Cricket: Nigeria Wins 3rd NCF Women’s Invitational Tourney

 Nigeria yesterday won the third edition of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) Women’s T20i Invitational tournament after defeating Rwanda by nine runs at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval in Lagos.

The match, which was a repeat of the final game at last year’s edition, pitched Nigeria against arch-rival Rwanda, who were also the defending champion of the title. 

Nigeria won the toss and elected to bat, which led to a hard-fought first inning with 99 runs on board.

Usual suspects Salome Sunday 48(58) and Piety Lucky 11(17) led with the bat as they were the top batting performers  for the hosts as they raced through the inning for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs.

The second innings meant Nigeria had to defend the total with a good fielding strategy.

Rwanda came on to bat with Gisele Ishimwe 31(48) and captain Diane Biemenyimana 15(19) contributing to the score of the side. Nigeria’s Peity Lucky and Racheal Samson did the most damage to the Central African team, claiming three wickets each. 

The defending champions had to manage 90 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. 

President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, was elated with the win and said the victory is a welcome development and good feedback on the investments of the Federation into cricket development.

“First of all, this win is not for the team; it is a win for all. The effort being put in by passionate cricketers to support the board, the dedication of the players, the encouragement from the Honorable minister, and most of all, the sponsors that are keying into our vision. This is a win for all.”

The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) Women’s T20i Invitational tournament is an annual on the NCF Calendar, and this year’s edition featured; Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and host Nigeria.