PNG Cricket

The team: Charles AMINI (92), Sese BAU (34), Kiplin DORIGA (45),Jack GARDNER (54),Riley HEKURE (52),Hiri HIRI (55), Sema KAMEA (5), John KARIKO (75), Alei NAO (8), Lega SIAKA -VICE CAPTAIN (6),Tony URA (4),Kabua VAGI (67),Assadollah VALA -CAPTAIN, Norman VANUA (2), Hila VARE (21), RESERVES: Chad SOPER,Jason KILA, Michael CHARLES.

HEAD COACH: Nathan Reardon,Team Manager/ Assistant Coach: John Ovia,Support 1 (Assistant Coach): Justin Sternes, Support 2 (Physiotherapist): Siyih Johang, Support 3 (Strength and Conditioning): Anthea Murray

PNG beat Vanuatu by 100 runs to 32 in the grand final in Suva Fiji, co-hosted by Cricket Fiji and the Australian Defence Force Sports.

The PNG Lewas arrived back in the country on Monday 20^th March, after taking out the inaugural Pacific Islands Cricket Challenge in Suva Fiji. It was clean sweep for PNG as the Men’s Academy team also did well to beat Vanuatu in the grand final.

The Lewas batted first and scored 132 run with a fall of 7 overs in 20 overs.

The Samoans beat Vanuatu by eight wickets yesterday morning to make it four straight wins in Port Vila, with captain Regina Lili'i top-scoring with 37 not out as they overhauled the hosts total of 58 with five overs to spare.

Lili'i has scored a tournament-best 149 runs and is yet to be dismissed in four games, while Lagi Telea snared 3 for 9 from four overs with the ball.

Defending champions Papua New Guinea also maintained their unbeaten start in thrashing Japan by 10 wickets in the afternoon.

Sakavai Gebai never dared to dream he could make a buck from cricket, but he always knew he could make a few cents.

Some of his earliest memories are of swinging a cut-off mango branch at a ball fashioned from scrunched-up newspaper and sticky tape.

The player who scored the most runs would win a coin.

"Most of the time, I would win the money because most of the time, I'd hit the mango tree," he says, cockily.

"If I hit the ball to a mango or a coconut tree and it got stuck, I would run till I had 100 runs."

A T20 tri-series featuring the PNG Barramundis, Hong Kong and Cricket PNG Academy XI, starts on Monday with each team to play each other twice, with the top two contesting the final on Sunday October 7.

PNG and Hong Kong will then go head to head in a three match one-day series from the 9-12th of October, with all games to be played at Amini Park.

Barramundis Head Coach Joe Dawes is excited for the series and said the team is looking to build on their unbeaten during last month's World T20 East Asia Pacific Qualifier.

Playing their third match against the Australian Indigenous Team in a week, the Hebou PNG Barramundis batted first at the Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane yesterday.

For the second straight match, the Barramundis were not able to bat out their full 50 overs, eventually being bowled out for 224 in only 46.4 overs.

The Barramundis started shakily, slumping to 4/44 when captain Assad Vala (5) was caught off the bowling of Samuel Doggett.

The Barramundis found themselves in trouble early on the innings when Qadeer Ahmed took the wickets of openers Tony Ura (11) and Vani Vagi Morea (11).

Wickets continued to fall in close succession and the Barramundis found themselves in dire straits at 7/110.

Wicket-keeper Jack Vare (38) and Chad Soper (38) top scored for the side who were all bowled out after 85.3 overs.

Ahmed (3/43) and Ahmed Raza (3/38) both shared the spoils with three wickets a piece.

Featuring some of the international ICC Legends, the event is part of the award winning program “Don’t Drink & Drive” Legends Big Bash.

It aims to address the issue of the rising cause of deaths in the country due to driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.

For the second time in the event’s history, Coalition For Change (CFC) will also be a supporting partner of this event.

CFC is a community-based advocacy group that is working towards achieving cultural change in PNG regarding violence against women and children.

Since returning from ODI matches in Darwin, Australia last month, the team took a three week break and resumed training yesterday as they gear up to play Kenya.

Baramundis captain Jack Vare said they will maintain the session through the seven weeks.

The series will be played at the home of the Barra’s, the Amini Park in Port Moresby.

“The boys have been away for quite a while since last year attending matches in Australia and training overseas and needed a timeout with families,” Vare said.

The Barras will take on Ireland in this Sunday’s International Cricket Council (ICC) Intercontinental Cup Round 3 match.

The Barras pulled off a historic win beating the Netherlands by 5 wickets in round of the Intercontinental Cup in June of last year.

Round 2 saw the Barras fall to Afghanistan by 201 runs in November.

“We don’t play enough cricket in the longer format (4 days) of the game compared to other countries which is why we struggle a bit.