Cricket to feature in Nigeria Sports Festival

The President of Nigeria Cricket Federation, NCF, Emeka Onyeama, on Saturday in Abuja assured that the game would feature at the 2015 National Sports Festival, NSF.

Onyeama told journalists that the Federation had made efforts to ensure the sport’s inclusion in the NSF which has its participants drawn from all the states of the federation.

“We have made tremendous efforts and I can assure that cricket will be part of the next NSF.

“We have done all our presentations and they (organisers) are very pleased with us and they told us categorically that cricket will be included in the festival.

“So, Nigerians should look forward to it,” he said.

Onyeama also said the Federation would be organising many championships later in the year.

“Starting from next month, there is going to be a beehive of activities in Nigeria.

“We are having the under-15 boys and under-17 girls tournaments, as well as the under-19 championship and the national men and women championships.

“Though the venue for some of these championships have not been fixed yet, but we are sure about them,” he said.

Onyeama, who called on corporate and individual sponsors to help support the game, also said Abuja would be the venue for the National T20 Cricket Club Championship holding in the last quarter of 2015.

“We are preparing towards the National T20 League Club Championship which is coming up in the last quarter of the year and is sponsored by Montage TV, a cable network.

”Immediately, our turf wicket in the Abuja National Stadium is completed, we are going to start that tournament,” he said.

The NCF President also said the T20 championship was currently ongoing in other states in the country.

“Many states are playing the club championship right now. Rivers and Delta states are currently holding the championship while Lagos finished its own last weekend.

”The winners of the state championships will participate in the national event,” Onyeama said.

The United Cricket Club of Abuja, UCCA, and Club Cricket Abuja, CCA, played the only match of the day.

UCCA won the toss and elected to field, but CCA scored a total of 115 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.

In the second innings, UCCA came in to chase and scored a total of 120 runs in 19.5 overs to win the match by four wickets.

Asians Cricket Club, ACCA, and Pakistan Stallion Cricket Club, PSCC, shared points after their game was washed away by a heavy downpour which prevented the match from holding.

The championship, which is organized by the Abuja Cricket Association and the NCF, is holding from June 6 to June 14.

(NAN)