Cicia Cricket Team Win

The Cicia cricket team returned to the Raster Cup competition with a team of younger players compared to the winless side which participated last year.

And on Day One, they proved themselves and secured their first win against Komo despite losing in the Association Cup challenge against Moce on Monday.

Coach Waisea Driso indicated he fielded in youths who would help develop the team and revive the game in Cicia.

The team consist of players from Mabula Village, none of them was selected from the Suva based- lot of players.

“There is only one village in Cicia which plays cricket and that’s our village, Mabula,” he said.

“We have four teams that participate in a weekly competition which is usually held on Wednesdays.

“Cricket was not played for a long time, these young men opted for rugby, but we revived cricket a few years ago.

“There are a few Under-19 players that I have fielded and this is their first national tournament,” he added.

“This is a new team that we have developed with a new set of players, they have forgotten rugby and are entirely concentrating on cricket.

Having financially struggled to fund the team’s welfare for the one-week competition, Driso is grateful for the support of the vanua and the Cicia community in Suva.

“They did not win any game in last year’s comp but got to a good start after beating Komo this year.

“After losing last year, I tried to change the way we play, especially for the younger players.

“We are happy to have the support of the vanua in trying to get these players across for tournaments.”

“As a coach, I would like to contribute to their knowledge and skills of the game. I advised them to play like they played back in the island.

“They are nervous especially for cricket when you bat and bowl individually.

Results:

Easter Championship: Lakeba won by 8 wickets over Oneata, CF Development won by 8 wickets over Namuka, Ono-i-Lau won by 3 wickets over defending champion Suva Warriors, Cicia won by 72 runs over Komo.

Association Cup challenge: Moce played against Cicia in their fifth defence yesterday. Moce won by 9 wickets.

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