FOR three years after the Gateway 2006 National Sports Festival, Lagos cricket aficionados were not happy that the cricket gold medal, which used to be their state's preserve, was resting at the trophy chest of Ogun State.

Though Ogun State is one of the strongest cricket playing states in West Africa, Lagos has always felt that it is superior to its neighbour, hence the belief that all it had to do was show up at any competition and cart home the gold medal. So, losing the medal to Ogun in 2006 was a rude awakening that pushed the cricket lords to task.

They prepared so hard for KADA 2009 mission that the Lagos Cricket boss, George Wiltshire, told The Guardian before event that "the cricket gold medal must return home." According to Wiltshire, the Lagos State Cricket Association (LSCA) took its time to select its best players for the job of wrestling the medal from the grips of Ogun State.

To show that it meant business, Lagos attacked all its opponents right from the first inning of the competition, winning all its preliminary matches to amass the complete eight points on offer. Among its victims in the early stage was the defending champion, Ogun, which could not stand the fury in the Eko Boys' game. But Ogun was expected to get its pound of flesh in the final game after the earlier loss to Lagos.

However, the youthful Lagos team, captained by Austin Areghan, had a different idea, as it defeated the Gateway team by 30 runs in an intensively contested final played at the Crocodile Cricket Club pitch. Lagos won the toss and elected to bat first, amassing 197 runs for six wickets in the allotted 30 overs.

Olayemi Amusa and Olugbon Olympio opened the batting and built up the foundation for the impressive team total of 197. Olayemi Amusa played a disciplined innings as he knocked 50 runs in 54 balls. The middle order batsmen exploded in the last 12 overs to do the damage. Seye Olympio scored 29 runs in 15 balls and dispatched two big sixes over the bowler.

Tamuno John scored 29 runs in 15 balls while Osita Onwuzulike scored 24 runs in 11 balls. Oguntoke E of Ogun State was the highest wicket taker with five wickets in his kitty, conceded 39 runs in five overs bowled.

What looked like an easy match for the Lagos team soon turned to a big task as the defending champion refused to go down without a big fight. It commenced its innings on a very positive note, maintaining an average of 6 runs per over, thus chasing steadily the total of 197 earlier posted by Lagos. Rotimi Adesanya played an impressive innings, scoring 61 runs in 49 balls, with Oguntoke E. supporting him with 22 runs in 21 balls.

The double prong attack off-spin bowling by Onwuzulike and John Tamuno put a stop to the run chase of Ogun State as the two spin bowlers took three wickets each, thus ending Ogun's innings on 167 runs. Lagos, on the way to the final, had earlier defeated Ogun, Kano, Delta, Kano, Rivers and Anambra states.

LSCA boss, Wiltshire, who witnessed his team play one of the best matches of the tourney, congratulated the boys for a deserved victory. He revealed that the team prepared very well and was handled by a competent and experienced coaching crew. He commended his boys for their tenacity of purpose, sacrifice and dedication.

To show that it is not ready to relinquish the title to any other state in Nigeria, Wiltshire said that Lagos would commence preparation for the 17th National Sports Festival scheduled to hold in Rivers State in 2010 in earnest.