6 African kings named in NSF 21 man list for W/ African Scrabble Championship
..As two scrabble amazons made the team
Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) has named a 21 man strong team for the forthcoming West African Scrabble Championship (WASC) holding in Lagos.
The team list that is headed by the winner of the PANASA President’s Cup Godwin Victor, was made public on Tuesday by the Technical Director of Federation, John Curtis in Abuja.
Former World Champion and two time African King, Wellington Jighere, leads the list of the super heavyweight wordsmith in the 21 man contingent that also includes the current African Scrabble supremo Enoch Nwali.
Four other African Champions also made the roaster. They’re Nsikak Etim of Shell Scrabble Club of Port Harcourt, Moses Peter of Uyo Srabble Club, Rex Ogbakpa of Sapele Scrabble Club and two time African King Dennis Ikekeregor also from Sapele Scrabble
Club.
The defending champion, Eta Karo leads the three players from Warri Scrabble Club in ‘Team Nigeria’. Emmanuel Umujose and Godwin Victor is the other Warri Scrabble Club members that will be representing Nigeria at the championship.
Team Nigeria also has in it’s fold young and talented wordsmith Doko Oluwatimilehin a final year Pharmacy student of the University of Lagos and a key member of the all conquering Hurricane Scrabble Club. Doko narrowly missed the top prize at the end of MGI Grand Slam tournament in Lagos last month.
The West African contingent from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia will have to contend with Hakeem Olaribigbe, who rattled a host of big players at the MGI Grand Slam with his scintilating,electrify and breath taking run that was abbreviated by Tega Okiemute of Benin City Scrabble Club another household name in the mindgame.
Jimoh Abdulmumin, a gold medalist at the 21st National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State is another pillar of the mind game that the Technical Director of NSF John Curtis believes will add some strength and vitality to Team Nigeria at the West African Scrabble Championship.
Jimoh Abdulmumin of Apex Scrabble Club has 259 games under his arms this season and he is joined by two team mates Chukwudi Ehibudu and Anthony Odok, the winner of MGI Patrons Cup 2023.
Tuoye Mayuku fresh from the WESPA Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA and Bukunmi Afolayan are the two female scrabble amazons who will surely show their dexterity on the board when the first round of games are called at the championship.
John Curtis, explained that Tuoye Mayuku, multi talented Bukunmi Afolayan, Adeyemi Adeosun, Emmanuel Umujose and George Ezinore are beneficiaries of NSF’s wild card policy for talented wordsmith with potential of making Nigeria proud at the event.
Ben Quickpen of Yenagoa Scrabble Club, a wordsmith with rich sporting legacies will also be in the mix for the confirmation of word power, board management and tactical play among the finest players in the West African sub region.
“Team Nigeria is a mixture of talented youth and experienced wordsmith with decades of major international Championships management coupled with experience.“ Curtis said.
Meanwhile the omplete list of ‘Team Nigeria’ to the West African Scrabble Championship (WASC) includes Godwin Victor, Oluwatimilehin Doko, Enoch Nwali, Wellington Jighere and Nsikak Etim.
Others are; Eta Karo, Dennis Ikekeregor, Chukwudi Ehibudu, John Aiyedun, Tega Okiemute,Tuoye Mayuku and Bukunmi Afolayan
Also in the list are; Jimoh Abdulmumin, Adeyemi Adeosun, Ben Quickpen, Hakeem Olaribigbe, Emmanuel Umujose, George Ezinore,, Anthony Odok, Moses Peter and
Rex Ogbakpa
12,000 dollars has been set aside as prize money for the individual and team events of the championship and the prize money pool of the individual category is for the top ten and top three for the team event.
The Technical Director of the second edition of the West Africa Scrabble Championship (WASC), John Curtis who doubles as the Chairman of the Sub Committee Technical and Tournament Logistics, says the West Africa Championship is a 28 games competition. 1 random, 22 lagged and 5 king of the hill pairings.
The Centre of Excellence and the City of aquatic splendor, Lagos will be hosting the second edition of West Africa Scrabble Championship (WASC), from the 22nd to the 26th of November, 2023.
