At the time of going on-line, the final match of the Lagos League was to be played yesterday between defending champions Foundation Cricket Club (FCC1) and Government College Ibadan Old Boys Club (GCI). BTTW will hopefuly bring you full details in the next edition.

In the recently concluded Super 4 matches both clubs held their own to qualify for the big showdown.

GCI have been undefeated thus far and confirmed their intention during the playoffs by waltzing through both Cosmo and FCC2.

Against Cosmo, they batted first and scored 180 runs for the loss of 7 wickets with Charles Okodua notching 53 valuable runs for them supported by Tayo Atoloye's 26.

They restricted Cosmo to 132 runs with Skipper Okon Ukpong picking up 4 wickets thereby winning by 48 runs. Cosmo's chase appear not to have taken off with Bayo Thompson their top scorer with 25 runs supported by Ovie Osuaso's 23 runs.

On the same day in a Foundation affair FCC1 overwhelmed sister team FCC2 by 67 runs. FCC1 batted first and piled up 211 runs in 40 overs with veteran George Wiltshire leading the charge with 64 runs ably supported by two other 'old war-horses' in Kofi Sagoe with 27 runs and Gbenga Akinyombo with 22 runs. Femi Oduyebo in a late rally took 5 wickets while Sunday Adeleye took three.

The FCC2 response was a muted 144 runs with yet another veteran, Kwesi Sagoe leading the response with an unbeaten half century aided by Femi Oduyebo with 21 runs.

The next day GCI defeated FCC2 in a low scoring and highly tactical match by 36 runs. GCI won the toss and elected to bat and then were all out for 140 runs with Charles Okodua again being the batting pivot with 44 runs. Sunday Adeleye and Oris Oruye(FCC2 Skipper) collected 2 wickets apiece. FCC2's reply collapsed at 104 with veteran Kwesi Sagoe again unbeaten on 21 runs.

The FCC1/Cosmo encounter brought out the best of cricket over the weekend in a match that amassed a total of 471 runs over 85 overs with FCC1 winning with 5 overs to spare from their 45 over allotment.

Cosmo batted first and put up 235 runs in 45 overs with strong batting contributions from Ovie Osuaso(71), Ameh Edison-Edebor(59) and Oboh Omoigui(59) and strongly fancied their chances of winning the match. By the end of the 15th over in FCC1's innings they had to review the situation critically as their opponents had compiled about 90 runs with Kofi leading the equally strong batting response. He made his unbeaten 60 in cavalier style in just 14 overs and Wale Adeoye(40), Dolapo Gaffar(45) and Dotun Olatunji(20) provided the necessary impetus to keep the chase in focus. FCC1 won with 5wickets in hand.

Having both won their matches it was evident that the final playoff would be between the league's leading two sides in 2001, GCI unbeaten this season and FCC1 only succumbing to a defeat in the hands of sister club FCC2 earlier in the season.

GCI will parade a side anchored on an ability to restrict its opponents while not making too many runs themselves. Veterans Okon Ukpong and Seye Fadahunsi will hope to energise Dapo Adegoke, Tayo Okusanya, Tayo Atoloye, Kunle Adegbola and Tope Olayinka to deliver the goods. Whether they will be able to hold their own against FCC1 with a free scoring style is a question that can only be answered on Saturday. FCC1 will combine the resourcefulness of Dotun Olatunji, Dolapo Gaffar, Wale Adeoye with the experience of Kofi Sagoe, George Wiltshire, Gbenga Akinyombo, Ed Akerele and Dipo Idowu. It promises to be an interesting matchup.

In another development, the Nigerian Cricket Community received its best news in 25 years with the approval by President Olusegun Obasanjo that the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket oval and pavilion be returned to the Nigeria Cricket Association(NCA). The TBS ground which is the traditional home of cricket in Nigeria had been taken over by the military authorities in 1975 with the promise of building a befitting home for cricket in Nigeria. Though the cricket facility was constructed, it was not handed over and subsequent military regimes held on to the facility under the Ministry of Defence. It took the conviction of the present Minister of Defence Gen(rtd) Theophilus Danjuma to make a recommendation to the President after a presentation by the NCA before approval was given. The handover date has been fixed for April 20th and will be attended by both the Ministers of Defence and Sports.

Finally, the Nigeria Cricket Association (NCA) has released a list of 20 players called into an open camp in preparation for the WACC quadrangular holding in Freetown, Sierra Leone from April 21st to 29th, 2001. The list is comprised as follows:

Bunmi Olufawo, Okon Ukpong, Uthe Ogbimi, Oboh Omoigui, Okey Ahuchogu, Dotun Olatunji, Dolapo Gaffar, Kunle Adegbola, Femi Olayiwole, Charles Okodua, Bayo Thompson, Tayo Okusanya, Dapo Adegoke, Tope Olayinka, Wale Adeoye, Akinyemi Makanjuola, Haruna Thomas, Tayo Atoloye, Thomas Ezeh and Ameh Edison-Edebor.

Camp will hold from Friday April 13th to 20th and will be supervised by coaches Ewa Henshaw and Muyiwa Oshundolire

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd