GRi Sports 22-04-99

 Dawu Youngsters and Okwawu United settled for a goalless drawn game in their ABC Golden Lager premier football league outstanding match played at Dawu on Wednesday.

After an uneventful first half, Dawu came back from the break with greater determination but they failed to utilise the many scoring chances they created.

Okwawu were reduced to ten men in the 76th minute when their goalkeeper Leonard Moffart was shown the red card by Tema-based referee Henry Quarshie for deliberately throwing the ball at centre forward Eric Mbroh after attempting to head the ball from his hands.

The referee's decision angered the Okwawu supporters, who rushed on the referee and in the process one of them hit him in the abdomen, which brought the game to a halt for about 20 minutes.

Dawu took absolute control when the game resumed but in spite of their numerical strength they could not score.

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo), 22nd April

Mr Emmanuel Afranie, Head Coach of the National Women Soccer Team, Black Queens, has appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES), to include women's soccer in the sports calendar for junior and senior secondary schools. This, he said, will help to unearth budding talents for recruitment into the national team, since the absence of a women's national soccer league, is making it extremely difficult to get ready materials to fill the team.

Mr Afranie made the appeal at Sunyani on Wednesday, when the team paid a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Mr Donald Adabre as part of its three-day training tour to the Brong Ahafo Region. Mr Afranie said the world soccer governing body, FIFA is determined to make women soccer a big sports attraction and is, therefore, pumping a lot of resources into its development. He said the country could only take advantage of this development if it has a strong national women soccer team and asked stakeholders in soccer, to assist materially and financially to maintain a strong national women soccer team.

Mr Adabre praised the officials and players for being the first national senior team to qualify for a world cup contest, which, he said, had brought fame to the country. Mr Adabre urged the players to be disciplined, obedient and to train hard, so as to be in a position to bring further fame to the country through exquisite exhibition of soccer artistry when they go to the United States for the world cup. He assured them of a good stay in the region and wished them well in their preparations and participation in the world cup.

The Deputy Regional Minister, Alhaji Kwadwo Maama Adam advised the players to endeavour to pursue formal education or acquire a trade, in addition to their football profession.

The Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Alhaji Ahmed Abdallah, donated a ram and 500,000 cedis towards the their upkeep while in the region.

A number of training matches involving first and second division teams have been lined up for the Black Queens.

Berekum ( Brong Ahafo), 22nd April

The national women's football team, the Black Queens,on Wednesday endeared themselves to soccer fans at Berekum, when they engaged local Pro-Sports, a crack second division side in an encounter at the Berekum Coronation park. They gave good accounts of themselves through the display of excellent skills, abundant stamina, physical fitness and other qualities, but in the end lost 1-5 to their taller and more energetic opponents.

Some fans attributed the defeat to the unfamiliar grass-less pitch which made ball control difficult, and also because the queens arrived from Accra only a few hours before the match.

The encounter which forms part of the queens' preparation for the women's world cup in the US in June, was watched by a fairly large crowd including Mr Donald Adabre, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister.

Pro-sports registered two early goals through marksman, Samuel Kyere in the fifth and 20th minutes to unsettle the visitors. Kyere was on target again in the 30th minute to bring the scores to 3-0 at the end of the first half.

On resumption, Black Queens' Grace Gyamfuah, who come on for Adwoa Bayor, received a pass from midfield, dribbled three defenders and intelligently lobbed the ball over advancing goalkeeper Yakubu George in the 65th minute to reduce the tally to 3-1. The queens continued to probe for more goals, but erratic shooting up front denied them of the opportunity.

Pro-sports got two more goals in the dying minutes of the game through Stephen Amankwaah and Kukubor Bright.

Earlier, the District Chief Executive, Mrs Mary Boakye congratulated the team for qualifying for the world cup and being the second best in Africa. She said being the only woman district chef executive in the region, the visit of the team had made her proud and asked the players to continue to work hard to keep abreast with the scientific development in football. She said their profession is part of the empowerment of women in a challenging world and urged girls in the district to emulate members of the team and aim at self- improvement, self discipline in every field of endeavour they may find themselves.

Dormaa-Ahankro (Brong Ahafo), 22nd April

Dormaa Aduana Stars beat visiting Kintampo United 1-0 in the northern sector first division football match played at Dorma on Wednesday. The lone goal was scored by Kwaku Yeboah in the 15th minute.

In another encounter played at the Sunyani Coronation park, visiting Berekum Arsenals surprised B.A. United with a 2-1 victory.

At Techiman, Wa Kwa-Max F/C failed to turn up for their match against Techiman Kyempim F/C.