South-East dominate Nigeria U-17 Cricket Championship in Abuja
The seventh edition of the Nigeria Cricket Federation/PwC National U-17 Championship ended in memorable fashion on Sunday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, with the South-East region emerging as the undisputed champions after sweeping both the boys’ and girls’ titles.
Over several days, the country’s brightest young cricketers from the six geopolitical zones battled in a tournament that combined fierce competition, standout individual performances, and dramatic finishes. By the end of it all, South-East stood tallest, underlining the region’s growing strength in Nigeria’s cricket development pathway.
The girls’ final delivered one of the tournament’s most gripping contests as South-East edged South-South by three wickets in a tense, low-scoring encounter.
After winning the toss and choosing to field, South-East’s bowlers set the tone early with disciplined spells. Ude Amarachi was outstanding, returning figures of two wickets for just nine runs in four overs, while Okpe Chisome backed her up with two wickets for 16 runs to keep the South-South batters under constant pressure.
Despite the tight bowling, Okonkwo Precious anchored the South-South innings with a composed 22 not out from 26 balls. She received support from Ejike Prestige (13) and Okpara Treasure (12) as South-South posted 96 for six in their allotted 20 overs.
The chase, however, nearly slipped away from South-East. At 51 for seven after 12 overs, the match seemed to be tilting toward South-South, thanks to the bowling efforts of Ejike Prestige (2/17) and Olisejioku Victory (2/21).
But Oko Theresa produced a match-winning knock under pressure, displaying patience and composure to score 33 off 46 balls. Together with Ude Amarachi (11), she steadied the innings and guided South-East to 98 for seven in 18.4 overs, sealing the title and triggering celebrations from the team and supporters.
Earlier, the South-East boys had set the stage for the region’s dominance with a 23-run victory over South-West in the final.
Batting first, South-East were bowled out for 145 in 36.5 overs. Captain Ejiofor Chiemezie led from the front with 18 off 32 balls, while Okoye Obinna’s unbeaten 22 off 20 deliveries provided a crucial late push. Ojo David (18) and Ibe Chigamezu Michael (15) also made valuable contributions to the total.
South-West captain Peter Isari was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 29 runs, while Eboka Paul, Oladejo Emmanuel, and Orimolade Pelumi each claimed two wickets to keep the contest competitive.
Chasing 146, South-West struggled to build momentum against a disciplined South-East bowling attack. Despite fighting knocks of 25 runs each from Balogun Daniel and Oladejo Emmanuel, they were eventually bowled out for 122 in 32 overs.
Onya Chukwuemeka Samuel led the bowling charge with figures of three for 22, while Okoye Obinna (2/23) and captain Chiemezie (2/35) ensured the job was completed, sealing a historic double triumph for the South-East.
At the end of the championship, the South-West girls finished third, while the South-South boys also secured third place bringing the curtain down on a tournament that once again highlighted the depth of young cricketing talent emerging across Nigeria.
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