August 29, (THEWILL) -Nigeria’s young scrabble talents emerged victorious at the recent Winifred Awosika African Youth Scrabble Championship, which was held in Lagos.
The tournament featured fierce competition between players from Kenya, Liberia, Ghana, Uganda and host nation, Nigeria. In the under-19 category, 19-year-old David Ojih clinched the title after winning 19 out of 24 rounds. With a cumulative score spread of plus 2022, David defeated compatriot Joy Ola who took second place. Another talented Nigerian, Lateef Musa, came third with 17 wins and plus 1012 points.
In total, 88 players from those five aforementioned countries participated in the youth championships. The under-15 trophy went to 13-year-old Prestige Archibong following an impressive 16 victories and plus 2614 points. Quodos Aliu of Nigeria took second place, while third position went to Clinton Imode.
The victorious teenagers shared the $9,000 prize money and took home laptops, tablets and smartphones. According to the President of the Pan African Scrabble Association, these young talents showcased the bright future of competitive scrabble in Africa.
In the elite President’s Cup, Godwin Victor of Nigeria was crowned champion after defeating former world champion Wellington Jighere in the finals. Godwin pocketed the $5,000 top prize and the Gbenga Ojofeitimi trophy. The Pan African Scrabble Association commended the skills and composure of all participants.
With scrabble now a demonstration sport at next year’s All-Africa Games, the future looks bright for Nigeria’s rising scrabble stars. The Ghana National Open and West Africa Challenger will be their next tests on the path to international glory.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
