Sports
South-South Male, Female Team Emerge Champions Of 4th Edition Of PwC/NCF U-17 Tourney
…As NFC applauds PwC’s contribution to the Cricket grow
Joel Ajayi
The Male and Female teams from the South-South region on Sunday in Abuja for the third consecutive time emerged winner of 2023 edition of PwC/NCF Under-17 Cricket National Championships in Abuja.
The tournament, in its fourth edition, has seen the two sides dominate the competition since inception.
South Male and Female team showed sheer dominance in the competition, winning all games and eventually claiming the title.
It’s the fourth consecutive win for the ladies and the third for the male team.
In the game played on Sunday at the Cricket Pitch inside Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Package B in Abuja, the girls game saw the defending champions South/South pitched against South East. South East won the toss and opted to field.
The bowling effort of Faith Okpara 3/16 was not enough to limit the defending champions as they raced to 133/5 in 20 overs.
Player of Match Piety Lucky 49(36) and teammate Peculiar Agboya 30(20) did the job for the South South zone as they finished the innings on a high note.
In reply, South East managed to reach 67 runs/10 in 17.4 overs as Lucky earned a 4-wicket haul for 10 in 3.4 overs. South South won by 64 runs.
For Male category, South South won by 71 runs. The men’s game began with South South winning the toss and electing to bat against North West.
Abraham Oaikena 27 (33) and Godswill Effiong 28(29) did the most for the defending champions as they scored 128 all out in 24 overs.
To win, North West needed to score 129 runs but the likes of Unity Ogbide 3/16 and Effiong’s 5/6 was instrumental to restricting the Northern side to 56/10 in 21.4 overs.
Earlier, in the third place battle, South West defeated South East by 17 runs in the boys event.
Speaking shortly after the 2023 successful event, President of Cricket Federation Uyi Akpata who was represented by his Vice President Wale Obalola revealed that the Price hooper Cooper sponsorship is no doubt giving milage to Development of Cricket Federation in the country.
Speaking also, at the end of the game, Theophilus Ibodeme, coach of South South lauded the team’s performance.
“I am very happy with the players and the performance. It should our hard-work has paid off and hopefully we will keep improving on this feat.”
In others award category, for Girls, Aisha Aliyu from North East emerged Best Behaved, while Precious Simon from North West was the Best Fielder and Kehinde Amusan emerged Best Fielder from South West.
The Best Batter was presented to Chinemerem Ihezuo of South East and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) was presented to Piety Lucky of South South.
The Boys event saw Abdullahi Ismail of North West go home as the Best Behaved while Daniel Joseph of South West was Best Fielder.
The Best Batter was presented to South West’s Wale Odukoya while South South’s Joseph Omonkhobhio is the Best Bowler and the MVP award to Kareem Gafar from South West.
The tournament which began on Thursday, came to end on Sunday.
Sports
FCT FA Board Member Urges Grassroots Reform, Hopeful For Super Eagles World Cup Qualification
Legal Practitioner And Administrator Barr Bucknor Threatens To Petition FCT Minister Over Abandoned Stadiums
Despite Nigeria’s precarious position in the race for a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Barrister Babatunde Burknor, a board member of the FCT Football Association (FA), remains hopeful that the Super Eagles can still secure qualification.
Nigeria currently sits third in their qualification group with 11 points from 8 matches, trailing Benin Republic and South Africa, who both lead with 14 points. Yet Burknor, a seasoned football administrator and grassroots sports advocate, believes all is not lost.
In a recent interview made available to BSN Sports, Burknor said: “Nigeria’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup may appear almost impossible, but that doesn’t mean it is out of reach. The situation is tough, yes, but looking at the quality of players in our squad, I still believe we can make it.”
He added that unexpected results from other group rivals could work in Nigeria’s favour.
“Football is unpredictable. There is still a chance that South Africa, Benin Republic, or Rwanda could drop points. If we win our remaining two games, we still stand a chance. Sometimes football reflects life where the strong may fall while the seemingly weak stand tall.”
Calls for Grassroots Reform in the FCT
Beyond national team concerns, Burknor also used the opportunity to address the state of sports development in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), urging the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to take concrete action to revamp local infrastructure.
“We have deep-rooted problems when it comes to grassroots sports. The major issue is a lack of funding and commitment from those charged with driving development at that level,” he said.
Burknor lamented the disappearance of once-thriving youth competitions like the Chairman’s Cup, Principal’s Cup, and Shell Cup, stating that such events played a crucial role in identifying and nurturing young talent.
“It’s disheartening that these programs are no longer active. Development is impossible without facilities, yet we lack even basic training grounds.”
The legal luminary revealed that he personally upgraded the sports facility at a government secondary school in his area to serve as a makeshift training centre, due to the absence of a functioning local stadium.
He is currently drafting a petition to Minister Wike, over abandoned stadiums in FCT, urging a comprehensive audit of officials responsible for sports development across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
Progress in Gwagwalada Football Development
As Vice Chairman of the Gwagwalada Football Council, Burknor highlighted the success of the Gwagwalada Football League, which has become a model for other Area Councils.
“In just two years, we’ve turned the Gwagwalada Football League into a success story. Several players from the league have already secured contracts in Europe. This shows what can be achieved with vision and consistency.”
Barrister Burknor, emphasized that grassroots football holds the key to Nigeria’s long-term football success and must be taken seriously.
-
Featured6 years agoLampard Names New Chelsea Manager
-
Featured5 years agoFG To Extends Lockdown In FCT, Lagos Ogun states For 7days
-
Featured6 years agoChildren Custody: Court Adjourns Mike Ezuruonye, Wife’s Case To April 7
-
Featured6 years agoNYSC Dismisses Report Of DG’s Plan To Islamize Benue Orientation Camp
-
Featured4 years agoTransfer Saga: How Mikel Obi Refused to compensate me After I Linked Him Worth $4m Deal In Kuwait SC – Okafor
-
Sports3 years ago
TINUBU LAMBAST DELE MOMODU
-
News9 months agoZulu to Super Eagles B team, President Tinubu is happy with you
-
Featured6 years ago
Board urges FG to establish one-stop rehabilitation centres in 6 geopolitical zones
