OPEIFA Cup: Morning Rainfall Delays Day 2 Matches

A referee at the ongoing Lagos State Secondary Schools Handball Championships, Waheed Adeogun, tagged “OPEIFA CUP” has said that the Day 2 matches of the competition had been put on hold due to downpour.
Adeogun told newsmen, yesterday in Lagos that the matches were programmed for 9 a.m. to accommodate teams in the fixtures of the 76 schools participating in the tournament.
Tidesports source reports that the 5th edition of the Lagos State Handball Association (LSHA) organised championships holding in Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba, kicked off Monday and will end on June 21.
He said that handball courts A and B being used simultaneously for junior and senior categories were soaked and no longer suitable for teams to play their matches.
“The rain is affecting the whole arrangement, going by our schedule and the way things went, yesterday we are meant to start matches at 9.am.
“Here we have teams that are to have their turns according to the match fixtures this morning that are expected to play in the open courts that we are using for the championships.
“But we just have to stop the matches because the playing ground is already wet and we cannot allow teams to play on wet courts to avoid problems,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Bukola Duru, head coach of LSHA, said that an alternative arrangement would be put in place in the inner courts of the centre to enable teams hold their matches.
Duru said that the original arrangement was to have all the matches played on the open courts of the sports centre, which was more convenient for teams, officials and spectators.
“The day is gradually going, and rather than not having nothing done, today we will use the indoor hall because the teams are ready and we don’t want to discourage them,’’ she said.
Tidesports source also reports that the LSHA organised championships is sponsored by Kayode Opeifa, a patron of the association and part of programmes put in place to identify budding talents from the grassroots and nurture them.