…Edo Dynamos win excites Sports Commission PS
BENIN CITY – The National Division 1 Handball Male and Femal Leagues began yesterday in Benin City, the Edo state Capital, as
Edo Dynamos beat Suleja Shooters 33 goals to 27 in day one action.
In the other Day 1 fixtures of the league, Correction Boys defeated Kwara United 30 goals to 13, while Borno Spiders lost to Benue Buffalos 18 goals to 23.
The National Division 1 League comprises eight Male teams and 5 females teams, and the top two best teams to be promoted to the National Handball Premiership.
Speaking with newsman after the opening of the league, the representative of the Handball Federation President and South South representative on the Handball Board, Mr Somairi George, expressed satisfaction with the preparations and infrastructure provided by the Edo state government for the League.
Mr Somairi noted that Edo state has started well in their four years hosting deal, while looking forward to the second hosting in November this year.
He said,:”On behalf of the board we thank Edo state government for keeping their promises to host the division 1 handball competition for four years.
This competition ought to have been hosted in last November but shifted to early this year. We still have another one for November to cover for this year’s lost ground.
The state government have done well for us as they gave us accommodation and feeding but they can do more by extending accommodation to the teams coming in so that participation will be higher than what we have now. Most state governments are unable to sponsor their teams to the division one but if we have accommodation for teams coming in, the attendance will be high”
On her part, Permanent Secretary Edo state sports Commission Mrs Sabina Chikere said the state government is willing to honour the full lent of her hosting commitments with the Handball Federation, using the opportunity to develop the state Handball.
According to her “The teams expected have all arrived yesterday and the games started today. The competition so far has been good and our game today between Edo Dynamos and Suleja Shooters,we won. The teams at the competition are in top gears and they are all doing their best to ensure the best team wins.”
Mrs Chikere also praised the state based Handball team Edo Dynamos for the victory against Suleja Shooters, noting that winning the tournament for promotion to the Handball Premiership is the target, saying, “Our team did well today but need to do more and we will encourage them to put in their best and win the league to get promoted to the premier league. This is the plan and focus of Edo State Government”.
Mrs Chikere noted that the state was using the tournament to prepare her Handball teams for the National Sports Festival holding in Delta in November this year.
