Foundation Cricket Club (FCC1) of Lagos lifted the Van Vliet Lagos League trophy for the fourth successive year over the weekend by holding back the challenge of an inspired Levites Club of Benin, Edo State.

In a match which kept cricket enthusiasts at the edge of their seats throughout, FCC1 had to rely on the wealth of experience of their lower order batsmen in Sunkanmi Odedele (19 runs) before he was run out and ex-internationals Austine Egbunike (31 runs) and Dipo Idowu (48 runs) to post a defendable 188-run total in 48.4 overs.

Down to 38 runs for 7 wickets, FCC1 were in dire straits with young Kevin Agbonawegbe disposing of the front-line FCC batsmen including internationals Wale Adeoye and Kofi Sagoe after Dolapo Gaffar got himself run out early. Kevin eventually accounted for 5 wickets for 35 runs in his 10-over spell. This was after FCC1 won the toss and elected to bat first on a cloudy day.

At this stage of the game, spectators including the Chairman of the Nigeria Cricket Association, Dr John Abebe who is an Edo State indigene sensed a change in the leadership of the Lagos League and sat glued to seat waiting to witness a giant-killing act.

However this was not to be as the FCC1 strategy changed immediately from the 300-run target that had initially been set to a more modest total of 200 that would enable them have something to bowl at.

The recovery started in earnest with Sunkanmi Odedele playing possibly his most matured innings in recent times holding up his end and exchanging quick runs with Austine Egbunike who had come to join him at the crease at the fall of the seventh wicket. Between them they moved the score to 94 for 8 a 56-run partnership that came to an end when Sunkanmi was run out and this brought Dipo Idowu to the crease.

Prior to this Dipo, a veteran of many West African and ICC Trophy campaigns had hardly batted this season because of the all-conquering style of the Champions; however did he not rise to the occasion when his team needed him most. Scoring freely including two well-struck sixes, he partnered first with Austine Egbunike and then with skipper Sam Akhionbare in raising the asking total to 188 runs before he was caught two short of a half-century.

In return, Levites re-arranged their batting line-up moving its skipper Akongyie Edebiri up to number 3 to carry out a pinch-hitting role after the loss of an early wicket Otuagoma caught behind by Dolapo Gaffar for duck off Wale Adeoye.

Two massive sixes by Akongyie off Wale Adeoye helped in whetting the appetite of the crowd that had developed waiting for an upset win. Levites in pursuit of 189 runs, were in the hunt positively but suffered some reversals as they were reduced to 66 for 3 by the end of the twelfth over.

FCC Skipper Sam Akhionbare picked up two quick wickets with some fiery bowling including the prized wicket of his opposing skipper Akongyie Edebiri who he clean-bowled for 35 runs. He went on to add the wickets of Duro Akayan (20 runs), Scott Edebiri and Nemedia to bring his haul to 5 wickets for 19 runs in a fiery spell of 6 overs that swung the match away from Levites.

At 102 runs for 6 wickets, levites needed another 87 runs for victory but were fast running out of wickets as FCC1 piled up the pressure bringing in spinner Barnaby Ephraim to test the resolve of the lower order Levites batsmen. This resulted in a positive dividend as Okonobo was run out , Agbonawegbe and Musa and the final wicket all fell to Barnaby and levites finished their innings at 137 runs all out in 29.1 overs losing by 51 runs.

As a gesture of their brilliant performance throughout the series, the young Levites team was promised cricket equipment by the NCA Chairman.

Prior to the final match, Levites had defeated GCI Old Boys by 20 runs scoring 197 and restricting their opponents to 177; also defeated FCC2 , scoring 261 runs to FCC2's 98 but lost to FCC1 after setting a target of 220 runs which the champions knocked off for the loss of only 3 wickets.

The Champions FCC1 had beaten sister team FCC2 scoring 263 runs and restricting their opponents to 145; defeated GCI Old Boys and levites while in the final match of the 'Super 4', FCC2 had humiliated GCI Old Boys reducing them to 47 runs all out and winning by 6 wickets.

The next cricket event to look forward to is the WACC Quadrangular after which the Lagos State Cricket Association (LSCA) will organise a Lagos Knockout involving the eleven teams that participated in the Van Vliet League.

© ICC 2002