Butale retains pole position

Thato Kala | Wednesday March 5, 2014 09:28

 

Rebatenne shot to glory recently when she dislodged Butale from the number one spot by beating her in the Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) Open 2014 tournament final but over the weekend the tables were turned.

Butale, who has held onto the number one spot for several years, was too strong for her opponent, claiming a sweet victory in the final. There were plenty of momentum swings in a grueling four-set tussle that Butale won 3-1.

The 15-year-old, Ludo Ishmael and Peo Thebe (17), Botswana’s Africa Youth Games ping pong stars, won silver in the Under 18 girls and boys’ single events respectively. Tournament organisers’ representative, Matshidiso Osi said they were excited about the way the event was run.

“We are quite happy, spectators came in their numbers and the players did well. The women’s singles final was also an exciting battle. We look forward to the next edition,” Osi said.

The tournament kicked-off with the launch of a one-year P17,000 sponsorship deal between the host club Smash Maniacs and Kam Bricks Holdings. Out of this, P12,000 was dedicated to sponsoring the team for a year. The rest of the money will be used to buy prizes for the weekend tournament.

The club and the new sponsor now plan to make the event an annual tournament.

The first edition of the tourney attracted 100 participants with two teams from South Africa also in the mix.