Lagos based Team Leadway Assurance and Team Offikwu with
Kaduna as their home base, have secure semi-final places from the Blue Group in
the ongoing NCC Tennis League.
The two teams, top seeds in the group, are by their
semi-final qualification guaranteed a minimum of N2 million which is the prize
for the fourth place finisher.
Team Offikwu playing against Team Luik of Lekki - Lagos over
the weekend, dropped a match when Christian Paul retired against Chima Michael
in the men's reverse singles. Team Luik also came close came close to taking
another match in the ladies' singles where Christie Agugbom, immediate past
women's champion, narrowly defeated Ronke Akingbade 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 but the
star-studded team featuring four national champions were comfortable 6-1 overall
winners at the end.
 |
| Sylvester Emmanuel may emerge as champion of the NCC Tennis League again. |
It was, however, an easier ride for Team Leadway Assurance
which overran the Jos based Team SBL 7-0.
With three points and a massive win - loss credit, Team
Leadway Assurance is assured of a semifinal place no matter the outcome of their
final group match against Team Luik in Lekki this weekend. Team Offikwu already
has four points and will take on Team Yetade of Ekiti in their final group
match.
The semifinal places in the White Group are going down to
the wire as three teams - Team Tech Vibes of Jos, Team Kalotari of Port
Harcourt and Team Goshen of Ilorin - face the possibility of ending with four
points and having the two semifinal places decided by the difference between
total matches won and lost.
In other ties this past weekend, Team Goshen defeated Team
Orofina 7-8 in Ilorin, Team Kalotari beat Team Anambra 7-0 in Onitsha, Team
Tech Vibes outclassed Team CBN Futures 7-0 and Team Next Gen won their first
tie with a close 4-3 victory over Team Yetade in Abuja.
This weekend, Kalotari with three points, host Team Tech
Vibes which has four points while Team Goshen with three points will welcome
Team Anambra which has one point. Team Orofina will host Team CBN Futures in
Warri in a tie which might see the young CBN Futures lads winning their first
tie.
Meanwhile, the tie between Team Offikwu and Team Yetade
which was meant for Kaduna has been moved to Abuja because of the fragile
security situation in Kaduna. The tie will now take place Sunday, November 4
and Monday, November 5 at the Abuja National Stadium Tennis Centre.
The NCC Tennis League
which is regarded as the greatest addition to the Nigerian Sports calendar
since independence and the first of its kind in Africa, is offering a total
prize money of N23 million with the champion team taking home N7 million.
