South East Secondary School Cricket Championship Begins in Abia

The 5th edition of the South East Secondary School Cricket Competition has kicked off in Umuahia with Government Secondary School, Owerri, defeating Government Secondary School, Afikpo, Ebonyi State, by 10 wickets in the opening game.

Ide Secondary School Boys of Enugwu Ukwu, Anambra State, beat Regina Secondary School of Enugu State by 9 wickets in the second match.

The third one saw Regina Boys defeating Ohafia Model High School of Abia State by 36 runs.

Declaring the competition open, at Ibeku High School, Umuahia, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to developing sports and making Abia a sports destination.

Ananaba, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Sports, Mr Raymond Ukwa, added that the government’s investment is not focused solely on football but also extends to such other sports as cricket, athletics, and table tennis, among others.

He added that the Umuahia Township Stadium is currently being upgraded to accommodate more sporting activities.

The commissioner further noted that Governor Alex Otti is discovering raw talents from the grassroots for both Abia State and Nigeria, while also promoting peace and unity among different tribes through the hosting of various sporting events.

Earlier, the South East Zonal Representative of Nigeria Cricket Federation, Mr. Chika Okoro thanked Governor Otti for sponsoring the hosting the competition.

Okoro noted that cricket had suffered neglect in Abia for over a decade before its current revival.

He informed that the greatest problem the association has in the state is lack of a standard pitch, without which he said it would be difficult to develop cricket.