Anosike cricket tourney returns after COVID-19 lull

The 11th Chuma Anosike Cricket Championships will hold in Abia State from April 10 to April 14.

The Abia State Stadium and Holy Girls Secondary School, both in Umuahia, will host the event, while there’s a standby venue in case of rainfall.

Former Vice President Nigeria Cricket Federation Chuma Anosike, the organiser, told newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday that five states in the South-East would participate in the four-day tournament which would be in the male and female categories.

“It is indeed good to be back, because this edition could have been the 12th one but because of the COVID-19, it was not visible and there were serious challenges, so I’m happy we are back,” Anosike said.

“We look forward to a great tournament this year, with all five South-East states participating in both male and female categories, and we are looking forward to an exciting tournament.”

Anosike, the Anambra State Cricket Association chairman, expressed delight at the progress of the tourney from a developmental event to elite competition.

“It’s (event) essentially for senior players now. What we do is to have some blend to encourage some of the younger players, so we have a mix of players and we feel that’s the formula for a sustained development of the sport across the states.”

He added, “With each tournament, we try to improve the quality of play and we’ve seen a steady progression. We are happy players who played at the tournament have gone on to represent Nigeria. Things are moving in the right direction in the zone (South-East) and it’s quite possible in the next few years a significant chunk of players in the national team will come from the South-East.”

PUNCH/Nnenna.O