10th December, 2012
Vice Chairman of Lagos State Cricket Association, Ephraim Barnaby has said that the gold medal that Team Lagos won in the T20 cricket event at the just concluded 18th National Sports Festival was a consolation for not winning any medal in the ODI event.
Lagos defeated Anambra by 37 runs to win the gold medal of the T20 event at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS Oval, Onikan on Saturday.
Barnaby told P.M.News that “after losing in the ODI event without winning a medal, we resolved to go all out to win the T20 gold. The reason was that we did not want to disappoint Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and the Commissioner for Sports, Enitan Osodi whom we promised to deliver two gold medals (ODI and T20) of the cricket event.
“I’m glad to say that on our way to the T20 gold, we scaled the hurdles of all the teams that prevented us from winning the gold medal of ODI and we subdued them. We indeed deserved this victory.”
Barnaby said the players will not have any holiday after the festival, as the Club Cricket Committee, CCC, league starts on Saturday, 15 December.
In the final match, Team Lagos won the toss and batted first and scoried 115 runs for the fall of 9 wickets in 20 overs. Anambra were all out for 78 runs in 20 overs. Frank Omozejele of Lagos scored 23 runs off 37 balls. Mgbeojikwe Chukwudi of Anambra took 5 wickets for 14 runs in 4 overs.
In the third place match at the University of Lagos, Unilag pitch, Rivers defeated Ogun by 29 runs to win the bronze medal. Rivers won the toss and elected to bat, scoring 129 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. Femi Oguntoke of Team Rivers scored 48 runs, assisted by Olumide Adeniran with 26 runs. Ogun also scored 100 runs all out in 18.5 overs.
—Adebobola Alawode