HOS Cup: Govt House Team Emerges Champion …Min Of Sports Dominates Athletics

Government House player trying to beat the defence of Ministry of Special Duties in the final match of the HOS Cup , yesterday

Curtain was drawn on activities marking the 2013 Rivers State Civil Service Week celebrations with the finals of the sports events at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
In the football event, christened the Head of Service, HOS Cup, the Government House football team overcame their Ministry of Special Duties opponents 4-1 on penalty shoot out to emerge the fifth winners of the competition in its fifth edition.
The victory maintained the tradition of the competition throwing up a new champion every edition.
However, the final match, played under wet and difficult conditions was keenly contested as the two finalist gave their all in attempt to swing victory to their side.
Former winners, Ministry of Special Duties were the slight favourites before kick off, but the Government House team, who had lost 0-1 to the Ministry of Information and Communications in the second round of the competition and had to continue as one of the best losers to qualify for the quarter final showed grit and determination to succeed.
Both sides could not be separated within regulation time as scores stood at 0-0 and the tie had to be decided through the lottery of penalty kicks.
The Ministry of Justice had earlier claimed the third position with a 4-0 bashing of Ministry of Sports in the third place match.
In the athletics events, Ministry of Sports showed their pedigree dominating the events with top place finishing in 100 metres male and 4×100 metres relay male and female.  Ministry of Power and the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG came second and third in the males’s 100 metres while the office of the Head of Service, HOS won gold in the female’s 100 metres through Boma Peterside.  SSG’s Ibioku Prince and Esther Edemanya of Ministry of Power placed second and third, respectively.
In the 200 metres race, Francis Edookor of Ministry of Information and Communications left Ministries of Sports and Justice to battle for silver and bronze after dominating the race.
SSG’s office and Ministry of Power won silver and bronze in the males 4×100 metres, while Power and the HOS office won the silver and bronze in the females’ 4×100 metres.
Ministry of Works and their sports counterparts won gold and silver in Tug-of-war, male while Ministry of Employment and Ministry of Energy claimed the gold and silver, respectively of the female event.

Joy Teena & Chioma Nnodim