January 12 saw the cricket season begin in Sierra Leone, and the pre-season work that had been done was finally put to the test .
The Kent youth team opened the season with a match against Regent Olympics youth cricket team in the SLCA/Mercury Youth Cricket League 2019. Kent youth team won the toss and decided to bat first. From their allotted 35 overs, Kent put up a challenging total on the board for Regent to chase, although they appeared to under par, being all out for 90 runs. The top scorer of the innings was Idrissa Bah, who scored 13 runs.
However, Kent were ruthless with the ball in hand, and quickly took control of the second innings of this opening encounter. A mention must be made of the opening spearhead of the bowling attack, George Sesay. Sesay took five wickets in six overs, while conceding only 13 runs, giving himself a fantastic economy rate of 2.76. Kent bowled out their opposition for 56 run, thus winning the match by 34 runs.
James Bundu, Club Secretary, Kent Cricket Club said "This was a fantastic result for the team as they have started on the correct note, from which they will be able to build the momentum further".
Unsurprisingly, Sesay also picked up the Man of the Match award for his terrific performance, and he looks like he could go on to be a crucial member of the team as the season progresses.
Isaac Lockett, Head of Junior Cricket, Kent Cricket Club said" I believe that this sets a strong message for the rest of the season, and I look forward to seeing how the team progress over the coming season. In my role as Head of Junior Cricket, I look forward to help nurture the young talent to develop the young cricketers of Sierra Leone".
Kent youth team will play their next fixture against Old Prince Waleans on Saturday, 20th January 2019 at the Prince of Wales School at 10am.
