LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Following their victory over the Benin Republic in Accra, Ghana, the Nigerian U-18 girls were named the winners of the IHF Women’s Trophy Africa Zone 3 Phase.
The spectators at the Tennis Arena of the Accra Sports Stadium were in awe of coach Shittu Adewunmi’s girls as they easily defeated Benin Republic 42-17, with goalie Babatunde Kehinde being voted the Most Valuable Player of the Match for an outstanding performance.
Babatunde Taiwo, who won MVP honors in Nigeria’s opening game against Liberia, is her identical twin. As a result of winning four games while losing none, Nigeria advances to the IHF Women’s Trophy Continental Phase.
Nigeria’s U-18 girls team defeated Ghana last Thursday in an exciting game at the Tennis Arena at the Accra Sports Stadium, following a crushing 61-16 victory against Liberia on the opening day.
On Friday, they defeated Ivory Coast 38-22 in a resounding victory to follow it up.
Esther Matthew of Nigeria won the championship’s Most Valuable Player award, and the tournament’s best goalie was chosen by the organizers as Precious Samuel.
Samuel Ocheho, president of the Handball Federation of Nigeria, expressed his excitement that the HFN’s talent-discovery programs are paying off while in Accra serving as the president of IHF Africa Zone 3.
“I am super excited that the programmes of the HFN to discover players through our underage competition are yielding dividends.
“This is a testament to the successes of our programmes and we will continue to ensure that we continue to development of the game and its continued growth,” Ocheho said.
However, in few months, a host nation has not yet been determined, Nigeria will represent Africa Zone 3 at the continental stage of the IHF Trophy Africa.
