Ikeja Club beat Ghana in annual interclub Matchplay

IT was supposed to be a friendly affair and it actually turned out that way… but the golfers went about their business in a manner suggesting that there were more at stake than the bragging rights.

The hosts, Ikeja Golf Club, chose the occasion of their annual inter-club Match play with Tema Club at the weekend to show that among their membership are some of the best players in the West Africa sub-region.

The encounter, played over 36-holes, saw Ikeja Club overpowering the visitors by a whopping 29 and half points to Tema’s 18 and half points.

Much of the possible outcome of the encounter started manifesting when Ikeja began the competition by scoring 10-points to Tema’s seven points in the opening singles.

The host club consolidated on the opening day run gaining another 19-point in the Doubles Match play to gross a total of 29 and half points, while Ghana only managed 11 and half points in the doubles match play in the final round.

Satisfied with the turnout and the spirit displayed in the two-day event, Captain of Ikeja Golf Club, Air Comm. Tokunbo Ajomale, said the annual friendly match play has gone a long way in cementing the relationship between the two countries, counseling that all efforts should be made in maintaining the relationship.

While pledging that Ikeja Golf Club would continue foster unity between the two countries through golf, Ajomale said he looked forward to the day the competition would attain the Ryder Cup-like status.

Joshua Peprah, team leader and Captain of the visiting Tema Golf Club, Ghana, described the relationship and hospitality accorded them as fantastic, saying it is a gesture they would emulate in next round of the competition.

“The strength of the relationship is fantastic and that is what we hope to continue to keep. Though the match has been won and lost, we have further established our relationship and hope to continue to build on that,” Peprah said.        

Meanwhile, Ikeja Club’s current vice captain, Akin Areola, is expected to lead a team of golfers to Tema, Ghana next year for the return leg of the competition.