South-south wins U-17 national cricket championship

The 2nd national under-17 cricket championship sponsored by PwC ended in Benin city on Sunday with the south-south team securing the honours at stake.

The south-south halted its north-west counterpart at 57 while the south-west team finished third.

The north-west team seemed set for a defence of the title it won last year at Abuja, having recorded 93 runs in a tight 40 over final match. But it was overrun in the second innings as the south-south displayed its bowling firepower.

Theophilus Adolphus Ibodeme, coach of the winning team, said the talent of his players and his faith in them led south-south to victory in the four-day championship.

“Our victory did not come easy and the boys deserved it after working so hard,” Ibodeme said.

On his part, Yahaya Ukwenya, president of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), expressed delight at the talent and skills on display, saying it was proof that Nigeria cricket is on the right path.

“Some players have shone at this event and they would get a chance to prove themselves at the national U-19 camp ahead of the World Cup qualifiers that we are hosting later in the year,” Ukwenya said.

Also speaking, Tolulope Adeleke, who represented PwC, the sponsor, at the event, described his company’s partnership with the NCF as an expression of shared value of teamwork, integrity and professionalism.

The cadet cricket championship was run in the regions where states competed with winners emerging and raising regional teams that produced players from competing states.

Champion south-south had players from Edo, Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.