Team Absolute have emerged winner of the 8th edition of the Oba Elegushi Tennis Championship after defeating Team Ebony in the final on Saturday, 17 December.
In the final which took place at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Team Absolute overcame Team Ebony in both the singles and doubles events to emerge champions.
Other teams who took part in this year’s tournament are Team Elegushi, Team President, Team Abere and Team Lufadeju.
Among top dignitaries who were present for the grand finale were His Royal Majesty Oba saheed Ademola Elegushi, Oba Owolabi Adeyemi Adeniyi, Onisabe of Igbobi and Oba Muslim, Ogudu Oshadu of Ogombo land.
Also present were Honourable Noheem Adams, Chief Adebola Dosunmu Olori Eyo of Lagos, Aare Akin Bolarinwa, Aare Bashir Fakorede, Aare Chiedu Nweke, Councils of Baales of Ikate Kingdom and Mr Obinna Obiora ,vchairman , Patonia Hotel.
Prior to the commencement of the final, Oba Elegushi, who is the sponsor of the competition, took part in a doubles exhibition game.
And speaking on this year’s tournament, Oba Elegushi said:”Everything started like a joke. I have love for tennis, I was in Turin, Italy to watch a final and I like to look for good talents who we can sponsor every year and this tournament is one every member of Lagos Lawn Tennis Club have to partake. This is the 8th edition and I know by the 10th year it will be perfect.
“This is our club and our pride and this is Lagos. If we don’t have a reputable seating area how do we encourage foreigners to come and play with us and watch our game? So it’s about making things better, keep improving every year.“
On whether there will be a tennis tournament for ball boys at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club:he said:”Maybe next year we will look at that which is a good one because the ball boys need to partake to know who among them is the best.“
And in his words, captain of Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, ex-Nigeria international and International Tennis Federation (ITF) certified coach, Henry Shedrach said:“This 8th edition we had another twist. Before we use to play it in a different form but now we made everybody to be a team so that we can play.
“The team tournament is very interesting which is different from other forms of games we’ve been playing in the past. Even if you have a Rodger Federer in your team, you might not be the winner of the tournament. So there is a lot of strategy to go about the game, you have to know the players to put in so that you can make your point. So, this year’s edition has been so far so good.“
And what made this year’s tournament unique:“What has made this year’s edition unique is because we did team event. So you carry along your team, you cheer your team up, you strategise, it’s different from the singles tournament. It was like a family format, it’s the best so far.“
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