March 24, 2021
By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
The Sierra Leone Cricket Association (SCLA) has set new precedent over the week by moving with three 50-over league games played simultaneously on different grounds across the country.
This happened for the first time, after many decades. There had always been only one cricket ground in the entire the country.
In the Southern Province, Bo Town, which is the second largest city in Sierra Leone, the Association held a match at the Bo School Cricket Ground, where Sierra Leone Police Cricket Club engaged Kent Cricket Club – KCC. The Bo School Ground had not witnessed cricket for many decades and it was a special moment, A-Z Sport can confirm.
There were two matches played in Freetown: Asian Lions Cricket Club hosted Wanderers Cricket Club at the Prince of Wales School Cricket Ground, while Gujarat Cricket Club played Crusaders Cricket Club at the Kingtom Oval.
This weekend, at the Njala University Cricket Ground, Mokonda there will be another encounter to increase the number of grounds to four for the Sierra Leone Premier League. The development has been considered as a big leap forward for cricket in Sierra Leone.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Sierra Leone Crickets Association, Francis Trevor Samura, “I am impressed with the development of Crickets in the Country as our aim is to take the game of Cricket to the Schools.”
He added that Bo School is the first to have benefited from this project, “and as an association this has prompted us to construct a Cricket ground with facilities that can host the Top flight Cricket league in the Country.”
Currently, the Association is working on five Crickets ground in the Provinces namely the Kenema Cricket grounds, Kuyama Cricket grounds, Mathora girls Cricket grounds, Magburaka Boys Secondary School and RC School in Lungi. All these grounds will get basic facilities that will be able to host Cricket Premier League.
Francis Trevor Samura affirmed that their aim is to expand the game of Crickets to all Government Schools, and they want to see some of the Cricketers top to represent the Country.
Mr. Samura continued that as part of the Sierra Leone Cricket Association agenda is to focus on growing players, having working coaches that will continue to make things easier for them to reaching to reach Schools that have never heard, played or seen a Cricket match before. One of their grassroots coaches, Alie John Kamara, has introduced Cricket for the first time to REC Upper Police Primary School which is in Jui, Western Rural District.