Coal City Cricket Club, at the weekend, beat three other teams to win the maiden Caesar Okogeri Club Championship, held at St. Patrick Secondary School, Enugu.
The three-day event, which ended on Sunday, featured St. Patrick Cricket Club, Rising Sun Cricket Club, UNN Cricket Club and the eventual winners, Coal City.
Chairman of the Enugu State Cricket Association, Ogbonnaya Okogeri, said the event, which has become a biennial competition in the state’s calendar, was done in honour of his late dad, Caesar Okogeri, who died 30 years ago.
“We thought of honouring the memory of my late dad with this event, which helps to galvanize all the effort being put up in Enugu State and its environs to further cricket development.”
Okogeri said that cricket offers a unique platform for social development, saying that the process of learning the game also helps the kids pick up valuable life skills.
“There is no better time to be fully engaged in the growth and development of the youth than now, and cricket has apart from kept a number of these away from vices also handed them a platform for social and economic empowerment.”
In the final match, Coal City held Rising Sun to 56-run, all out, in 11.4 overs for a 25 runs victory to lift the championship trophy.
Speaking at the end of the event, Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Llyod Ekweremadu, commended the organisation and association for their commitment and investment in sports development.
He congratulated the Enugu State Cricket Association and the Caeser Okogeri Foundation for sponsoring and organising the championship, which, he said, is in tandem with the state government’s plans of diversifying sports in the state.
Also speaking during the event, Southeast zonal representative on the board of Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), Chika Okoro, expressed his delight in the quality of play and organisation of the tournament, noting that it is what is needed to drive the game.
Odo Chigozie of Rising Sun was awarded the best bowler of the event with six wickets, while Ogbue Prince of UNN picked the batter honour, garnering 56 runs at the event.Inyang Henry of Coal City was also adjudged as the Most Valuable Player, while Ude Amarachi was named young Rising Star at the event.
