CRICKET RSS WORLD

Tunde Akinleye

The Iris Smart Technologies CCC Lagos League 2008-09 in Nigeria has finally drawn to a close with some interesting matches at the end. GCI Old Boys Cricket Club (GCIOB) came back strongly in the second half in Division 1 to qualify for the Super 4 Tournament. The rivalry between Ibeju-Lekki Cricket Club (ILCC) and Ogun Rocks Cricket (Rocks) persisted but Rocks finished rather weakly, leaving ILCC to top the league with a 12-point margin.

At the end of the league matches, the top four teams qualify for a knock-out tournament, the Super 4 Cup. In Division 2, the top four teams engage in a round-robin tournament.

This year the four teams that qualified for the Division 1 Super 4 Tournament were ILCC, Rocks, GCIOB and Howzat Pioneers (HZP). Foundation Cricket Club (FCC) were not able to sustain their past glory and finished fifth. Lagos-Asians Cricket Club (LACC) came last and will be relegated to Division 2 next season.

In the Super 4 Tournament, the rivalry between ILCC and Rocks continued as they met in a close and enthralling encounter to determine which one of them qualifies for the final. GCIOB faced up to HZP. ILCC again triumphed over Rocks whilst GCIOB saw off a close challenge from HZP which was affected by weather. ILCC and GCIOB qualified to meet in the final which traditionally marks the end of the Iris Smart Technologies CCC League season with presentations being made at the post-match event.