Isheri Grammar School wins Kandaval Cup

HOSTILITIES at the 2015 edition of the annual Kandaval Inter School Table Tennis championship ended at the weekend with Isheri Grammar School carting home both the Boys and Girls singles titles. 

  In the Girls singles’ category, Shakirat Adebayo, the defending champion, had no mercy for Grace Kalu of Wesley Girls Senior School, Yaba, dismissing her 11-10, 11-4 and 11-6, while Dare Gbadamosi,  SS3 student of Isheri Grammar School, hit Agboola Martins of Jubril Martins Grammar School in three straight sets of 11-6, 11-2 and 11-4 to be crowned champion in the boys category.

  Speaking at the event, MD/CEO of Kandaval Communications Ltd, a frontline sports programmes production outfit and sponsors of the annual tournament, Tony Obot, expressed satisfaction at the quality of play exhibited by all the participants and promised to continue to bankroll the championship, which is aimed at discovering talented table tennis players for the country. 

  “As stakeholders, we should do more than just criticizing the level of the game and start putting our money where our mouths are,” Obot said.

 At the end of the event, former national and African champion, Babatunde Obisanya, who retired recently as National Chief Coach of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), was on hand to present prizes to the winners. He commended the sponsors and called on more corporate bodies to show concern for the deteriorating state of the game in Nigeria. 

  “With more competitions like the Kandaval Cup, there is no way we will not discover new stars, who will fly our country’s flag high in the near future in major international competitions,” Obisanya said.

  The next edition of Kandaval Cup has been fixed for February 22, 2016.