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NCF OPENS 2008/2009 CRICKET SEASON IN ABEOKUTA | (2008-10-26 )

The President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), Kwesi Sagoe,
will on Sunday 26th October, 2006 declare the 2008/2009 Nigerian
cricket season open with a symbolic match between the Nigerian U-17
side taking on the Ogun State National Festival-bound team at the
Abeokuta Sports Club, Abeokuta.

The symbolic season's opening match officially heralds a new Nigerian
cricket season which starts with the departure of the rainy season.
The match will size up the preparations of the nation's U-17 team that
will particiapte in the ICC-Africa North-West Africa regional U-17
qualifiers that will involve Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Mali and Sierra
Leone. That tourney is expected to be played in Abeokuta from the 3rd
to the 7th November, 2008.

The NCF President is expected to be supported by the Ogun State
Cricket Association Chairman, Ladipo Idowu and his Vice, Engineer
Kehinde Osikoya, the Lagos State Cricket Association Chairman, George
Wiltshire, the Club Cricket Committee (CCC) Chairman, Tunde Akinleye
and the North-West Africa regional development co-ordinator, Olisa
Egwuatu.

The new season is expected to be heightened by the performance of
the Nigerian team at the WCL Africa 2 recently in South Africa where
the team placed second and gained promotion to the global world
league alongside tournament winner, Botswana. The team's performance
has created a buzz locally.

With the age-grade tournaments introduced by ICC-Africa, the future
of the game is increasingly being re-assured with Nigeria having for
the first time ever not only a senior team but also U-13, U-17 and U-19
teams that will provide a supply line to the senior team in the near future.