VC's cup tennis opens at
KNUST
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 April 2003 - Accra Hearts of Oak face a
difficult second leg in the African champions league first round stage after
managing only a 1-0 win over Togolese champions AS Douannes in Accra on Sunday.
The Phobians who went into the game hoping they could win big to make
the second less difficult created several chances but managed to score only
once through Wisdom Abbey twelve minutes into the second half.
As with most games involving Hearts, several fans blamed coach Herbert
Addo for what they thought was a poor show. They pointed out that once again,
the coach was poor with his selection and tactics.
The coach disputed that. He pointed out that his side failed to win massively
because they were too poor with their finishing. “This is the most difficult
stage of the champions league because every side fights to get into the league
stage”.
“The Togolese played to my expectation but we played below expectations.
We created the chances alright but the finishing was just too poor. We can’t
miss chances like that. These are chances these players never miss. So we have
to do our homework more”.
Hearts were on the average the best of the two sides but poor finishing
particularly from lone goal scorer Wisdom Abbey left Hearts fans sad
afterwards. Abbey too accepted responsibility for the misses but he remained
philosophical about the game. “Sometimes that is how football is. We played
well, it is difficult at this stage but there are times when you have no
control over what happens on the field of play”.
While Abbey was lively for the entire ninety minutes, Hearts were let
down by the poor form on the afternoon of Emmanuel Osei Kuffour. He admitted
Hearts had been poor on the day and that he too didn’t play in a manner to help
the team.
And while this would be too difficult for Hearts fans to stomach,
Charles Taylor’s absence was felt throughout the match. They missed his
creativity and inspirational play.
The challenge in the second leg would be to play and play well there.
The good thing for Hearts in the second leg is that Douannes would be forced to
go forward than sit back the way they did in Accra. That should provide the
feuding Hearts fans some hope.
Line up: Sammy Adjei, Philip Kutsu, Nii Noi, Dan Quaye, Kwabena Boafo,
Adjah Tetteh, Don Bortey, Joe Ansah/Awudu Adama , Emmanuel Kuffour, Wisdom
Abbey, Charles Allotey
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
14 April 2003 - Bukhard Ziese, head coach of the senior national team, the
Black Stars has stated emphatically that, the stars would beat Uganda and
Rwanda to book their qualification to next year's, Nations Cup in Tunisia.
Speaking at a Press
Conference in Accra on Friday, Coach Ziese said any result apart from victory
in the two matches would mean the stars inability to appear at the nations cup
adding, "we have to beat the two teams to gain entry to the African soccer
fiesta".
The Black Stars are
expected to take on Uganda on June 27 in Accra and Rwanda in Kigali on July 7
the return legs of the qualifying matches of the African Cup of Nations. Coach
Ziese said, if he could get the full complement of Ghanaian professional
players abroad there would be no doubt that the team would beat their opponents
come June 27 and July 7 to qualify for the next nations cup.
According to Coach
Ziese " if all the invited foreign based player would respond to their
invitations swiftly, then a formidable squad would be assembled for the two
matches and there is no way victory shall elude us".
Commenting on the
recent four-nation tourney hosted by Tunisia, in which Ghana participated and
placed third, coach Ziese attributed the team's performance to the failure of
some foreign-based players to respond to national call.
He mentioned players
like Augustine Arhinful, Samuel Osei-Kuffour, Daniel Edusei, Kofi Amponsah
among others who could not make it to the tourney. The German coach the use of
a full squad would have enabled the team to win the tourney, taking into
consideration the level of performance put up by the Stars.
"We would have
beaten all the teams in the tourney, if I had had a good response from the
players I invited". The coach however lamented on what he described as the
poor state of goalkeeping in the country and added that measures would be taken
to address the problem.
He said a group of
goalkeepers, numbering about eight including one amateur keeper from Germany,
Issah Umar Abukari would assembled next week for a justify your inclusion
exercise to select the best keeper for the team.
He also indicated
that similar exercises would be conducted for some left and right backs as well
as midfielders as part of the team building exercise. Coach Ziese said a list
of players outlined for the national team would be made public as they are
expected to begin training next week.
Coach Isaac Paha, his
assistant said the main problem of the team was a weak defensive system
following the failure of most the defenders invited to turn up for the tourney.
Coach Paha said the
level of tactical indiscipline displayed by the team on the field, which saw
two of the players being expelled from the two games through red cards is also
one of their problems.
GR…/
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Cape Coast (Central
Region) 14 April 2003 - A goal scored by substitute, Eric Atikpe Ayawbi in the
88th minute enabled Kpando Heart Of Lions to draw 1-1 with Accra based Stay
Cool in their national middle league match played at the Cape Coast sports
stadium on Saturday.
After a goalless first
half, both teams resumed strongly and matched their opponents boot to boot. In
the process Stay Cool earned a free kick just outside the "18" in the
50th minute. Inside left Asamoah Djan's kick hit the cross bar and
rebounded into play for outside left, Yaw Amoah, to tap the ball into the net
in the 50th minute.
Heart of Lions
realising that the going was getting tough substituted Ayawbi for Samuel
Yeboah. The change enabled Heart Of Lions to take control of the match until
the 88th minute when Ayawbi levelled up matters in a goalmouth
scramble.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
14 April 2003 - Ghana's Kpakpo Allotey on Saturday night won the African Boxing
Union (ABU) super featherweight title by knocking out his Ugandan opponent Mike
Kizza in two minutes 42 seconds of the third round of their scheduled 12 round
bout at the Globe Cinema, Accra.
The event dubbed
"Future WBC Champions" staged under the Arthur Don Boxing Promotions
Syndicate was also to commemorate the 40th anniversary celebration
of the World Boxing Council (WBC).
Allotey who last
month attempted to annex the national lightweight title but failed, came into
the fight more determined as he started attacking his opponent from the first
bell and managed to take absolute control.
The Ugandan started
the second with some powerful right shots but he failed to sustain the pressure
and was punished by a right hook, which sent his crashing onto the canvas.
Allottey powered his
way through the guard of his opponent with his characteristic right hand in the
third round and made his opponent completely vulnerable.
In a sporadic
exchange with Kizza, the young Ghanaian landed a powerful right hook to the
head of the Ugandan, which flattened him on the canvas. Kizza rose at six but
the Nigerian referee, Tony Lecson continued the count and when he realised that
the defending champion was in no mood to continue, he signalled for the end of
proceedings.
Allotey, a member of
the 1998 Commonwealth team to Malaysia now has eight fights to his credit with
seven knockouts and one controversial loss. Officials of the Ghana Boxing
Authority (GBA) led, Peter Zwenes and other representatives of the main
sponsors of the event decorated the new champion with the ABU championship
belt.
In the other title
fight of the night, the former African Boxing Confederation (ABC) champion,
Victor Kpodonou of the Republic of Benin dethroned the African Boxing Union
(ABU) champion Davis Lusimbo of Uganda via a third round technical knockout.
The fight, which had
attracted rave media attention due to the records of the two champions failed
to live up to its billing, as the Ugandan could not offer the kind of
opposition expected of a champion.
Lusimbo was decked
twice in the first round by right crosses from his opponent and he was lucky to
have survived the round as he was saved by the bell when he appeared to be out
of tune with himself after rising at the count of eight from the second
knockdown.
The Ugandan visited
the canvas twice again in the second round. He got up at the count of eight
from the first, while referee Godfred Cobblah ruled the second a push down.
Meanwhile, it was the
Ugandan who was the busier of the two boxers as he landed more punches and
displayed superior footwork and ring-craft but unfortunately, he lacked the
durability to absorb the sturdy punches of Kpodonou.
Lusimbo opened the
third round fiercely, compelling Kpodonou to open fire with two left jabs and a
powerful right shot. The Ugandan back pedalled as his legs wobbled and he went
down on his knees with his right hand on the canvas.
The referee
intervened and after conferring with the boxer, he halted proceedings on 51
seconds of the third round. The thriller of the night was an eight round
international super lightweight contest between Abdulai Amidu and Ajamiou Radji
Tyson of Nigeria.
Every round of the
contest was action packed as the two boxers threw everything at each other
without compromise. In the end, it was the homeboy, Amidu who had the verdict
in his favour via a unanimous decision. It was indeed his first fight to go the
distance and he admitted that he was in a fight of his life.
The Nigerian was so
game that at the end of the fight, Felix Quagrine, a manager of the Akotoku
Academy, managers of new ABU super featherweight champion, Kpakpo Allotey
offered to manage him.
In the other events,
Alex Brew knocked out debutant Peter Dorbor in one minute, 52 seconds of round
three in an eight round Lightweight contest, while Bilall Mohamed had an easy
pay day when he ended Kuma Doe's challenge in one minute, 52 seconds of the
first round in another eight round Lightweight contest.
The corner of Togolese,
Poudjegbo Dosseh threw in the towel in the fifth round of a scheduled ten round
Super Middleweight contest with Charles Adamu, the national super middleweight
champion.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
14 April 2003 - The Ghana Squash Association is poised to abide by the new
sports development concept of self-sustenance when it holds an inaugural
ceremony at the Accra Sports Stadium in May.
As a first step in
achieving the realism, more than 50 executives and patrons have accepted
invitation to be present at the ceremony and support the programmes lined up by
the association.
Francis Johnson, Head
Coach of the association told GNA Sport that has toured Western, Ashanti,
Eastern and Greater Accra regions to revive the dormant clubs and update
players with the latest techniques in the sport.
He said
representatives of squash clubs in the regions would be included in the
executives to enable the association to function effectively. Johnson called on
corporate bodies and institutions to help the association to develop the sport.
GRi…/
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Tema (Greater Accra)
14 April 2003 - B.G. Lee returned 67 net to win this year's Bok Nam Kim
Memorial Open Golf championship played at the Tema Country Golf Course on
Saturday.
Richard Aziamakpor
came second with 69 net, H.S. Jeon took the third position with 70 net, beating
S.O. Chun and Nana Owusu-Afari on countback while the sixth position went to
F.A. Sogbordjor with 71 net.
Mona Captan won the
Ladies event with 68 net, Grace Komladzei came second with 70 net, Florence
Etwi-Barima was third with 71 net while Esther Antwi placed fourth with 72 net.
In the Professionals event, Baba Akologo beat a field of 15 to win the trophy
for the first time after several attempts, with a gross score of 143 pushing
the defending champion, Victor Brave-Mensah to the third position with a gross
score of 145.
Paul Dossey took the
second position with a gross score of 144, Anthony Amuzu came fourth with 146
gross, while John Dorman placed fifth with 147 gross. The one-day 18-hole
stableford competition which opened to professional and amateur golfers
throughout the country was to honour Bok Nam Kim, former Chief Executive
Officer of Afko Group of Companies who single-handedly sponsored Ghana's
contingent to the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. He died in 1995. The event,
which was sponsored by Afko Group of Companies, attracted more than 150
golfers.
Felix Owusu-Adjapong,
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, praised the late Kim for his immense
contribution to the development of golf and sports in general. S.O. Chun,
Deputy Managing Director of Afko Fisheries, on behalf of Afko Group, presented
a cheque for 10 million cedis to the Tema Country Golf Club.
GRi…/
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Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 14 April 2003 - Accra tennis players currently participating in the
first Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) open tennis
competition in Kimasi on Thursday easily beat their Kumasi counterparts in the
preliminary matches of the men's singles.
Playing a straight
set each at the preliminary stages as demanded by the regulations of the
competition, Emmanuel Holm of Royal Ravico Tennis Club in Accra beat Dan
Adjetey of KNUST 9-1, while Robert Botwe of Accra Golden Tulip Tennis Club
defeated Onunwor Moonlight of KNUST 9-1 with Patrick Nortey also of Accra
Golden Tulip accounting for Asamoah Agyin of Ashanti Tennis Club 9-2.
In the other matches,
Joe Doe of 37 Officers Mess Tennis Club Accra beat Festus Mfodzo of Korle-Bu
tennis club 9-1 and Stephen Lamptey of American Apartment tennis club Accra
also defeating John Tetteh of KNUST 9-0.
With these results,
the winners have made it to the next stage of the competition, which ends on
Sunday. The even is being sponsored by the Barclays Bank.
Earlier, in an
exhibition match to commence the competition which would be held annually with
the giant Vice chancellor (VC) Cup at stake, Professor Kwesi Andam, VC of KNUST
who is the donor of the cup, impressed the crowd with some well-taken shots to
beat Sidique Abubakar of Ashanti Tennis Club 7-5.
The competition,
initiated by Professor Andam, has 32 participants from Accra and Kumasi who
would be competing for honours in the men's singles, women's singles and men's
doubles.
The winner of the
men's singles, which is the main event, takes VCs cup at stake and other prizes
while winners in the other events take cash prizes ranging from ˘800,000 to
˘200,000.
In an address to open
the competition, Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, Pro Vice-chancellor of KNUST,
announced that the university would soon introduce degree programme in sports
to boost the university's potential to positively influence sports in the
country.
He said that although
only tennis and badminton had been introduced into the university's curricula
this semester, the university authorities were considering adding athletics and
swimming next semester.
Professor R.T. Awuah,
chairman of the competition's planning committee, called on the participants
and supporters to maintain high sense of discipline to ensure the success of
the competition.
GRi…/
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