Cricket: UNIBEN crushes No-Limit to win Edo League

The University of Benin (UNIBEN) cricket team has won the Edo State Cricket League, humiliating No-Limit Cricket Club, the defending champions, with a 70-run defeat.

The match, which concluded the 2023/24 cricket season, saw the UNIBEN team become the new toast of the league, with arrays of budding talents from the state’s cricket development programme now fully integrated into the school.

The champions paraded former national under-19 stars including Reigneth Osagie, Miracle Akhigbe, and Okeke Izuchukwu, in addition to national team players like Peter Aho and Eghosa Aghedo, who captained the team.

The first inning had seen Chiemelie Udekwe, the national team’s choice fast bowler, in No-Limit’s colour partner with Godbless Abilo to rattle the University of Benin batting lineup, posting three wickets a piece. In 19.5 overs, the students’ team was all out with 114 runs on board.

The defending champion had no idea what lay in waiting in the second inning and it took 73 balls for the Eghosa-led new champions to rout No-Limit’s title defence dream. They were all out with only 44 runs in 12.1 overs.

Destiny Chilemanya did six of the damage to their batting order having already contributed 16 runs to UNIBEN’s 114 total and was easily the player of the match. Reignet Osagie, on the other hand, contributed 27 runs in 25 balls, while Aho had 22 from 32 balls.

Invictus Cricket Club edged Delta Force by 69 runs to claim the second-runner-up spot.

After the Super Four series that rounded off the league, Chimemele Udekwe of No-Limit won the most valuable player award.

David Abiebhode of Invictus Cricket Club won the batter of the series award, while Chilemanya won the bowler of the series award. UNIBEN’s Osward Obasohan won the fielder of the series award.

Abraham Oviawe, the vice chairman of Edo State Cricket League, said the emerging star players manifested the consistent efforts expended by the league board over the years.

“The hallmark of our success is that a number of the players are currently still in secondary schools, signifying their acceptance of our educational policy and they all proudly came out to represent their schools,” Oviawe said.

“We have other higher Institutions like the Benson Idahoda Univeristy and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma that have a huge number of our cricket talents here as well, and I think this is a path we are strongly pursuing into the future. The new generation we are grooming have models to look up to.”