Chuma Okoro,the representative of the South East on the board of the Nigeria Cricket Federation has taken the development plans of the region a notch higher by commissioning a practice net at Government Secondary School in Afikpo, in Ebonyi State.
The net was launched during the recently concluded week-long summer camp concluded last weekend and he announced that it is a major step in setting up Afikpo as a Cricket High performance centre in Eastern Nigeria.
“This project is at part of the developmental objectives of the South East Cricket Association (SECA), and it helps us to groom further youngsters that show interest in the game and hone those that wish to take their skill further in the game,”he said.
At the South East Elite Cricket Camp that that ran alongside the launch, Okoro thanked Government Secondary School, Afikpo for providing the space for the cricket net. “The plan is to build 2 strips of tough wicket in the near future”, he said. He was convinced the net will make it easier for young cricketers to learn and also makes it easier for the coaches to correct them while ensuring a smaller group of people can practice effectively without running around a big pitch.
The director of the Elite Cricket Camp, Olisa Egwuatu, expressed delight in his job of improving play and the level of cricket awareness in South East, Nigeria while describing the cricket net as a “giant leap forward that will help improve our cricket proficiency in South East Nigeria”. He could not hide his excitement about the high-performance centre. “It is one of the biggest things that happened in South East Cricket,” he said.
The coordinator of South East Cricket Association, Ogbonnaya Okogeri, who also doubles as the Chairman of Enugu State Cricket Association, expressed his thanks to the South East Rep. Chika Okoro and all the South East Cricket Association Chairmen, (Barr. Chuma Anosike, Elder James Okwara, High Chief Tony Ajaelu, and Ogbonna Okogeria) for making the camp possible. He also thanked the coaches and facilitators as well as the chaperone for a successful outing.