…Team South-South clinch Championship from Team North-West
The third day, of this tournament (Saturday, 6th January, 2021), saw the semi-finals concluded. The first semi-final game was between the North Central and the North West. The North Central team won the toss and chose to bat first. They scored 42 runs all out in 16.4 overs. The North West Bowlers were on top form and the efforts of Theophilus Jerimiah who took out 5 wickets for only 2 runs played of his bowling in 2.4 overs and David Garba who bowled out 4 wickets with 16 runs played off his bowling in 4 overs saw the North West team in a comfortable position at the end of the first innings.
The second innings saw the North West scoring the required 43 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 9.2 overs. The North West won by 7 wickets. Theophilus Jerimiah was named player of the match, also being the highest scoring batsman with 12 runs off 13 balls.
The second semi-final match was between the South South and the South West in the PricewaterhouseCoopers, National Under 17 Boys Cricket tournament. The South South team won the toss and chose to bat first. They had on display an excellent all-round team which recorded a tournament highest score of 156 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 30 overs.
Isaac Oyemba recorded the first 6 runs in the tournament. Elijah Saturday of the South-South team scored 41 runs off 61 balls, strongly supported by Osaro Asia with 40 runs off 47 balls, as the best performers with the bat for team South-South.
In the Second innings, South-West could not survive the onslaught attack from the opening bowlers of the South-South team, as wickets were lost in the power play over. Key turning point was the wicket of Rilwan Abdulkareem, bowled by Prosper Useni to leave a tall order for the South-West team. South West was bowled out for 101 runs in 27.3 overs.
Top performing players of the second semi-final match were, Prosper Useni who finished with 3 wickets, conceding 9 runs in 6 overs, Idowu Taiwo of South-West scored 21 runs off 31 balls as the best effort from his team.
Prosper Useni was named player of the match and Team South-South won by 55 runs
Team South-South and Team North-West were thus primed for an exciting final match. Net Run Rate would determine third position between South-West and North Central
Team South-South’s bating display against South-West earned them a well-deserved final place. The South-South team has upon this victory doubled its National Under-17 Cricket Championship titles powered by PricewaterhouseCoopers PwC, having previously won the female category of the tournament in Benin, a week earlier.
