Abuja – The national cricket coach, Uthe Ogbimi, on Monday said that the Federation had spotted talents at the just-concluded cricket youth championships that would be called into the national teams.
Ogbimi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that over five cricketers in the Under-15 male and Under-17 female championships had been selected for the national teams.
He said this while evaluating the gains from the championships held in Abuja from July 31 to Aug. 2 and Aug. 7 to Aug. 9, respectively.
“We had a few wonderful performances; in the female category, the captain of the North Central team, 13-year-old Blessing, was called immediately to the national U-17 female team.
“We also have cricketers like Asika Omonye, from team South-South and others, who are being considered for the national team.
“In all, we have over five cricketers in both the male and female tournaments that we are considering,’’ he said.
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Ogbimi said the purpose of the championships was to create the opportunity for the federation to source new talents directly from the grassroots.
He also said that the federation was making plans to engage primary school children in the sport.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five teams representing five out of the six geo-political zones participated in both championships.
The North-East zone was not represented due to the security challenges in the region.
The South-West zone won both championships, as well as the N50, 000 cash prize for each of the victorious teams. (NAN)