Playing against the host state in a festival like the National Sports Festival is always a difficult one.
This was the reaction from Coach Yusuf Abdulkadir of the Plateau Handball female team in the ongoing National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, after his team lost the Team Ogun 25-35.
Coach Yusuf, who gave kudos to his girls for the game despite the loss, said it’s not always easy playing against the hist state; “I will like to give kudos to my girls for their excellent display because they played beyond my expectations and playing against the host state itself was another matter as Ogun team paraded one of the best squad in the country but we’ve learnt our lessons and hope to do well in our next match, hopefully progress to the final and meet again”.
The Coach also attributed the loss to mistakes made by the girls which will be corrected before the next match.
After the Handball game, Basketball, Male took centre stage between Team Plateau and Team Oyo, also at the Alake Sports centre, Ijeja in Ibara Area of Abeokuta, where Team Plateau came tops with 61-41. The Q1 ended Plateau 14-11 Oyo, while
Q2 was Plateau 29-22 Oyo and
Q3 ended with Plateau 40-34 Oyo and finally
Q4 had Plateau with 61-41 Oyo.
This is the first win for Team Plateau in Basketball.
In Golf, the Plateau Golf Team Tees Off with 3 Match Play Wins and a Bronze Medal on the first day of the golf even at the Ogun 2024 National Sports Festival.
In the match play category, Team Plateau played four matches with victories in three.
Tina Micah set off the day with a win against Lagos in the women’s match play, displaying her impressive skills on the course.
While Sunday Morris, thereafter defeated Katsina in his single match play.
Also, Beatrice Onoja secured a win with a triumph over Benue in her single match.
However, it was a loss for Bangeh Jonathan against a stiff opposition from Benue.
In the stroke play category, Joy Ekhator shone brightly, claiming the bronze medal with an impressive display of golfing prowess.
However, Ajang kazi,was not so lucky as he finished with a gross score of 83.
Furthermore, the three match play winners – Tina Micah, Sunday Morris, and Beatrice Onoja will continue their matches on the second day, with a determination to build on their momentum and bring more glory to Plateau state.
Meanwhile, it was not a rosy day for the cyclists as they could not get to the podium, with Carolina Dung finishing 4th in the 1km individual trial time behind Teams Delta, Oyo and Edo. While, the Mixed relay team comprising- Carolina Dung, Patience Simon, Cecilia Sunday, Joseph Masilinus, John Emmanuel & Daniel Guyandu finished 5th, though showing grits and prospects of getting to the podium subsequently.
Actions continues tomorrow in various centres of rhe Festival.
Credit:Nathaniel Mobolade, SSIMEDIA,”Gateway Games”.
