Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), a firm of international auditors, has reiterated its commitment to sponsoring the National Under17 Cricket championship.

Tolu Adeleke, representative of the firm, said this at a news conference on Tuesday ahead of the championship which kicks off on Wednesday in Abuja.

Adeleke said the partnership with the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has been fulfilling in terms of talents discovery, adding that PwC would continue to sponsor the event.

“It’s been a mutual relationship over the past three editions because what we have seen over the years is the emergence of talents.

“In the last edition, Piety Lucky, was the sensation of the tournament after becoming the first female in Nigeria and North West Africa to score a 100 runs in a T20 format game.

“Now, we see that states in the North-East presented male and female teams during the qualifiers and this is the first time in the competition.

“So, we are happy to continue with this event because of the positive impact that we have seen over the years,” Adeleke said.

On his part, Taiwo Oriss, Secretary-General of the federation, thanked the organisation for its sustained partnership.

“This event is important because it is one that helps us get the kids active in cricket.

“It is also one that is a progression from the Under-15 athletes of the National Youth Games to the National U-17 tournament and the National U-19 team.

“We want to work hard to sustain this relationship as this tournament is key to us as the board and as well as the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development,” Oriss said.

The third edition of the championship begins on Wednesday to Sunday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.