Athlete returns to camp 4 days after wedding

Vice-Captain of Nigeria’s national female team, Agatha Obulor says passion for the game made her return to the team’s training camp four days after her wedding.

Obulor, who on February 26, got married to Ehiguase Uadiale, ex-cricket player and data officer with the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), resumed camp on March 1.

The NCF had announced commencement of camping for Feb. 27 in Benin ahead of the six-nation T20I Women’s Invitational scheduled to hold  in Lagos from March 26, with 36 players invited.

Obulor, who was shortlisted, said that it was a difficult decision to make.

“For me it is passion. I know some people might criticise this but I felt that if I leave Benin after the wedding to Abuja, where my husband is based, I may not come back for camping…It’s a difficult decision to make but my husband supports it and I love playing.

“In the past, women’s cricket rarely have competitions and it has really affected our performance at the international stage, but now we’re enjoying more tournaments and I see it as an opportunity to enjoy the game and play,” she said.

Obulor is now hopeful that her action would inspire the younger ones.

Of the 36 players in camp, a huge number of them were selected from the recent Under-17 Cricket Championship in Abuja.

The team in camp have been undergoing series of trial matches ahead of the event scheduled for the renovated Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Pitch in Lagos.

Rwanda, Cameroon, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Ghana will join hosts Nigeria in the event ranked by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and billed to end on April 6.

NAN/Mercy Chukwudiebere