Sports

Excitement As NCF/PWC U17 Cricket Tournament Kick-Off Wednesday

Published

5 years ago

February 15, 2022

By Joel Ajayi

It’s going to be the battle to finish at the 3rd Edition of the Nigeria Cricket Federation in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers PwC National U-17 Cricket Championship finals as representatives of six geo-political zones will slug it out in a fierce competition.

The final round of the U-17 tourney for boys and girls cricket championship kicks off today Wednesday to Sunday in Abuja.

The games will be played inside the newly built cricket Ovats inside Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

It will be recalled that the preliminary round at the zonal level has been concluded and the selected players from the zones are coming to represent their zones in the final round in Abuja.

Briefing newsmen ahead of the event tagged ‘NCF/PwC Championship’ the Secretary General of Nigeria Cricket Federation, NCF, Mr Taiwo Oris said the championship is targeted at getting more children into the game of cricket and also open up opportunities for more participation.

He commended PricewaterhouseCoopers ,PwC, for bankrolling the Championship, saying the event will serve as gateway into international cricket podium for young talents.

In his address, the representative of PwC, Mr Tolu Adeleke, said the sponsorship is part of their corporate responsibility in empowering youths and taking them off the street.

He said the positive impact and the result of their sponsorship or contribution which is enormous is spurring them to extend the gesture.

While giving an overview of the tournament, the NCF Tournament Manager Bode Musa Ehizoje enumerated positive impacts of the tournament in the last three years as the number of participating states keep increasing.

He expressed that despite the challenges, progress has been made compared to previous editions where limited states participated.

According to him, this year, 31 states for the boys and 25 for the girls participated at the preliminary stage.

Ehizoje assured that the positive impact of the competition promises a better hope for Nigeria’s present and future.

Speaking on the technical aspect of the event, the NCF Technical Director Mr Joseph Eshua said that NCF/PWC U17 Cricket Tournament remains the most junior tournament in the country in the history of cricket.

He said the tournament will equally go a long way to improve the players, coaches and referees.

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Sports

Drogba, Amuneke, Eguavoen Lead African Legends’ Arrival in Lagos

Published

15 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

With just one day to the much-anticipated Legends of Africa Football Game, Ivorian football icon Didier Drogba has arrived in Lagos, joining an impressive assembly of former African internationals already in the city ahead of Sunday’s star-studded encounter.

Drogba’s arrival further heightens anticipation for the game, which will bring together some of the continent’s most celebrated football figures at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Also in Lagos are Nigerian football greats Mobi Oparaku, Emmanuel Amuneke, Emmanuel Babayaro, Garba Lawal, Austin Eguavoen and Mutiu Adepoju, alongside other members of the legendary Super Eagles generations of 1994 and 1996.

The African contingent also features distinguished names including Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song, among other former international stars.

The excitement will extend beyond the legends’ reunion, with popular Nigerian entertainers and celebrities preparing for a special Celebrity Match as part of the event. Yhemolee, Sheggz, Jeriq, Teddy A and Charles Okocha are among the personalities set to feature in the celebrity fixture, scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

The Celebrity Match will form part of a wider programme of activities designed to give fans a full day of football, entertainment and celebration before the main legends’ fixture, which kicks off at 5pm. Gates open at 1:30pm.

Organized by Toptier Sports Management in collaboration with Afreximbank and CANEX as part of CANEX WKND 2026, the game will feature 15 Nigerian legends taking on 13 African icons in a celebration of the players whose achievements helped shape the history of football on the continent.

Beyond the match, the programme includes a football clinic involving 500 young players, entertainment and special recognition for the heroes of African football.

The Legends of Africa Football Game promises a memorable gathering of football royalty, bringing together generations of fans to celebrate the enduring legacy of the continent’s finest players.

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