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02.11.2005 Volleyball

Volleyball: Police trounce Prisons

02.11.2005 LISTEN
By GNA

Accra, Nov. 2, GNA - The men volleyball team of the Ghana Police Service maintained their stranglehold on Ghana volleyball after they beat their age-long rivals, Prisons Service 3-1 on Tuesday at the on-going Security Services Sports Association (SESSA) Games. The game, which took place at the Police Headquarters Volleyball pitch, saw the Police team dominate their perennial rivals cheered on by a fairly large crowd, which included the Inspector General of Police, Patrick Acheampong and a host of dignitaries.

Such was the domination by the Police team that by the first break they had taken a 14-08 lead. The firepower of the two lead spikers of the Police, Seidu Baba and William Akakpo made the difference throughout the game as the Prisons cover at the net did not have answers to their power-laden spikes.

But that notwithstanding, Prisons were not totally overawed as Alhassan Issah and Henry Abakasi ensured that the gap between the two was respectable.

Police eventually held on to the lead to win the first set 25-16. Prisons not prepared to go down without a fight roared back in the second set and took an early lead and by the time Police called for timeout, they trailed 10-8.

The Reformers of Prisons, though the Police team mounted a last ditch effort, held on to level the game one set apiece winning the second 25-23 spurred on by intelligent faking skills of Haruna Yussif. Police in the third set stamped their authority on the game early as they exploited the gap between Prisons first line of defence at the net and those behind them to take a 10-4 lead.

Though the Reformers after later sealed the gap, it was rather too little too late as the Police team managed to withstand their late surge and restored their lead to win 25-22.

With victory in sight, the Police, led by the intelligence of Wise Adzopka and the powerful diagonal spikes of Dan Owusu got on to early lead in the fourth set.

Prisons knowing that a defeat in the fourth means the end of their challenge put up a brave show but with the odds against them, they were not able to conjure enough inner strength to take the game into the fifth set as the Police eventually won 25-22. The win put Police in pole position for the gold medal in the men's event.

In the other volleyball matches played earlier in the day, the Ghana Armed Forces Women team was taken to five sets by their counterparts from the Ghana Immigration Service before they eventually won 3-2.

The two teams traded sets with the Immigration women winning the first and third sets 27-25 and 25-20. The Armed Forces women bounced in the second and fourth sets 25-22 and 25-18 before they won the fifth and deciding set 15-11.

Prisons women restored some lost pride by beating their counterparts from Fire Service in three straight sets 25-11, 25-7 and 25-13 to keep in tact their unbeaten run in the competition. The male teams of Ghana Armed Forces ensured that the male and female teams of Fire Service went home today empty handed beating them in another three set 26-24, 25-15, 25-19.

The competition continues on Thursday with the gold medal match between the women of Police and Prisons. The two teams are yet to lose a match setting the stage up for an uncompromising encounter.

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