The Brian Bell Village World Cup Female Under 15 Series, supported by the New Zealand High Commission, had its first regional event in Milne Bay on Wednesday, April 6th.
Six teams representing England, West Indies, Australia, Pakistan, India and New Zealand competed.
The beautiful ground in Ahioma, with the sea to one side and the mountains on the other, came alive with laughter and cheering.
A modified format with eight players per side in a 6-over game allowed greater participation and enjoyment from those experienced at cricket to those playing for the first time.
The two best sides of the day were the West Indies and New Zealand, with the West Indies beating New Zealand to become the Milne Bay champions, or as game development manager, Margaret Sibona, put it: “The West Indies are the Queens of Cricket in Milne Bay”.
Local BSP School Kriket program regional coordinator, Simon Dewillie, made special mention of Lelehoa Primary School, thanking the teachers, students and the community for getting behind this series for the young women of Milne Bay.
Cricket PNG General Manager, Tony Naidu, made a special announcement at the prize giving, advising the West Indies team that they will be representing Milne Bay in a champions tournament at the conclusion of the regional female under 15 series.
“Cricket PNG, thanks to Brian Bell and the NZ High Commission, will be bringing each of the regional winning teams to Port Moresby to play at Amini Park,” he said.
“We want to showcase the talent in this country, and we want to show young women around PNG that there are many different opportunities in life for them.”