Sports

South-South Male, Female Team Emerge Champions Of 4th Edition Of PwC/NCF U-17 Tourney

Published

4 years ago

April 16, 2023

…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.

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Sports

SWAN President Calls for Gender-Fair Reporting in Sports Journalism

Published

1 hour ago

October 26, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, has urged sports journalists to eliminate gender stereotypes and bias in their reports to promote fairness, inclusion and greater visibility for women in sports.

Benjamin made the call on Monday in Abuja while delivering a presentation titled “Gender-Sensitive Journalism: Removing Gender Stereotypes and Bias in Sports Reporting” at the Annual Women in Sports Leadership Training/Seminar for Journalists, organised by the Women Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).

He said sports journalists play a critical role in shaping public opinion, influencing athletes’ visibility and determining which achievements receive recognition, sponsorship and investment.

According to him, the way the media reports women in sports can either reinforce existing barriers or help dismantle them.

Benjamin explained that gender-sensitive journalism requires fairness, accuracy, equality and inclusion, stressing that it does not mean giving female athletes favourable coverage or shielding them from legitimate criticism.

He identified common forms of bias in sports reporting, including giving men’s competitions greater prominence, focusing on female athletes’ appearance rather than performance, defining women by their marital or family status, and questioning their competence in leadership positions.

The SWAN president urged journalists to adopt respectful language, apply consistent professional standards and extend coverage beyond national teams to domestic leagues, grassroots competitions, female coaches, referees and sports administrators.

Using Nigeria’s sporting landscape as an example, he said the achievements of the Super Falcons deserved sustained analysis beyond match results, including discussions on investment, player development, professional leagues and grassroots structures.

He also noted that digital platforms offered opportunities to expand coverage of women’s sports but warned journalists against sensationalism, online harassment and sexist commentary.

Benjamin proposed seven measures, including gender-sensitive editorial guidelines, regular coverage audits, diversified sources, professional development, stronger grassroots reporting and measurable progress.

He called on SWAN to collaborate with the NOC, sports federations, leagues and clubs to improve access to information and strengthen women’s visibility in sports.

He urged journalists to ensure that athletes are judged by their performances and achievements rather than gender stereotypes.

“Gender-sensitive journalism must be fair, not favourable,” he said, emphasising that responsibility for change rests with reporters, editors, broadcasters, photographers and digital publishers.

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