Rivers failed to qualify for the women hockey event’s quarter-finals at the 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt as they lost their protest against Delta.

Three protests had arisen after the three-day first round pool competition, with the other two protests coming from Kaduna and Ondo who protested against each other in Pool B.

The hockey competition’s Technical Delegate, Malam Salisu Jabbo, said that the hosts had alleged that Delta used an ineligible player.

Rivers had lost 0-1 to Delta at the weekend in a women Pool A match, thus crashing out after losing  1-0 to Oyo in their opening game.

Delta had topped the three-team pool while Oyo had ended in the second place, with both teams advanced to Monday’s quarter-finals.

“Rivers couldn’t prove their case that Delta used a player who had featured for another team in the zonal qualifiers, and therefore the quarter-finals line-up will stand the way it emerged after play on Saturday,” Jabbo said.

“Both Kaduna and Ondo withdrew their protests before the competition’s technical committee could look into them on Sunday morning,” Jabbo said.

Samuel Eto wins golf gold

Bayelsa State emerged over-all winner of the golf event, but the attraction was Samuel Eto who won  a gold for Akwa Ibom with team mate Samuel Achale.

Eto’s name rings a bell in the world of soccer because of the Samuel Eto’o the famous Inter Milan and Cameroon striker. But the golf Eto hails from Esiene Udom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, he disclosed that  his name meant “God’s Sword”.

Bayelsa lead other states with two gold medals. Lagos, Plateau, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Rivers won one gold medal each.
The that winners emerged in the Doubles Match Play Category, Singles Categories I and II, Doubles Categories I and II, Ladies Gold Division and Combined Net Scores Individual Categories.

The women quarter-finals pairings, Delta will now face Bauchi while Ondo take on Kaduna, Yobe meet Oyo, and Benue square up with Imo.

In the men’s quarter-finals pairings, hosts Rivers will take on Niger, Ogun against Nasarawa, Ondo against Edo and Katsina up against Yobe.