Oyo State team has declared that it would retain its title at the South-West U-19 Cricket Tournament tagged “The Jide Bademosi Cup”, currently on-going at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan.
The four participating states are Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Osun.
Johnson Idakwo, Head Coach, Oyo State Cricket Association (OSCA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that its cricketers were fully prepared and motivated to win.
He said, “We are here to defend our title which we won at the maiden edition in 2017. The tournament is superb and fantastic. I have seen a lot of good talents from other states that are taking part. This tournament is like a talent hunt discovery and it’s a very good one for the development of cricket in Nigeria. We are prepared and not scared. We will approach every game as they come. I am optimistic that we will retain the title”.
Pointing out that five players from Oyo State are currently in the national team, Idakwo said, “Three of the players were at the U-19 World Cup and presently we have two players at the national camp preparing for a tournament in Kenya. Akachukwu Chima, Vincent Adewuyi and Sulaiman Runsewe are all grassroots players doing both Oyo State and Nigeria proud. They are all in the National team right now”.
He added that there are lots of improvements in the players from what he saw at the 2017 maiden edition. “There is no underdog in this tournament. I am surprised to see that Osun is being represented by a formidable strong team. I see them bat, bowl and their warm-up is fantastic”, he added.
