The Lakeba men’s cricket team from Lau walked away with $4000 after winning the Cricket Fiji National Men’s Championship at Albert Park, Suva yesterday.

Lakeba beat Sydney All Stars in the grand final by 159 runs as they were all out in 36 overs. All Stars were all out and managed 110 runs in 32 overs as they received $1000.

It was all celebration for the people of Lakeba that were at the ground to cheer them on in their traditional chants which boosted their performance.

Lakeba top scorer Cakacaka Veretaki with 40 runs believes team work and dedication enabled them to secure the win.

“Today’s win is the result of the hard work and commitment these players have done,” Veretaki said.

“This team is a mixture of the Lakeba men, those in Suva and those from the island. I just want to thank them for their gutsy performance.

“After the semi-final we knew that we are going to win this game. I just saw it on the players’ faces and we are thankful to the Lord for his provisions.”

All Stars captain Tasheed Tawheed commended Lakeba’s performance.

“Big congratulations to the Lakeba side, our boys have learnt a lot from this experience and we will return next year,” he said.

Sydney-based Imran Khan was the top scorer of the final with 47 runs while Lakeba’s Samuela Draunivudi took six wickets from 32 runs.

Edited by Leone Cabenatabua

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