By Solomon Nwoke
The famous Imo Grasshoppers of Owerri may have woken up from their sleep and have declared their resolve to reclaim their lost glory in this second phase of the Ardova Handball Premier League (AHPL) going on in Lagos.
The Owerri amazons started the league second phase on a good note, decimating their arch rivals from Sokoto, Rima Queens by 28-27. Their ego was dented by the Plateau Peacocks in their second match by 30-16, while they rose in their third game against the Defenders Babes beating the Abuja side 34-32 to set the pace for yesterday’s victory against Rivers Queens and winning by 33-27.
Speaking shortly after their hard earned victory, the Assistant Coach of the Imo Grasshoppers, Clara Ezinne Dike gave her girls a pat on the back saying they’re on a mission to reclaim their lost glory.
She said, “We’re super charged to lift the trophy this time. Our target is high, notwithstanding some of the challenges we have financially. We are managing but we are aiming at the trophy because it has been a long time since we won it last. We are playing for the love of the game as our financial base is not strong.
“We’re not afraid of any team in this league, if we can maintain our winning streak, we hope to lift the trophy. We have a date with the defending champions, the Safety Babes of Abuja by Thursday. No doubt, they have lots of good players but we are not afraid of locking horns with them”.
Coach Clara Dike’s declaration was corroborated by the Director Technical of Imo Handball Association, Coach Chinwendu Onwu who said, they’re trying to be counted among the best three teams of this tournament.
“We need to win two or three more games to be among the contenderss. What we need is points and we are sure of getting to that position”, he said.
