The death of Rt. Hon. Tonye Ezekiel Harry has devastated the duo of Emmanuel Obiora, the serving captain of Port Harcourt club 1928 Lawn Tennis section and former captain of Port Harcourt club 1928 Lawn Tennis section, Sir. Ernest Elochukwu as both were Tonye Harry’s contemporaries in the game of Tennis at the Port Harcourt Club 1928 tennis section.
Terribly shocked Sir. Elochukwu via phone disclosed that they were all there at the Port Harcourt club 1928 Lawn Tennis section for Nigeria 53rd Independence Day celebration with a section of tennis to celebrate the day.
According to him, he had earlier had his play in the morning and left, only to hear that Tonye Harry had a problem and had been admitted in the hospital while trying to play tennis.
On his part, the serving captain of the Lawn Tennis section, Emmanuel Obiora, could not utter a word when The Newswriter sports approached him. Shocked by the incident, Obiora could only say, the lawn tennis section in Port Harcourt Club 1928 and lawn tennis in Rivers State will no longer be the same.
These same words were collaborated by Sir. Elochukwu as Tonye Harry, though a legislator, was the pillar of lawn tennis in both Port Harcourt club 1928 lawn tennis section and Rivers State.
Sir. Elochukwu on his part prayed the Rivers State government to sustain late Harry’s Tennis Academy for posterity. Suggesting the state government should name the academy after Tonye Harry despite whatever provision the government make for the family.
Both men applauded Late Harry, saying he has affected lives in the positive. Eulogizing him to be a perfect peaceful gentle man of great encouragement to his colleagues and the youths.
Tonye Harry’s Lawn Tennis Academy is the mainstay in five gold medals for Rivers State in the last Lagos 2012 18th National Sports Festival. Also delivered the top sport for Rivers State at 17th National Sports festival as his lads cleared all the gold medals for Rivers State.
His lads both from the state and in Lagos and other parts of the country are all crying for losing their daddy to death. His death has surely threatened the existence of the game of lawn tennis in the state particularly, his Academy.
Tonye Harry’s love for lawn tennis could not really be explained. He represented Rivers State at the secondary school level and had grown with the sport to become an astute Tennis player and legislator, even as he plays football in his much more youthful days in life. ###
