With a commanding performance by Destiny Chilemanya, the University of Benin Cricket Team won the Edo State Cricket League title last Monday after humiliating the defending champion, No-Limit Cricket Club, with a 70-run defeat.
The match, which concluded the 2023/24 Cricket season, saw UNIBEN Cricket Club become the new toast of the league, with arrays of budding talents from the state’s cricket development programme now fully integrated into the school.
The team paraded former national Under-19 stars including Reigneth Osagie, Miracle Akhigbe, and Okeke Izuchukwu. The team has national team players such as Peter Aho and Eghosa Aghedo, who captained the team.
The UNIBEN team also paraded Nigeria’s female bowling marvel, Peculiar Agboya, but it was Destiny Chilemanya, who steered the team’s crowning match as league champion on April 1, 2024. It wasn’t April Fool!
The first inning had seen the national team’s choice fast bowler, Chiemelie Udekwe, in No-Limit’s colour partner Godbless Abilo to rattle the University of Benin batting lineup, posting three wickets a piece. In 19.5 overs, the student’s team was all out with 114 runs on board.
The defending champion had no idea what awaited them in the second inning. It took 73 balls for the Eghosa-led UNIBEN team to rout the defending champion and limit the dream of a title defense. They were all out with only 44 runs in 12.1 overs.
Destiny Chilemanya did six of the damage to their batting order having already contributed 16 runs to Uniben’s 114 total, he was easily the player of the match. Reignet Osagie contributed 27 runs in 25 balls, while Aho had 22 from 32 balls.
Vice Chairman of Edo State Cricket League, Barrister Abraham Oviawe, said that the league churning out new stars is the definition of success and the fact that a number of the players are presently in school excites the management team.
“While UNIBEN CC was exceptional on the field of play, what marks success for us remains the fact that the talents are local, they all embraced our continual educational policy, and they all proudly came out to represent their Institution.”
“We have other higher Institutions like the Benson Idahoda University and Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma that have a huge number of our cricket talents here as well, and it is a path we are strongly pursuing into the future.”
He said that the UNIBEN CC’s victory is significant for the league, and it sets the tone for the future of the Cricket League and development in Edo State.
According to him, “Now, the new generation we are grooming have a model to look up to.”
In the third-place match, Invictus Cricket Club edged Delta Force by 69 runs to claim the second-runner-up spot.
After the Super Four series that rounded off the league, Chimemele Udekwe of No-Limit CC won the Most Valuable Player (MVP), while the Batter of the series award went to David Abiebhode of Invictus CC.
Destiny Chilemanya of UNIBEN CC expectedly won the Bowler of the series, while Osward Obasohan of UNIBEN CC was the Fielder of the series.
