VRA Tennis Club to immortalise Major Mahama with tourney

The Chairman of the (VRA) Tennis Club of Accra, Colonel Van-der Pallen has announced that from next year the club will host an annual tournament in honour of their former member the late Major Maxwell Mahama who was lynched by a mob at Denkyira Obuasi in the Central Region on Monday, May 29, 2017.

In an interview on the sidelines of an exhibition tournament held in honour of Major Mahama on June 2 in Accra, Colonel Van-der Pallen said the tournament will be a lasting and fitting tribute to his memory given that he was an avid tennis player.

He said: : "Last year because it was the tragic year, we added individuals from certain clubs to join us but this year it is mainly the Akosombo and Accra VRA Clubs. What we are doing is using this as a stepping stone to propel ourselves further for the coming years because we have planned subsequent competitions.

Major Mahama's widow Barbara Mahama

"For the subsequent ones we are looking for persons who have promised us sponsorships to redeem their pledges. This year, we couldn't contact them so we did it on a lighter note, next year we will organise a huge tournament and invite other clubs to join us".

He added that an endowment fund that was established last year with a GHC 10,000 seed money from Club to support the family of the late soldier was currently being operated by CDH Financial Holding Limited.

"The fund is being run by CDH (CDH Financial Holding Limited) and we closely monitor it, we have members at CDH who play tennis with us and they give us updates about how the fund is faring. The widow also has direct access to it and whatever she is entitled to, we make sure that she gets it".

Colonel Van-der Pallen also recalled with nostalgia how Maxwell Mahama became a member of the club and rose to become the third seed of the Akosombo Tennis Club of Accra.

He said: "Major Mahama started his schooling in Akosombo and because his father worked at VRA automatically he was a member of the club and playing tennis with them until he joined the military.

"When he joined the military, he was in Accra and relocated to the club here as a member for almost four year until his demise. He happened to be our number three seed and he was one of our top guys.

"The unique thing about him is the stamina he has when it comes to tennis, never getting tired, ready to play tennis the whole day. He actually proved himself as a young officer with a lot of stamina".

Members of the club engaged each other in one set exhibition games and fraternised with the late Major's widow Barbara Mahama during the event.