Rwanda’s Under-17 manager Emma Byiringiro has expressed frustration about the team’s preparations ahead of next month’s ICC/ACA U-17 tournament. The New Times quoted Byiringiro as saying: “It’s very difficult to have the boys during the course of the week because they are busy doing their exams. So this has limited us to weekends, which is not enough time for them to perfect their game.”

Despite facing Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, Byiringiro was upbeat. “Kenya and Uganda are favorites but we shall give them a good run for their money. But more certainly, we shall target to beat Tanzania. They are ICC Associate members but we humiliated them during last year’s ICC U-15 regional tournament and we are looking to do it again with the U-17s this year,”

The tournament is being held from July 1 to 5 in Kampala.

Nigeria opened the North West African Championships with a crushing win against Gambia and Sierra Leone beat Ghana on the second day.

Results

Nigeria 365 for 7 (Ofem 111, Onikoyi 46, Adegbola 36) beat Gambia 87 all out by 278 runs

Sierra Leone 195 for 7 beat Ghana 147 all out by 48 runs

Tony Munro

One of the oldest running (give or take the odd year) tournament in international cricket starts this weekend when five countries contest the North West African Championships in Lagos, Nigeria.

The traditional entrants, Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, all members of the British Commonwealth, have taken part in the old West African Championships since the 1960s.
Last year Mali and Morocco became the first former French territories to compete, (in Banjul, Gambia), and the tournament became the North West African Championships.

Mali is back, Morocco is not, and plans for Cameroon to debut this year have been scuppered.

Also returning this year are 12 of the 14 members of the successful Nigerian team, the only changes forced by work commitments. The five teams will contest a round-robin, with the winner decided on win-loss record.

Ghana and Sierra Leone are regarded as Nigeria's main threats.