Cricket: 58 teams to compete in the 5th national U-17 championship

The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) says 58 teams will participate in the fifth edition of the PwC National Under-17 Cricket Championship, with the regional elimination rounds scheduled for January 20.

Speaking on Friday, Emeka Igwilo, the general manager of the federation, said the latest championship attracted more participation than expected due to its grassroots appeal.

“This year, 25 states have registered girls’ teams, while 33 boys’ teams are coming from the states for the scheduled zonal eliminations that would hold from January 20 to 28,” Igwillo said.

The NCF official said the zonal elimination would be held simultaneously across six zones of the country and would produce the finalists in the main event scheduled for February 7-11 at the twin oval of the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

“One of the key things that this championship has achieved for us is the continual supply of grassroots talent that eventually fills the national teams’ spot. It also compliments all the efforts of our development officers across the country,” Igwillo said.

A total of 812 players will participate in the regional elimination championship which among other things raises the impact of cricket across the country.

On his part, Obioma Ubah, the partner and corporate responsibility leader at PwC Nigeria, said that the sponsor’s involvement in developmental cricket since 2018 has created an avenue for the expression and promotion of values that include teamwork, leadership and nationalism among the Nigerian youths.

“One success story is the fact that this championship is one of the few with the highest gender inclusion percentage as 80 percent of the participants in the last four years were girls and this aligns with our values for national development,” Ubah said.

“This has also provided for us an opportunity to bring purpose to life and make sustainable impact on a national scale.”