Sports
Rivers Angels Lose To Bayelsa Queens In Friendly
Nigerian Women and Cup holders, Rivers Angels, FC of Port Harcourt were beaten 2-1 by Bayelsa Queens in a friendly game at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt last week.
The game was used as test for both dies who were drawn in separate groups of the upcoming Nigeria Women league season which kicks off tomorrow in an abridged format.
Fringe stars such as Mabel Effiom, Peace Obioma, Uju Joseph, Emenike Ijeoma, Obi Ijeoma and NWPL topscorer last season Amarachi Orjinma were given the nod to show their worth in the absence of 10 key players who are on national duty with the Super Falcons.
In the 7th minute, former Pelican forward, Orjinma fired her team’s first real attempt over the bar.
River Angels however went behind soon after as they conceded a free kick in the 21st minute when new recruit, Effiom brought down Uzoamaka Igwe on the edge of the 18 yard box.
Igwe dusted herself up and converted the kick from an acute angle directly into the net, leaving goalkeeper Charity John with no chance.
Three minutes later, Effiom put the host, level after being awarded a free kick few meters from the 18 yard box.
The remaining part of the first half ended with not many clear cut chances created.
The second half started with the visitors acting like a house on fire with most of the action played in Rivers Angels half.
Bayelsa Queens enjoyed the larger part of the possession, dominating play, and having the highest completed passes in the game.
Charity John who was in goal for Rivers Angels, had her hands full making three saves from Edeji Chidinma, Esther Udegbe and Rafiat Sule who all combined well on different occasions to terrorise a porous Rivers Angels defense.
Orjinma yet again found her shot roll over the bar in 63rd minute but Flamingoes star Cynthia Aku made better use of her chance but was saved by Favour Nwaaha in goal for Bayelsa Queens.
In the 71st minute, another Flamingoes star, Joy Bokiri linked up well with Rafiat Sule, who slotted home the winner for Bayelsa Queens.
Two minutes later, Mabel Effiom almost got the equaliser for the League champions but was stopped by Favour Nwaaha.
With eight minutes to regulation time, the visitors still proved unstoppable creating chances and winning a free kick which was taken by Lucky Odiri but Charity John was alert to avoid another goal into the back of her net.
Despite the win against Rivers Angels, Bayelsa Queens coach, Rolandson Odeh said he still has a lot of work to do before the league kicks off on Saturday.
“It has been able to expose a lot of lapses and i was thinking i was ready for the league but based on what have seen today i have less than 24 hours to correct the mistakes i have seen here so to me it is still work in progress, said Odeh.”
Odeh added, it’s a friendly game not all teams would have come with their talented players and coupled with the fact that Rivers Angels are the household name of women football in Nigeria but it was a good game.
On his part, assistant coach of Rivers Angels, Whyte Ogbonda attributed the loss to the absence of his key players who are on national duty with the Super Falcons.
“Despite losing to Bayelsa Queens in this match we all know it is a friendly match but it is preparatory match to our league match which kicks off this weekend. Most of our players are not available to us at the moment. We just managed to use what we have to execute this match but all the same we think the players at home will be able to execute the league match pending when the rest of the team will return to Port Harcourt, Ogbonda explained.”
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
-
Politics2 days agoAPC Releases Adjusted Timetable For Nationwide Congresses, Convention
-
Sports5 days agoHammers Beat Burnley To Boost Survival Chances
-
Business1 day agoCustoms Seek Support To Curb Smuggling In Ogun
-
News1 day ago
Police Bust Kidnapping Syndicate In PH
-
Sports1 day ago
DG NIS Wants NSC Board Constituted, Seeks Increased In Funding
-
Sports2 days ago
Falcon Players Prepare For Title Defense
-
Sports1 day ago
NSC Disburses N200m Training Grants To 26 Athletes
-
News1 day agoFubara Tasks Nigeria’s Surveyor-General On C of O …Says Surveyors’ Role Pivotal In Governance