The Akwa Ibom State squash team has announced its arrival on the national stage with a spectacular performance at the 7th edition of the National Squash Championship, emerging as the overall best team with an impressive haul of five gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

Team Akwa Ibom dominated the junior categories, winning gold medals in the U-11 Boys, U-13 Boys, U-13 Girls, U-17 Boys and U-17 Girls categories.

The team also secured silver medals in the U-11 Boys and U-17 Boys categories, while bronze medals were won in the U-11 Girls and U-13 Girls categories, taking the state’s overall medal tally to ten.

The championship, organised by Squash Ex-Professional Players, attracted junior players from different states across the federation, with Team Akwa Ibom ultimately finishing as the tournament’s overall best-performing team.

The 7th edition featured male and female junior players competing in the U-11, U-13, U-15 and U-17 categories and was held at the Abuja National Stadium, Abuja.

Akwa Ibom was represented by a 14-player contingent comprising eight male and six female players, with the team led by coach Ibanga Etukudo.

Speaking after the team’s impressive outing, Engineer Iniobong Esuene, board member of the Nigerian Squash Federation and Vice chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Squash Association described the achievement as a significant milestone for squash in Akwa Ibom State, noting that it was the first time in a long while that the state had emerged victorious at a national championship. “ The best result ever in the history of squash in our state” delighted Engineer Ini Obong said.

The impressive performance has also earned the young athletes further opportunities to compete at major national events. Thirteen of the 14 Team Akwa Ibom players have been invited to participate in the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Tournament in Abeokuta as well as the National Racquet Festival in Ibadan, both scheduled to take place later this year.

The remarkable achievement underscores the growing strength of squash development in Akwa Ibom State and provides further evidence of the impact of sustained investment in grassroots sports development.

With ten medals and invitations to two major national competitions, Team Akwa Ibom’s performance in Abuja represents a significant step forward for the state’s squash programme and another encouraging chapter in Akwa Ibom’s emerging sports renaissance.

Every so often, I get the opportunity to leave Canada for a few days to go to the States. Doing so makes in-person coverage of the Vikings possible.

Perhaps the top news of the week is that the Vikings host the Ravens. To begin, there will be a pair of joint practices. These days are tremendous fun for anybody who gets out since there are roughly 180 NFL players and a pair of coaching staffs all working on the same collection of football fields. And then there’s the game inside of U.S. Bank Stadium, further allowing for more insight to be gleaned. Being able to offer some firsthand observations is what’s to come for our readers.

VT w/ Press Access
The Vikings Host the Ravens in Preseason Week No. 2

Since the summer of 2020, I’ve been writing about the Minnesota Vikings. What has followed since has been a wild ride.

— READ MORE: Vikings 1st-Round Pick Had a Day to Forget —
— READ MORE: Vikings Film Analysis: Aaron Jones Scampers for Nice Gain —
— READ MORE: Stock Up, Stock Down: 5 Players Impacted by Preseason Game —

I went full time with Vikings writing and editing in the summer of 2021. The overwhelming majority of my work since then has been tossed onto Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. No shortage of digital ink has been spilled since then covering the Vikings. Normally, the work has been done from afar (Canada).

Over the past couple years, I’ve been fortunate to get some credentialed access to the Vikings. Doing so allows for some firsthand insight that can remove the middle man.

The hope, then, is to send along some Vikings writing that’s worth your time. Online publishers are sorting through the turmoil of industry changes but many of you out there have continued supporting VT. That means a ton to us as a small business that is local to the Twin Cities (the business is local; I’m international).

Of top importance will be the passer battle that has been decided. Kyler Murray is the QB1. Can he shine against what is a formidable group over in Baltimore? Whatever takes place against the Ravens is sure to be handled with aplomb as nothing gets pushed out of proportion.

But then there are a pile of other stories to monitor for the Vikings. How does young defensive tackle Caleb Banks do? The receiver competition is heating up beyond the top trio of options; can Myles Price keep up his sizzling effort? All of the sudden, the safety position offers some reason for concern due to the Jamal Adams news. Who steps up?

Oh, and the Vikings still employ that J.J. McCarthy guy. He could use some excellent days.

As has been mentioned in the past, making a habit of visiting Vikings Territory means a lot to us. Genuinely. Doing so helps to keep the lights on since we’re in the click business.

Set us as your home page and check out what we’ve got on offer. Our work includes a (sort of) credentialed Vikings writer who does this as a full-time job. There’s then contributions ranging from a former GM (Jeff Diamond) to a podcast with a veteran Minnesota sports reporter (Craig Peters) to the musings of various great contributors.

Be sure to follow along on social media. The site is on there — VikingTerritory — and so am I — VikingsGazette. We’ll be sending along some fresh insight from what’s learned from getting press access for the Vikings.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong is set to host a football tournament for secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State as part of his efforts to support youth development through sport.

The grand finale of the Troost-Ekong Foundation Football Tournament is scheduled for September 1, with Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, expected to attend the event.

An exclusive invitation was presented to the Commissioner at his office on Monday, August 17, by a member of the tournament’s Board of Trustees, Mr Bernard Ekong.

The tournament is being organised in partnership with the Akwa Ibom State Football Association (AKSFA) and is aimed at giving back to society by creating opportunities for young football talents across the state.

The initiative, founded by Troost-Ekong, is focused on identifying and developing talented young players. Secondary schools from different parts of Akwa Ibom have been selected to take part in both male and female categories.

Meanwhile, AKSFA Chairman, Mr Samuel Umoh, has praised the Troost-Ekong Foundation for the initiative. He also confirmed that the necessary kits have been delivered as preparations for the grand finale gather pace.

Troost-Ekong, who was born in the Netherlands on September 1, 1993, is a centre-back who currently plays for Al-Ahli in the Qatar Stars League. He represented Nigeria more than 80 times and served as captain of the Super Eagles.

The defender founded the Troost-Ekong Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on empowering young people in Nigeria and Africa through football and education.

The school tournament is expected to provide a platform for young players to showcase their talent while promoting grassroots football development in Akwa Ibom.

SportsRation will share further details about this competition when it has been revealed by the organizers.

Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja continued his habit of dismissing well-set batters by removing Sri Lanka’s top-scorer, Sonal Dinusha, on Day 3 of the opening Test at Galle on August 17. With Sri Lanka in dire straits at 90/5 in response to India’s 462 in the first innings, Dinusha scored a brilliant maiden Test century to help the side gain a semblance of respectability.

However, a ball after completing his century, the southpaw missed a flighted delivery from Jadeja, which turned sharply to trap him in front. Dinusha looked towards DRS to save him from a seemingly plumb LBW, but to no avail.

Here is a video of Jadeja’s three wickets, including the final one to send Sri Lanka’s lone centurion packing:

https://www.sonyliv.com/sports-clips/cricket-jadeja-strikes-with-a-crucial-three-wicket-haul-1090539547?watch=true

Jadeja finished the innings with excellent figures of 3/57 in 21 overs as India bowled Sri Lanka out for 284. Despite stumps being called earlier than the scheduled time on Day 3 due to bad light and rain, India head into the penultimate day with a healthy 178-run first-innings lead.

Ravindra Jadeja joins elite club for career double on Day 3 of the 1st Test

Ravindra Jadeja completed an incredible 350 Test wickets on Day 3 of the first Test against Sri Lanka. The 37-year-old entered the game on 348 wickets and removed Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Keshara Nuwantha to complete the career milestone.

Jadeja also became one of only two Indian cricketers to boast over 4,000 runs and 350 wickets in Tests, alongside the legendary Kapil Dev. He also became only the second spin-bowling all-rounder after Daniel Vettori to achieve the phenomenal 4,000-350 double.

Overall, Ravindra Jadeja is only the fourth cricketer to complete this double, joining Kapil Dev, Daniel Vettori and Ian Botham.

The veteran spin-bowling all-rounder’s Test numbers read an extraordinary 4,108 runs at an average of 38.03 and 351 wickets at an average of 25.06. Jadeja also boasts six centuries and 15 five-wicket hauls in his outstanding 90-match Test career.