Nigeria’s longest-running cricket league and one of the oldest in West Africa, the Club Cricket Committee Lagos, has introduced a monthly schools engagement programme aimed at attracting and popularising cricket in schools across Lagos and beyond, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
On Saturday, January 31, 11 schools converged on the Tafawa Balewa Square Oval, where pupils watched high-octane league matches before participating in bowling, batting and fielding drills conducted by six coaches.
While most of the pupils were being introduced to the game for the first time, others had their first practical experience after learning the basics in the classroom.
One of the pupils from Oluwole Nursery and Primary School, Lagos, Rufai Semilore, shared his excitement after the experience.
“This is my first time at a cricket pitch and I’ve seen what it takes to play cricket. I really enjoyed it and I want to play as well,” he said.
A teacher from Myoung Military Primary School, Yaba, Lagos, Dairo Omowumi, expressed delight at seeing his pupils participate in the drills.
“It’s a lovely experience for the kids and I am deeply elated to see my pupils taking part in this. This tells me that I have a lot of work to do. They have now seen the practical side of the game which I taught them in class, and that has definitely spiked their interest,” he said.
King’s College, Lagos — one of the frontrunners among cricketing schools in Nigeria — were also present at the event.
“For us, we have always been part of cricket, but we took a break to set up our team again. Our coach has tasked us to show that we really want to play cricket, and programmes like this will surely help us. Some of my teammates who have just joined have been asking questions, and it’s only a matter of time before we begin to compete again,” said the team’s captain, Uthman Muhammad.
Chairman of CCC Lagos and former Nigeria captain, Endurance Ofem, described the initiative as part of the committee’s corporate social responsibility aimed at inspiring the next generation of cricket talents.
“The whole idea is to involve schools because we can also get players from there. The more players we have, the better the league becomes, as many of them will want to be part of the sport,” Ofem said.
The CCC Lagos began as a four-club league in 1987 and has grown into a 22-team competition, currently run across two divisions.
There are nine clubs in the Premier Division, while the remaining 13 teams compete in Division One, which is subdivided into Leagues A and B, with seven teams each.
In Division One, the top two teams from Leagues A and B will advance to a Super 4 tournament, from which the top two teams will gain promotion to the Premier Division.
In the Premier Division, the league champion will be decided via a Super 6 tournament, while the two bottom-placed teams at the end of the regular season will be relegated to Division One.
Rising Stars Cricket Club and Rocks of Abeokuta emerged as champions of the Premier Division and Division One, respectively, last season.
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