By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
Correctional Center Female Cricket Club were able to clinch the nail-biting win against Mid-West in an unforgettable grand finale played at the Prince of Wales Oval on Saturday.
The dugouts filled to the brim and first-time spectators shifting on edges to see the day, the seaside oval was all for the go.
As the sun peeked in the horizon, Mid-West won the toss and chose to field, a tact that proved costly when the Prison Officers posted 154 runs for five wickets in 20 overs, beginning with a sensational 15-run strike in the first over. The new balls were good balls.
Batting, prison officer Ramatu Turay received 8 balls and made 4 runs before being bowled out by Alice Fillie, but Emma Kamara stayed for 20 runs off 16 balls when Hassanstu Sawaneh clutched her out.
Not out, Fatu Pessima went for 40 off 42, picking two 4s at a strike rate of 95.24. To battle for the 154 runs, colleague Zainab joined the alliance for nine runs off 12 balls.
If not for 34 extras and middle order crisis, the Prison Officers would have set a historic target.
Done, the Western ladies came in for the chase with Fatu Conteh opening the strike. She batted for 66 runs receiving 65 balls, impressively smacking seven 4s with a 202.5 strike rate in 77 minutes. What a fight!
Colleague Fatmata Parkinson ducked as Hassantu Sawaneh came in for 20 off 33 but got run out by Celina Bull and Emma Kamara.
Jane Newland and Mary Kamara stayed to see Mid-West finish the second inning for 125, losing four wickets. They fought hard, but the target could not be chased, leaving the Prison Officers lifting the championship trophy for a 29-run win after conceding 24 extras.
Three prison officers, Fatu Pessima, Emma Kamara, and Celina Bull are respectively topping the Most Valuable Player log of the three-month-long women’s top-tier league.
Mid-West Fatu Conteh and Alice Fillie are 5th and 8th on that log.
Correctional Center finished the five-team league with 6 points.
This year’s 4th place holder Police won last year’s edition.
The energies, the hedging, the hopes, the incredible ambience, the wows, the organization and the leadership are all the ingredients that make the 2023 edition of the Women’s T20 top-tier league an unforgettable experience.
Cricket in Sierra Leone is rising to its booming stage.
SLCA Media Department
