Debutants Gateway SC of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State has been crowned champions of the prestigious NSF Inter Club Challenge.
Under the captaincy of experienced Masters player, Cyril Umebiye, Gateway SC with the finest group of youthful and talented scrabble gems, took the surprised package of the Inter Club finals, Yenagoa SC to the cleaners 4-1 with a cumulative points of plus 1204.
Notching 20 wins from 25 games. Current Continental Champions, Oluwatimilehin Doko, recorded a very impressive stats of 5 wins, and a plus 618 cumulative points while Abdulmumin Jimoh a member of Team Nigeria to the 13th Africa Games, and the African Scrabble Championship garnered 5 wins and 591 points as his cumulative.
The youngest members of Gateway SC David Ojih, and Hakeem Ogundokun dropped one game each.
Ojih finished with cumulative points of plus 177, 116 more than Ogundokun. Captain Cyril Umebiye lost 3 out of five games and a minus 243 points.
Bright Ohaka, Doubra Enai, Precious Igali, Vincent Munanyo and Ezekiel Eniekebi of Yenagoa SC all managed one win each with Ezekiel Eniekebi having the highest cumulative points deficit of minus 350, 4 more than Vincent Munanyo on minus 336 points.
Gateway won the first two matches with identical scores of 4-1, lost match number 3, 3-2 and went on to secure the title in match number 4 with an emphatic 5-0 win, the same scenario repeated itself again in the final match.
Captain of Gateway SC, Cyril Umebiye said that their victory in the championship was down to an excellent team management, and a near perfect wealth package put in place by the proprietor and chairman of the Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State based club.
He said, “The chairman, Adekoyejo Adegbesan, ensured that the team was well taken care of financially, feeding, accommodation, travels and other needed logistics were provided so that we can focus on our main mission of playing the game we love and cherish.”
Meanwhile, the host club, Benin City SC finished third at the expense of Central Scrabble Club A of Abuja, Captained by Francis Molokwu.
George Ezinore was decorated with the NSF Green Jacket as winner of the Asaph Zadok National Championship by the Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission Honourable Desmond Enabulele.
