By Elvis Omoregie
The first edition of invitational quadrangular and triangular series and the Edo State Cricket league ended the season with high hopes for youth and sport developments in the state.
The season which kicked off sometime in December 2018, had participants across the states engaging in four sets of game of four male and female sets league competitors as well as Templars cricket league for secondary school male and female competitors during the week long events.
Edo state which hosted the event, stood at both end of the quadrangular and triangular series with Anambra, Rivers, and Oyo making it four competitors on the quadrangular and Akwa Ibom and Eboyin State on the triangular series with three female competitors.
Four clubs, Crusaders, Integrity Force, No-limit and Invictus Cricket Club participated in 2019 season of the Senior Male league
Similarly, Four clubs crusaders Queens, invictus Queens cricket clubs and two others competed in the Senior Female Cricket League.
However, in the senior male cricket league, Crusaders Cricket club emerged winners of the closing season while the defending champions of 2018 emerged runners up.
In the same vein, the Crusaders Queens cricket club won the first edition with a close fight to defeat the first runners up, invictus Queens.
The invitational series of the senior female cricket league is the first of its kind in the history of cricket in Nigeria
And the Templars Edo schools cricket being the 3rd series of the edition for the boys, had several schools cut across the state exhibiting new talents.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the season, the chairman, Edo State Cricket Association, Uyi Akpata hailed participants and Partners while stating that the ultimate priority is to make cricket the most prominent sport in the state.
Akpata noted that, more youths will be engaged in subsequent event going by the level of improvement the game had attained since its call.
He assured participants of improving more on the standard while urging partners and state government to continue to support the cricketers
His words: “I’m very happy with this year quadrangular and triangular series event in terms of its competitiveness, hence the invitation. That the standard we achieved this year, we will double it. We need active support of all to be more successful.”
In his remarks, the special guest of honour on the occasion, the Deputy Governor, RT. Hon Philip Shaibu, who was represented by the chairman, Edo state Sport Commission, Mr Dudu Orume hailed the organizers while urging them to continue to promote cricket in other to take off youths from the street.
He expressed optimism on the future of cricketing in the state, adding; “i am hoping that in the next twenty five years and more you will all be in this great game to give it the kind of ventilation that its deserves”.
“I want to thank the organizers for this wonderful opportunity to have young men and women off the street and have them gainfully engaged in a sport that tasked every part of you. Government at all times will continue to support sport development”, he stated.
The high point of the closing ceremony was cash donations of over two million naira and scholarship to individuals with outstanding performances and winners of the cricket league season to signal the end of an exciting season.