Scrabble: Etim, Okiemute Dust ’Em At Port Harcourt Open

The 2011 Port Harcourt Open Scrabble Championship ended last weekend, with winners emerging in the Masters and Open categories of the tourney held in Rivers State, south-south, Nigeria.

At the end of the action packed two-day tourney, held from 11-12 June, Nsikan Etim topped the masters category to become champion and received the cash prize of N150,000. Paul Sodje and Olatunde Adigun finished second and third respectively on the masters table and went home with N100,000 and N70,000.

Also in the Open category, Tega Okiemute, shrugged off the challenges of other contestants to come out tops and smiled home with a cash prize of N100,000. The duo of Raymond Gbaraga and Igali Precious were placed second and third. They won N70,000 and N50,000 respectively.

Nma Onuigbo won the best female scrabble player of the tourney, where over 150 players participated in both the masters and Open category.

General Secretary of Nigeria Scrabble Federation, James Eakyns, told P.M.Sports on telephone from Port Harcourt that the turnout of players to this year’s edition was overwhelming, despite the late arrangement made for the event.

“We were shocked to witness the overwhelming response from the players even at a short notice. I must confess, the performance of the players, especially in the Open category was encouraging,” he said.

Eakyns also commended the display of various winners in both categories, saying that “all the winners are worthy champions with their showing throughout the two days tourney.

“The federation is delighted that we organised a successful tourney. We are looking forward to the next tourney in Ibadan, Oyo State.”

The Port Harcourt Open is one of the championships to be used to select players for the World Scrabble Championship scheduled to hold in Warsaw, Poland, later in the year.

—Bamidele Olowosagba