By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
Taking the game of cricket to every part of Sierra Leone has been the singular vision of Chairman Francis Trevor Samura since he assumed office almost two years ago.
In his quest to actualize this vision, he led a three-man delegation from the top management of Cricket Sierra Leone to the provinces for four reasons: to familiarize SLCA’s new CEO with the cricket structures in the countryside; to help the hired South African cricket expert, Kenneth Masinga, have a clear sense of how the game can be developed outside the city of Freetown; to identify potential sites suitable for the construction of cricket pitches; to lay the groundwork for the spreading of the game in schools located in the countryside.
The delegation of three, comprising Chairman Samura, CEO Sheku Alim Cawray, and Coach Kenneth Masinga, started the tour in Rutile where a site with the required soil texture was identified and the need for a cricket base was reached.
The next stop was at Mokonde where SLCA has created a significant foothold, and developed a standard cricket pitch, training net and a natural turf outfield. Monkonde has played host to a number of camping and cricket league fixtures including some matches played by the famous MMC in 2019. The need for regular mowing of the outfield was identified as the grass grows tall at a quick pace.
Bo School cricket pitch was the third stop. There, Coach Masinga praised the state of the pitch and advised that regular games be hosted there where good deliveries from bowlers will match their efforts. However, Chairman Samura raised the need for mowing the grass from time to time as that will keep the facility alive.
There is Bo, the team also noticed that cricket school coordinators have not been doing much to engage pupils in real-time cricket activities to sustain the presence of the game in that part of the cricket.
The fourth stop was at Koyeima in Bo District where the installation of a cricket net is well underway. Looking at its location that is away from social distraction, CEO Cawray says the Koyeima site will be the best for national team camping. “This is the vision,” he adds.
Magburaka Boys’ School was the fifth stop. The team grave the need for the introduction of the game in Magburaka beginning with the said school.
The final stop was in Makeni where the team visited the Benevolent Islamic Secondary School, Birch Memorial School, Saint Francis Secondary School, Saint Joseph Convent, and Saint Joseph Hearing Impaired. The team met with authorities at these schools, explained its vision for cricket expansion and pointed out the need to have the gameplay in their respective institutions.
In less than two years, the administration of Chairman Samura has brought cricket to the wants of people from different backgrounds and expectations.
Hiring Coach Masinga to develop the game and rigorously co-opting the business-minded CEO Sheku Alim Cawray are key pointers to his vision to grow the game.
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