Pari hold off Tubusereia in inaugural Hetura cricket fixture

By ROBINSON LEKA
PARI Bigfoot Tsunamis defeated host village Tubusereia No Fear Daromias in the mixed and senior men’s inaugural Hetura fixtures of the Childfund Cricket for Good initiative on Friday.
The initiative saw up to 40 youths from both villages undergo a nine-week training programme which involved cricket and life skills courses, and the friendlies at the Ikaiana Cricket Ground.
The 12-over mixed match saw an experienced Pari outfit contain the hosts who opted to bat first and were bowled for 66 runs, with youngsters Heisin Willie, Tina Ali and Kwalahu Nou taking wickets.
The visitors reached their target of 66 in seven overs with some impressive performances from Bosco Amos (24 not out) and Essie David (24 runs).
The men’s match saw another dominant performance from Pari who opened the batting with a massive four for 122.
Tom Raymond (33 from 24 balls) and Legu Govea (31 from 21) starred for Pari with Tubusereia recording just 89 runs from their 20 overs. Cricket coach and facilitator Lega Toina said the match was a pleasing end for the players who participated in the iniative as it had given them a whole new outlook towards life.
“We’ve been linking cricket with life skills, so that has been an interesting thing that they have been doing for the last nine weeks,” he said.
“The boys especially before this training programme were mostly shy and did not communicate well with their families.
“But after the initiative, they have come out of their shells and are participating in activities.
“They have responded well to the initiative. They are changing their attitudes in their respective communities.”