After Governor’s Cup, NCC Tennis League Resumes With Crucial Decider In Port Harcourt

The NCC Tennis League is resuming this weekend, Saturday, 28 October and Sunday, 29 October, with a decisive tie at the Port Harcourt Club between 2015 runners-up Team Civil Defence of Abuja and host Team Kalotari after a two-week break due to the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship which ended in Lagos Saturday 22 October.

The Port Harcourt tie will feature some of the best players in the country including four present and former national champions with the winner getting the second semifinal spot from the Blue Group. Team Muller of Lagos which had beaten both teams has already secured top spot.

Team Civil Defence has national champion Abdulmumuni Babalola and former national champion Clifford Enosorogbe as the leading male players with Christie Agugbom, current women’s champion, as their lead female player.

Enosoregbe will be in action at the NCC League this weekend.

These champions will however have to contend with a more youthful side led by Christian Paul, National Sports Festival champion, who got to the round of 16 in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles at the Lagos Governor’s Cup. The team also has fast improving Ikechukwu Iloputa a quarter-finalist in doubles at the Governor’s Cup and national junior girl’s champion Angel Mcleod.

The tie will feature two men’s singles, a ladies singles and a men’s doubles on the first day and two men’s reverse singles and a mixed doubles on the second day.

The two other ties from the Blue Group will take place in Lagos.

Team VGC Lions will host Team Optiweb of Ilorin at the VGC Sports Club in Lekki- Lagos while Team Muller will take on Team Oluyole of Ibadan at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos.

The NCC Tennis League which has now reached the business end with the final round robin ties is offering a consolidated prize money of N23 million and has taken topflight tennis to 12 different cities in Nigeria.

The champion team bags N7 million, runner-up N5 million, third place N3 million and the fourth place N2 million.

The final round robin ties for the White Group will take place in Abuja, Jos and Kaduna next weekend.