BY Jacob Ajom
The first Lagos International Table Tennis Classics couldn’t have started in a better fashion than what was on table Monday as the juniors exhibited skills and talents that bellied their innocence.

Ten-year old Suimer Qudus caught the eyes of spectators as he thrilled in his match with  Nurudeen Hassan.

Table Tennie

Qudus took the first set at 11- 4. He uses the left hand but his dexterity and accuracy made Nurudeen looked ordinary. In a sudden twist in fortune, his slightly bigger opponent upturned the scores with deft strikes and wide volleys. It was a match Nurudeen dug deep to deservedly take at 11-3.

The third and decisive set was a ding-dong affair  At 10-7, Qudus was in a pole position to take the set but an unbroken point haul by Nurudeen saw the latter take the match at 4-11, 11-3, 12-10.

Qudus blamed his defeat partly, on the new bat he played with. “The new bat was a bit slippery. If they allowed me use my old bat I would have won the match afterall, I have beaten him twice before.”

“I am happy I played very well. It was a tough match but I failed,” the ten-year old admitted, saying he hopes to become a great table tennis player in future.

Meanwhile, competition begins today in the men’s and women’s categories. The likes of Funke Oshonaike, Offiong Edem, Cecilia out will be on parade.

Although she could not confirm her opponent, the veteran Olympian, Oshonaike said, “I am not going to underrate anybody. They are all good players here.”