Benin City, Nigeria – A two-day invitational cricket tournament was recently organised by the Dolphin Cricket Foundation in collaboration with the Community Sports and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative in Benin City, Edo State.
The competition, held at the premises of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Uhogua, featured four secondary schools and was targeted at cricketers below the age of 12.
The tournament was played in a round-robin format, allowing each team to compete against the others, ensuring maximum game time for the young players. Each match was contested in a 5-over format to maintain a structured and time-efficient competition.
The participating schools included Christlike Schools Uhogua (host), Okhunwun Junior Secondary School, Iguadolor Secondary School, and Beacon of Success School. After a series of exciting matches, Christlike Schools emerged as the tournament champions, securing three wins from three matches. The other three schools won one game each, with aggregate scores used to determine their final placements. The final standings were:
- Christlike Schools – 3 wins (Champion)
- Beacon of Success School – 1 win (Runner-up)
- Iguadolor Secondary School – 1 win (Third place)
- Okhunwun Junior Secondary School – 1 win (Fourth place)
In addition to the main competition, female cricketers also had an opportunity to participate, as Okhunwun Junior Secondary School faced Christlike Schools in a special match. Christlike Schools claimed victory in the encounter, further highlighting the growing inclusion of girls in grassroots cricket.
At the end of the tournament, cash awards were presented to the top three teams. Cricket equipment and kits, donated by Lord’s Taverners, a UK-based sports recycling charity, were used to train the young cricketers before the competition.
Officials and school representatives praised the tournament as a success, emphasising its role in fostering grassroots cricket development. The initiative provided young players with exposure to competitive cricket, allowing them to showcase their talents and apply skills learned under the guidance of coach Cyril Musa, a social work graduate from the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
The event also underscored Edo State’s growing influence in Nigerian cricket. At the recently concluded ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia, nine of the participating players were from Edo State.
Given this growing talent pool, the Edo State Cricket Association and the Edo State Sports Commission have been encouraged to enhance training programmes for physical education teachers in cricket-playing schools, equipping them with the knowledge needed to serve as community coaches.
The organisers expressed optimism that some of the young cricketers from this tournament could develop into future representatives for Nigeria at junior and senior levels.
