Simran Chand 
[Source: Cricket Fiji/ Facebook]
The Naitasiri Women’s Cricket team has come a long way from playing with plastic bats in their villages to competing with proper cricket equipment in Suva.
Coach and former Cricket Fiji rep Maca Vuruna Kaloudonu shared her team’s journey while speaking to FBC Sports during the Suva Cricket League at Albert Park yesterday.
Bringing a cricket team from the rural interiors of Naitasiri, where rugby often dominates, hasn’t been easy; but Kaloudonu’s persistence is paying off.
“I told these kids that I’ve tried different sports; netball, rugby, but cricket was different. It took me far, and I wanted to show them it could do the same for them.”
Kaloudonu recalled the team’s early days when the players first experienced wearing pads and using proper cricket bats.
“The first time they put on pads and lifted actual bats, they didn’t like it. They came up to me saying, ‘Madam, can we take this off and play?’ I told them, ‘No, you have to get used to it.This is the proper way.’ And eventually, they did.”
From humble beginnings to holding their own in city competitions, the Naitasiri Women’s Cricket team continues to prove that with the right guidance and belief, talent can thrive anywhere.
Naitasiri Women’s team mainly comprises Suva Women’s Cricket team players who are also the defending champions in the National League.
