By Bockarie Allieu
Cricket Sierra Leone’s Acting General Manager, Chrispin E. George, led a three-member delegation last week on a mission to revive and promote cricket in the Eastern and Southern regions of the country. The tour began in Kenema, the capital of the Eastern Region, where they engaged with students and teachers at Kenema Government Secondary School.
During his address, Chrispin George announced their goal of establishing a cricket club in Kenema for the first time. He explained that the initiative includes training Physical Education teachers to serve as coaches and empowering cricket development officials for regional clubs. “Cricket has a history in Kenema, and this time, it’s here to stay,” he asserted. The enthusiasm among hundreds of junior secondary school students, who were trained by development officer Edward Marah, was evident as they expressed a growing love for the game.
From Kenema, the delegation travelled to Bo, where they conducted similar training sessions for students and PE teachers, encouraging them to form clubs for upcoming regional leagues. The next stop was Mokonde Njala, where they met with Joseph Katta and other lecturers at Njala University College. This location, which once hosted club league matches at its cricket oval, marked another revival of the sport akin to the efforts in Bo.
The tour concluded in Moyamba, where Kayanko had already begun training students from various schools, both male and female. Reflecting on the tour’s success, Chrispin George reported that they trained over 3,500 pupils. However, he acknowledged a pressing challenge: acquiring the necessary equipment to sustain the sport. He plans to discuss the outcomes of the tour with the board upon returning to Freetown to seek solutions for this issue. Given the high cost of cricket equipment, he mentioned the possibility of developing locally manufactured alternatives.
The team returned to Freetown on Friday, optimistic about the future of cricket in Sierra Leone.
