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.
Basketball
Team Plateau Crowned Champions of CDS U-18 Basketball Championship in Abuja
…As FCT Defeats Kaduna 70–53 to Clinch Bronze
By Joel Ajayi
Team Plateau on Wednesday emerged champions of the second edition of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Democracy Day U-18 Basketball Championship after defeating M2 Academy 50-36 in a fiercely contested final.
The championship game, played at the indoor basketball court of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, was a thrilling display of grassroots basketball talent. Both Plateau and M2 Academy entered the final unbeaten, setting the stage for one of the tournament’s most intense matchups.
The Plateau boys started strong, edging the first quarter 8–6. They built on that momentum in the second quarter, extending their lead to 27–20 by capitalizing on defensive lapses from M2 Academy.
Although M2 Academy responded with a stronger third quarter, Plateau managed to maintain their advantage, finishing the quarter 36–32. The final quarter was all Plateau, as they pulled away to seal the victory with a final score of 50–36.
Earlier in the third-place match, also held at the indoor basketball court (Package B) of the stadium, the FCT U-18 boys’ team defeated their Kaduna counterparts 70–53 in a dominant performance.
The FCT side controlled all four quarters with superior teamwork, accurate shooting, and solid defensive play to secure the bronze medal.
The five-day tournament, themed “Encouraging Grassroots Basketball Talents”, aimed to identify, nurture, and promote young basketball talents capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.
A total of 16 teams—10 male and 6 female—participated in the championship, which tipped off on Saturday, June 14, and concluded on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
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