Delta State’s Emmanuel Umujose wins 5th edition of Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament

...Nigeria scrabble amazon, Bukunmi Afolayan adds another diadem to her collection 

By Mishael Emmanuel and Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos

  

  

  

It was all joy for Delta State Emmanuel Umujose as he showed great determination and skill to win the 5th edition of the highly esteemed Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament (EEAST), tagged Quinta Essentia.

 

Umujose who was 4th after round 12, qualified for the semi-finals by a finger-breadth, and from then there was no stopping him as he scaled to the top of one of the most prestigious and coveted titles in the Nigerian circuit the Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament (EEAST), held at the alluring and captivating Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, South-West, Nigeria over the weekend.

 

6th seed Umujose, caught the semi-finals ticket after securing 8 wins, after round 12 with a cumulative of +525. Timi Olaitan booked the top spot going in the semi-finals recording 9 wins, 3 losses but managing a better cumulative total of +830.

 

Ben Quickpen and Enai Doubra were the other semi-finalists as they sealed their spots with 9 victories and plus 548 cumulative and 8 wins, +848 points respectfully.

 

The final stretch of proceeding at the 2-day event favoured Emmanuel Umujose as he powered to the final where he was joined by Enai Doubra who had to work extra hard to shake Olaitan and Quickpen off his radar.

 

Both finalists, secured 2 wins and a loss. But Emmanuel Umujose took the lead with +178 points compared to Enai Doubra meager cumulative points of +4.

 

Timi Olaitan who led on the initial table could only fashion 1 victory in 3 rounds in the semis, while Ben Quickpen who invested 3 straight losses and a minus 204 cumulative in his semi-finals act still had the third place finish to play for.

 

In the best-of-5 final, it was Doubra who drew first blood taking game 1, with a plus 60 cumulative points, 494-434. But the final had more praise for the Edo State born wordsmith as he fired back hitting Doubra for the next two rounds and falling by a slim 5 point margin in game 4, 423-428 to make it 2-all.

 

Emmanuel Umujose came back strongly in the decider to win it 531-377. A positive +279 cumulative spread was his to gather as he sealed a memorable first for the noble son of Umujose.

 

Umujose smiled home with the sum of seven hundred thousand naira, with Doubra receiving five hundred thousand naira for his second place finish.

 

Timi Olaitan claimed the final podium spot with a worthy 2-1 scoreline. Droping game 1, 453-498, levelling 493-431, then finishing with a well worked 459-442 in the final round.

 

Olaitan podium finish was worth three hundred and fifty thousand naira, with Quickpen taking home two hundred thousand naira as his consolation package.

  

David Ojih placed 5th after all the action on the final day of the tournament, with 12 wins, 1 drawn and 5 losses. Tega Okiemute and John Aiyedun were the next on queue both with 12 victories each, but Tega's higher cumulative of +845, ensured he finished above Aiyedun on +374.

 

Iyanam Nsikan and Hakeem Olaribigbe took the 8th and 9th spots with 11 wins from 18 rounds of games. Nsikan's +271 points bagged him a top 8 finish, with Hakeem Olaribigbe trailing on +204.

 

Ghana’s Charles Tachie Menson completed the top ten on 10 wins and a plus 271 points.

 

In the Challenger category, Ogun State Bukunmi Afolayan showed how best to do it, taking down Sunday Ituah in the best-of-3 final, in straight-sets 464-362, 435-370, 435-383 with a healthy plus 219 cumulative points.

 

The win made sure that Afolayan joined the crop of top wordsmiths who have engraved their names in gold at the Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament as the first lady to win any of the three major categories.

 

Three hundred and fifty thousand naira accompanied her feat with Ituah receiving two hundred thousand naira.

 

The top 4 placement didn't change much even after a dozen more rounds in the finals, except with James Eteng who up until then had lost only twice, forfeiting his top of the log throne and his massive cumulative of +955 for nothing in return.

 

9 wins each, was the denominator that secured the participation of Bukunmi Afolayan and Isaac Apiafi, a better +489 against +357 ensured the Nigeria Scrabble Amazon was ahead of Apiafi in seeding. Sunday Ituah made the semis with 8 wins and +630.

 

Afolayan and Ituah recorded 2 victories and a defeat to reach the final while Isaac Apiafi managed a single win and a negative 309 points. First draw leader, James Eteng got to taste defeat 3-in-a-row and had -242 cumulative points before heading for the third place match.

 

In the third place match, Isaac Apiafi overpowered James Eteng with +134 points. Winning 429-379, 408-324 to complete the top three.

  

One hundred fifty thousand naira went to Isaac Apiafi for his sterling performance with one hundred and twenty going to James Eteng for stumbling at the last two hurdles.

 

The best placed female player in the Elite category, Olachi Mbuno had one hundred and twenty thousand naira as appreciation for her outing at the two-day event.

Ishekwene picked the Sage division designed for the veterans. Femi Awowade was voted as the winner of the EEAST Legacy Award while other deserving individuals and corporate organizations were recognized at the colourful and well-attended Awards and Gala Night.

One of the founding fathers Chief Dr. Brigadier General Gold Eburu, was full of commendation for Egbele and his team for bringing their dreams to life.

 

Players from 10 states consisting of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Ondo, and Ekiti as well as players from Uganda and Ghana participated at the annual tournament.

Other honours, gifts and spot prizes were given at the premium championship which is a must attend event in the African scrabble circuit, that had over a hundred players in attendance.

 

The tournament is one of the competitions used by players to kick start their build up for the 2025 World Championship, in Accra, Ghana.

 

EEAST HISTORICAL HOLDERS

It's interesting to state that because of the gruelling nature of the competition, no player has been able to defend his title or win two different editions in any category in the history of the competition.

DOKUN ESAN won the maiden edition of the Masters event.

The second edition in that category went to while Continental Champion ENOCH NWALI, the third edition went to GODWIN VICTOR and former world champion, WELLINGTON JIGHERE won the fourth edition.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION 

 

OUR COVERAGE OF THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED 22ND NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL WAS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY EMMANUEL EGBELE.

★ EMMANUEL EGBELE is the initiator of one of the most prestigious scrabble competitions in Nigeria - the Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament (EEAST).

Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament (EEAST), made it's grand entry into the Nigeria scrabble circuit in 2021.

 

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