THE Nigeria Cricket Federation and Kwara State Cricket Association organized a one-day cricket awareness programme for schools yesterday at the Main-Bowl of the stadium complex. The clinick has been described as a welcomed development toward reviving the sport in the state.

The 1st Vice Chairman of the Kwara State Cricket Association, Mallam M. J. Daudu, while briefing newsmen after the programme which brought over 400 students from 25 secondary schools in the state together said that it’s a good home coming for cricket in the state, pointing out that cricket started in Kwara state.

‘Cricket started in Kwara state. As a matter of fact, Kwara has the first Cricket Pitch (Oval) in Nigeria, and most of the nation’s cricketers started from this state’, he said.

Kwara State Stadium Manager and Board member of the Cricket Federation of Nigeria, Wale Obalola, who coordinated the programme expressed satisfaction with the turn-out and conduct of students and their officials during awareness programme and clinic, which he said, is a follow up to the desire of the Board to take cricket to the grassroots.

According to Obalola, cricket equipments like bats, balls and wickets will be distributed to the schools after the awareness programme.

The students were given launch packs and transport fairs to and fro their various schools, and were also kitted for the exercise.

Obalola said that the programme was a follow-up to the National U-15 Boys and U-17 Girls Cricket Championship in Abuja in June, where Kwara state represented the North Central.

Kwara came fourth in the U-15, and 3rd in the U-17, and four boys and three girls have been invited to the national team in preparation for the U-17 international meet in Uganda later in the year.

One of the girls, Kehinde Abdulkadri won four laurels in the national competition. She won the Best Batman award, Upcoming cricketer of the competition award, the golden boot, while she was also adjudged as the Most Valuable Player of the competition..

The Director of Sports, Tunde Kazeem and the Administrator of Kwara Football Academy, Mutiu Adepoju opened the clinic with demonstration games.