Weather will make the difference, says Ibodeme

Theophilus Ibodeme

Coach of the defending Champion (South-South) of the PwC National Under 17 Championship, Theophilus Ibodeme, who believes his team will defend their title at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, cricket pitches, this week. He adds, however, that the weather will play a major part in determining who lifts the title.

Speaking from his team’s camp at the Edo Boys High School, Benin City, at the weekend, Ibodeme said the gap in the cricket youth development in the country is thinning out, adding that most regions are fast catching up on the Nigeria Cricket Federation’s (NCF) development processes. He added that it would take something extra from a team to win the weeklong event.

“We now have turf wickets that a number of players can practice with, unlike when it was an edge that we had in Benin. There are regions that are closely following Edo State and the South-South development patterns now.

“I have told my team that no team is a push over; we will have to play every team with all that we can master. But in a lot of ways, I think the major difference that would play out when the championship gets off on Tuesday is weather,” he said.

He stressed that players, who can adapt to the scotching heat of Abuja and still deliver their best, would be at great advantage at the finals, adding, however, that he hopes all other areas of their game are intact.

Although the coach admits that as defending champions, South South has no advantage over others, he said they have trained players to raise their fitness level to at least 70 percent to be able to have a chance at the title.

“The South East is a team to watch out for, same for the traditional threats like the South West and North West. But no one should