ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour excites Lagos students

Published

3 years ago

August 31, 2023

Over 400 students from public and private schools in Lagos were delighted to witness the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour at the Tafawa Balewa Square Oval pitch, Lagos.

The students expressed the trophy tour was a great motivation for them.

Reports have it that the students were mainly from secondary schools in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

A Junior Secondary School student from Crown Grace College, Ikorodu, Hephzibah Abebefe, said the desire to be a professional cricket player brought her to the venue of the trophy tour.

“I am here because I have loved cricket game since it was introduced to our school. I actually want to play cricket and my parents have been supportive of my ambition.

“The game of cricket was introduced to our school last year and I have been following the game since then.

“Coming here to see the cup is a dream come true, Maybe we will be playing at the World Cup in years to come, that will be a good dream,” she said.

Another Senior Secondary School Three student of Crown Grace College, Glory Alamu, said she had been glued to the television watching a cricket game and was now happy to have a feel of the cup.

“I have been watching the game of cricket for a while now, and it’s a thrilling that we have the World Cup in Nigeria, though we are not going to the tournament.

“This is a great motivation for us seeing the cup here in Lagos, we didn’t expect such a thing; maybe some competition, but having the World Cup is memorable,” she said.

For Okikiola Alabi from the same school, cricket is such an interesting game.

“When I was first introduced to the cricket game, I thought it was boring, but now I find the game more interesting and I want to see myself in the national team,” he said.

Isaac Okpubigbo of Mighty Pillars Club said Nigeria should pay more attention to the game of cricket.

“We need to pay more attention to the game of cricket because it has a lot of benefits, especially financial.

“Cricket is a game that can attract more spectators to the stadium just like football, so, if we are serious enough, we will have more investments in the game,” he said.

Another player, Shadrach Oke, said it was nice having the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour in Lagos.

“Lagos already has the facility what we need, all we to do more is have more games both local and international,” he said.

The trophy tour presentation ceremony had in attendance, International Cricket Council (ICC) representatives in Africa and Nigeria.

The event also had in attendance ICC bigwigs from Africa and Nigeria which includes ICC Development Manager, William Glenwright, Rohet Roda Senior Manager, ICC Member Services.

Others are Patricia Kambarau, ICC Africa Development Manager, Eddy Wamba, Trophy Tour Manager, Uyi Akpata, President, Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), Amit Sharma, Managing Director, Nissan Nigeria.

NAN

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Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

13 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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