South East Cricket Championship begins April 25

Afikpo, Ebonyi State is ready to host the ninth edition of the South East Cricket Championship, also known as the Chuma Anosike Cup, the organisers have said. The competition will hold from April 25 to 28.

The championship is part of the drive to promote cricket in the South East region, the organisers added.

Speaking in Lagos yesterday, the sponsor of the championship, Chuma Anosike said six male teams from each of the South East states and four female teams from Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Enugu states will feature in the championship.

He disclosed that the tournament would be played in a round robin format with the top two teams competing in the finals.

“My drive is to keep discovering talents and creating more awareness of cricket through organising competitions for our youths.

“In spite of the economic challenges, we have strived to ensure that all the resources needed for the tournament are made available. In keeping with past traditions, prizes will be awarded for outstanding performances in various categories and cash gifts for the best teams in both male and female categories.”

He revealed that the championship is moved around the different South East states every year to popularize the sport in the grassroots. He added that the unfortunate incident, which marred last year’s tournament in Imo State, has been taken care to avoid a repeat this year.

The Guardian recalls that the confusion, which trailed the competition last year, forced the organisers to move the final matches to Afikpo, Ebonyi State.

Anosike revealed that Abia State has indicated that it would field a female team next year, adding that he was also looking forward to 2020 when all the states would field full contingents in both the male and female categories.

Anosike enjoined parents and supporters of cricket to come out en masse and enjoy the game of cricket, stressing that the sport is fast gaining its ground in the country based on the performance of Nigeria team at the international scene.