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By Timothy Nwobodo

St Patrick’s college, Emene will from Friday 19th to Sunday, 21st, 2024 host prominent cricket players, officials and stakeholders in the sport as the three-day Caesar Okogeri Cricket Championship takes center stage in Enugu

The maiden grassroots cricket competition is aimed at signposting the rich talents and potentials abound in the sport in the state and South-east region in general.

Announcing the readiness of the Enugu State Cricket Association to champion a roadmap towards developing and promoting the game of cricket in the state, the Secretary of the Association, Mr Saint Ngwoke told newsmen in a press conference in Enugu on Thursday that the championship will be the best of its kind.

“Since the establishment of Enugu State Cricket Association, we have been involved in various tournaments, but the Caesar Okogiri Cricket Championship appears to be the biggest of them all. The tournament will reach out to cricket players that will compete and express their talents. The essence is to keep propagating the game of cricket in the State and beyond,” he said

On his part, the coordinator of the tournament, Mr Charles Obasi said that the tournament is aimed at restoring the glory days of cricket in Enugu State as winners will be going home with various packages.

Mr Obasi who said that Enugu State was regarded as the “spiritual headquarters of cricket in the South-East”, stressed that the tournament also serves as a preparetory ground for Enugu State team which will participate at the 2024 PWC National U-17 Cricket Championship Zonal elimination for Southeast.

“The Championship will commence from tomorrow, Friday at the St Patrick’s College, Emene. The opening ceremony is on Friday while the closing ceremony will be on Sunday at the same venue.
Four teams will participate at the championship.

“There is monetary enticement and also opportunity to play at the biggest stages in cricket. The chairman of Enugu State Cricket Association, Nze Ogbonna Okogeri has magnanimously gotten some sponsors. The players that are going to participate in this championship are going to be surprised at the level cricket in Enugu state has gotten to through the efforts of the chairman.

“Four teams are participating and the teams symbolize what Enugu state is to cricket – the spiritual headquarters of cricket in the Southeast. Before we used to have one of the best cricket pitches, it will be very nostalgic when they hear about this competition, because Enugu has been known for cricket in the past.

“The championship is not an age grade competition but one of the aims is also to prepare the Enugu State team that will be participating in the fourthcoming PWC National U-17 Cricket Championship Zonal elimination for Southeast. The competition will hold in Imo State from the 26th to 28th of January, 2024. So in as much as we have those that are U-17 playing in the championship, we also have older players playing alongside. At the end of the day they will get more prepared for the zonal elimination of the Southeast, and hopefully when they go to Imo, Enugu state will be the state that will fly the flags of the Southeast in the final that will come up in February in Abuja,” he said

The four teams participating in the Caesar Okegeri Cricket Championship include: Rising Sun Cricket Club, St Patrick’s College Cricket club, UNN Cricket Club and Coal City Cricket Club.

The Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Enugu State, Honourable Lloyd Ekweremadu will be the Special Guest of Honour on the final day.