800 players compete in PwC national U-17 cricket tournament

Regional qualifiers for the 2022 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) National Under-17 Cricket Championship have commenced, with about 800 players competing across six centers.

The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF)-organised competition has its highest number of entrants this year with 31 male 25 female teams participating.

Uyi Akpata, president of the NCF, said the event has become one of the key development indicators for cricket in the country, especially on the measure of recruitment, engagement of young players, national spread and gender balance.

“We are very particular about the growth we are pursuing. The PwC championship helps the federation model it to the respective states,” Akpata said.

At the south-west regional event held in Ibadan, Oyo, the Lagos male team dethroned perennial regional power house, Oyo, while Ekiti’s female team beat all contenders for the honour.

Ondo, Ogun and Osun states also featured in the south-west qualifiers.

According to Akpata, the competition’s model allows only regional teams compete at the national finals, irrespective of the winning state.

“The best players are selected from the participating states with emphasis on exceptional talents across the teams in the regional qualifiers, led by the coach of the winning team,” he said.

Gombe state edged others to the north-east regional qualifiers top prize, beating Borno and Taraba states which participated for the first time.

In the north-west edition hosted in Kaduna state, the host dominated by winning the male and female regional titles with Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto states as other competitors.

Kwara state extended its dominance in north-central, also scooping the male and female laurels, with Kogi, Niger and Plateau states also participating.

Yusuf Awobola, coach of the Kwara team, attributed the success to the support from the state’s cricket association and the players’ dedication.

The south-east region produced a mixed winning side, with Imo lifting the male’s trophy and Ebonyi girls also triumphing in the event where Enugu, Anambra and Abia states also participated.

The south-south qualifier held in Benin City, Edo state, where the host also won the male and female categories, leaving Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers states to hope on national finals’ selection.

Tolu Adeleke, a partner at PwC, said the regionals events built quality friendship among the participants, aside the various players being challenged to raise their skill levels.

“We believe in diversity and try to adapt the same philosophy in strengthening the society and the U-17 championship supports our resolve,” Adeleke said.

The 2022 national finals have been scheduled for February 15 to 20 at the cricket pitch of the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.