SPORTS
Cricket: Nigeria Beat Uganda by 5 Runs in low-run Scoring Thriller
Nigeria Women’s Senior Cricket team on Wednesday defeated her Ugandan counterparts by 5 runs at the ongoing Kwibuka Women’s Cricket tournament in Rwanda, Kigali.
The low-run scoring thriller had fans on their feet as Nigeria snatched victory from the defending champions, halting their win streak after six games in a row.
Uganda won the toss and opted to field at the Gahanga A oval, while all-rounder Kehinde Amusa again had one of the best performances with the bat- 33 runs of 54 balls.
Amusa was closely supported by Salome Sunday with 14 runs off 25 balls as the rest of the Nigerian batting line up were unable to make major contributions with the bat.
Nigeria was restricted to 73/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
In the second innings, Uganda looked to chase the score relatively comfortably, till the death overs as the Nigerian bowlers began tightening the screw.
With two overs to go, Uganda needed 6 runs in 12 balls with four wickets in hand.
Nigeria’s Lilan Ude was handed the ball in the penultimate over and she delivered a maiden wicket, swinging the pendulum back to her team’s favour.
The last over saw Anointed Akhigbe pick three wickets in the last over to bowl out Uganda for 68 runs. Nigeria won by 5 runs.
After the game, Favour Eseigbe, captain of the Nigerian team, said the team had to follow through their game plan.
“We had a low total to defend and at some point the game was slipping through our hands and I told my players that `he who is down should not be afraid of falling’.
“So, we decided to apply ourselves more in the game, stick to the basics as we had nothing to lose and the result turned out in our favour,’’ Eseigbe noted.
On her part, Janet Mbabazi, captain of the Ugandan side, commended the Nigerian spirit, adding that they would return stronger.
“I felt it was a target we could chase, but it is a game and sometimes, things do not work in your favour. So, I congratulate Nigeria. We will be back stronger,’ Mbabazi said.
The tournament, in its 11th edition with nine teams participating, is in commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.(NAN)
Lagos State will host the second edition of the National School Volleyball Championships from April 21 to April 24 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
President of the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF), Olabisi Joseph, said in a statement on Monday that schools from across the country had converged for the four-day tournament.
She said the competition meant for secondary schools is organised by the NSSF in collaboration with the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), with support from the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC).
Joseph said the annual tournament aims to develop volleyball in the school system and identify outstanding athletes who will represent Nigeria at the International School Sport Federation (ISF) events.
She expressed delight at the growing interest among schools nationwide and urged participants to be worthy ambassadors of their institutions.
“In Nigeria, we are blessed with an abundance of talent in the school system.
“Volleyball, being one of the popular sports in schools, has ignited healthy rivalry among students.
“Sports stimulates learning, so we are building a total child through events like this,” she said.
Joseph added that standout athletes from the Lagos championship would be shortlisted to compete at the ISF World School Volleyball Championship in China.
She described the event as a unique opportunity for young players to showcase their skills before global scouts.
“Teams from Lagos, Osun, Rivers, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Ogun, Taraba, Bauchi and other states are competing for honours, with NVBF technical officials on ground to scout for talent.”
The maiden edition of the National School Volleyball Championships was held in Abuja, where host teams won both the boys’ and girls’ categories.
Outstanding players from the FCT, Plateau and Kaduna states later represented Nigeria at the 2025 ISF World School Volleyball Championships in China.
The World School Volleyball Championship is scheduled to be held from July 1 to July 10 in China.
Guinea will face Nigeria’s Flamingos in the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Guineans defeated Niger Republic 3-0 in the second leg of their qualifying fixture in Conakry on Saturday.
They won the contest 8-2 on aggregate, following their 5-2 triumph in the first leg last week.
The winner of the Flamingos versus Guinea clash will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos set up camp in Abuja for the clash with their fellow West Africans last week.
Newly appointed head coach, Akeem Busari invited 36 players to camp for the team’s preparation.
The Nigerian National League (NNL) side, Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi, has trimmed its squad and retained a few quality players to push for promotion to the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
Lobi Stars Chairman Simon Ikya made the disclosure in a statement signed by Austin Tyowua, Principal Media Officer to the club, and made it available to newsmen on Thursday in Makurdi.
Ikya said that the club took the decision after a meeting with all the players and technical staff at McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi.
The chairman explained that the decision was rooted in duty rather than dislike.
He stated that the players on the exit list would be granted clearance at the end of April once their entitlements were settled.
Ikya added that for those retained, there would be no room for laxity.
The chairman urged them to tighten their belts, keep the focus, and drive the Federation Cup campaign all the way to its final stop.
Meanwhile, the list of retained players was read out by the head coach, John Onuh.
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