football Foundation as appointment Mrs Mathew Olarenwaju Wemimo Oni as an assistant coach for the Falconets.

Oni is not a stranger to the National team as she was part of the U-20 team that represented Nigeria in Germany 2010. She also served as Team Manager of Sunshine Queens in 2012, she then went on to coach the same team in 2013.

The Former Pelican Stars player also once played for Oladimeji Tigress and Rivers Angel.

Her appointment now brings the number of the technical crew of the Falconets to four.

Sola Rogers

WE’LL BEAT CAMEROON – FALCONS SKIPPER

Super Falcons captain Evelyn Nwabuoku has boasted that Cameroon Lionesses will be beaten when they clash this evening at Abuja National Stadium Goal Project pitch.

Nwabuoku who expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for organising such top class game for the Super Falcons stressing that it will afford them the opportunity to know their state of readiness for the task ahead

“Nigerians should not expect anything short of victory from us this evening because we have worked so hard preparing for this match. We are only waiting for for the game to come up and for us to show case what we have learnt these past three weeks” she stated

The Rivers Angels star said the Cameroonian’s would give them a good game and would want to even beat the Falcons but assured that they would meet their waterloo.

She said the game is not a grudge match but that the Super Falcons would surely want to retaliate the loss to Cameroon in the 2012 African Women Championship.

“We are ready and raring to go. We are going to use this game to send a message to the Rwandans that Falcons are on track to regaining their glory” she noted.