Host state, Ogun, emerged overall champion at the South-West Junior Boys and Girls Squash Championship held in commemoration of the 20th coronation anniversary of the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo.
The thrilling two-day tournament, staged at the Alake Squash Court inside Ake Palace, Abeokuta, saw Ogun’s cadet and junior players clinch three of the four finals decided over the weekend.
In the Under-16 Girls’ Singles, Elizabeth Adebayo staged an impressive comeback to defeat Lagos State’s hard-fighting Chioma Ude 3–2. After losing the first and third sets 5/11 and 6/11, Elizabeth rallied back strongly to win the second (11/7) and seal the match by taking the last two sets 11/6, 11/6.
Ogun also recorded a clean sweep in the Under-16 Boys’ Singles final, where Ayomide Omotayo overpowered fellow Ogun player Peter Adeleke in straight sets of 11/5, 11/8, 11/7.
It was a double heartbreak for Lagos’ Chioma Ude, as she later fell 0–2 in the Under-19 Girls’ Singles final to Ogun’s Awawu Balogun, who maintained firm control to secure the title.
Lagos, however, earned consolation in the Under-19 Boys’ Singles, where Quadri Yusuf triumphed over teammate Joshua Daniel in a fiercely contested 3–2 victory. Yusuf rallied back after losing the first two sets 8/11 and 9/11 to win the next three 11/9, 11/2, 11/9.
The Alake, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, led top Egba chiefs and dignitaries who witnessed the exciting finals, applauding the young talents for their impressive display of skill and sportsmanship.
Sponsor of the tournament, Chief Tokunbo Omisore, described the championship as his humble contribution to the monarch’s coronation celebrations and the development of sports in Egbaland, Ogun State, and Nigeria. He emphasized that the core objective was to discover and nurture future squash stars capable of representing the state and nation.
Omisore, an Egba chief, also challenged other traditional chiefs to invest in youth development through sports and vocational training as a means of harnessing the vast potential of young people in the kingdom.
Similarly, President of the Royalty Club of Egbaland, Tunde Aregbesola, said the club organized the tournament to honour the Alake, whom he described as a great lover of the sport. He noted that the competition, which the club has hosted for over a decade, has consistently produced talents who continue to represent Ogun State and Nigeria.
Aregbesola expressed appreciation to Chief Omisore for fully sponsoring this year’s edition, assuring that the club remains committed to sustaining the rich tradition of talent discovery and development in squash.
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