Cricket, not just for Men as rural Women excel at this popular Sport

The Rural women from Seenigama and the adjoining villagers once again proved their mettle for the second year running by performing brilliantly in the just concluded Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Division 2 Cricket Tournament held during August/September’ 2010.

Drawn into Group A along with Nittambuwa Ladies, Colts Ladies, Kandy Ladies and Matale Ladies, the Seenigama Ladies easily won the group by beating all these teams quite comprehensively. Out of the 4 games 3 games were played at the beautiful venue Seenigama Surrey Oval gifted by the Surrey County Cricket Club of UK to the Foundation of Goodness and the game against Kandy Ladies was played in Kandy.

After winning the Group, the next hurdle was the semi final against Wellawaya Ladies which was played in Colombo.  Needless to say that the Seenigama Ladies won handsomely and booked a berth in the Final matching their feat of 2009.
The Opponents in the final was the Sri Lanka Air Force Ladies who had in their ranks 09 Sri Lankan National players who had been recruited just prior to the commencement of the tournament.

Due to the known strength of the opposition, the Seenigama Ladies were somewhat on the back foot even before a ball was bowled in the final and succumbed to the relentless pressure exerted by their more experienced opponents and lost the match by 06 wickets.

Although losing out on becoming Champs, the FoG Ladies walked out of the playing field with their heads held aloft for performing magnificently throughout the tournament and came in for high praise from all quarters. Not deterred by the turn of events, the young ladies from Seenigama were quite happy and encouraged to have made it thus far, and are grateful for competitive exposure gained.

The Sri Lankan National Ladies selection committee was so satisfied with the talent shown by these rural village girls, they immediately included 5 players into the Development squad and 2 players into the National pool to undergo intensive training under the National Ladies Coach.

The FoG team and some members who performed well during the tournament will receive awards at the “CEAT CRICKET AWARDS” on Monday 04 October’ 2010.

These achievements without a doubt prove that talent lies everywhere in the rural villages. It just has to be taken out of the shell hidden within oneself, developed and nurtured to be beneficial to all. It is the unquestionable duty of us to ensure that these women receive the encouragement and support they deserve to uplift themselves. They have now shown the rest of the world what they’re capable of by excelling in cricket, a man’s game for centuries; slowly but surely being caught up by the women.

Kushil said; “Sport is a great force for good in our community.  Nothing teaches equality and opportunity, leadership and teamwork like sport does.  It has been a vital tool for us to overcome the trauma and community fragmentation left in the wake of the tsunami, bridging the gap between urban and rural sectors.”
-  Sarah Kellapatha

“Winners don’t do different things, they do things differently”

2010.10.04