By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON, Kaduna.
Kaduna State Cricket team beat their counterparts from Kano by 243-114 to emerge champions of the third edition of the Arewa Zonal Cricket Competition which ended at the Murtala Square, Kaduna on Sunday night.
The Kano boys were no match for the Kaduna cricketers as they dominated the game all through the 40 overs that the game lasted.
New boys from Zamfara State claimed the third spot after beating neighbours, Sokoto State 79-77 in a close match which could have gone either way, but luck willed it to the former.
In an interview after the game, captain of Kaduna, Daniel Gim, said that from the beginning if the game, he was optimistic that they would emerge winners.
He said that though he entertained some fears during the course of the game, when his team had 200 runs ahead, the team regained full confidence and took control of the game.
“We are all excited about the win. It is an evidence of the hard work we have put into training,” he said.
On how the state intends to consolidate on their performance at subsequent competitions, Gim said that they are not leaving any stones unturned as they have taken the drive to discover new talents to the primary and secondary schools where they intend to catch them young.
Also speaking, captain of Zamfara State team, Shobanke Sunday said that they were happy finishing at the third spot.
He said that the team and its players, including him started
playing cricket just about a year ago and are already being rewarded with medals.
He was optimistic that in the nearest future, they would improve on their skills and cause major upsets to already established states like Kaduna and Kano.
“It was an interesting competition. At the group stages, we played tough teams like Kaduna and Katsina and were able to scale through. We are anticipating a brighter future,” he said.
High point of the closing ceremony was the presentation of trophies to top three teams and individual cash prizes to players that distinguished themselves. All participants were also presented with certificates.
Top dignitaries spotted include the Zonal Coordinator, North West, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Alli Bode Durotoye Chairman Nigeria Beach Volleyball, Engineer Musa Nimrod, Director of Sports Kaduna State, Mr. Elisha Yashim and Group Managing Director, Chanchangi Airlines, Trevor Worthington.
Six out of the seven states from the North West Zone participated in the competition sponsored by Professor Yahaya Ukwenya, the zones representative at the Cricket Federation of Nigeria.
