By Jacob Ajom

African Champion Timilehin Doko again re-asserted his status as the continent’s number one player when he defeated Africa Youth Champion David Ojih in a thrilling final of the 5th Janet Adowei Scrabble Championship in Lagos. The champion achieved 480-475 on Table 1, to record 14 wins and 4 losses with 1077 cumulative points to pick the title.

Interestingly, the final day opened with Day One leader Joseph Okere losing his precious position as he tumbled after five successive defeats which extinguished any hope of solidifying his status.

Doko dug in his heels, Abdulmumin Jimoh pushed for more points, while Ojih crept into the equation.

In the final 18th round, it was indeed an evening of eye-catching scrabble showdown as Doko and Ojih emerged the top-two contenders for the title.

Both Word-Warriors took to Table 1 for the top prize of N750,000 knowing a little mistake could be costly.

At the end, it was Doko the African champion who pulled his weight, tact and experience to narrowly edge Ojih on cumulative points of +1077 to +971 to claim the title. They both recorded 14 wins, same as Jimoh who came third with a cumulative points of +658.

Ojih earned N450,000 while Jimoh got 350,000. Prizes were shared to all top 15 players.

The matches on Table were streamed to a global live audience on YouTube.