ESoft crowned inaugural winners of the Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s National Finals

Monday, 1 November 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Red Bull Campus Cricket has had a massive impact on the local cricketing scene and this year they decided to take things a step further by organising the Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s National Finals.

As a prelude to the big finale, exhibition games were scheduled from 27-29 October, with finals day scheduled for 30 Oct.

Though there was heavy rain in Colombo over the four days of competition, the organisers managed to squeeze in three of the four scheduled matches, which saw a host of new talent shine through.

In the first exhibition game, on 27 Oct., ESoft Metro Campus managed to scrape though with a two-wicket win against the very competitive Wadduwa Central Ladies. Wadduwa Central then came back to register a convincing 67-run win against the National Youth Corps on the 29 Oct. Unfortunately, the game between Wadduwa Central and Sky Academy, scheduled for 28 Oct., had to be abandoned due to inclement weather.

The final saw ESoft Metro Campus take on Sky Academy in a rain-shortened game on Saturday (30). After winning the toss and deciding to bowl first, Sky Academy struggled to restrict the ESoft batters. The star-studded ESoft line-up piled on the quick runs to post 103/7 in 14 overs.

The ladies from Sky Academy just could not get going, ending with just 42 runs for the loss of five wickets in their 14 overs. National cap Sathya Sandeepani was named Player of the Match for her 2/7 with the ball and 18 off 16 win the bat.

Winning the final by 61 runs, ESoft were crowned winners of the first ever Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s National Finals.

Red Bull Campus Cricket is a T20 tournament organised for university students, providing a platform for youngsters to pursue their sporting dreams while also not having to sacrifice their education.

Having been launched in 2012, the tournament has seen many players, some of whom went on to represent the national team, compete in the nine previous editions of the men’s tournament.

Red Bull athlete and Sri Lanka women’s cricket team captain Chamari Athapaththu has been a vocal advocate for the growth of women’s sport in the island. Her movement, #BigGirlsCan, which was addressing barriers faced by sportswomen, was an inspiration and Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s Edition is an amalgamation of what she initiated.

Red Bull hopes that the very first Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s National Finals will promote the sport further and bring much needed excitement and attention to the women’s game in Sri Lanka. The first stage in Red Bull’s plans to conduct a World Finals, the competition saw a host of new talent like Janadi Anali, Sathya Sandeepani, Lakmali Rajapaksa and Sansala Wanigasekara emerge.

This project is part of Red Bull’s long-standing commitment to providing a platform for young and aspiring female cricketing talent, thereby Red Bull is giving ‘Wiiings’ to aspiring professionals, who in the past have not had similar opportunities. The final day of action was telecast LIVE on Channel Eye and simulcast on ThePapare.com.

Brief scores

ESoft Metro Campus 103/7 (14) – Sathya Sandeepani 18 (16), Janadi Anali 15 (7), Lakmali Rajapaksa 5/7

Sky Academy 42/5 (14) – Sansala Wanigasekara 21 (38), Sathya Sandeepani 2/7, Nimasha Madushani 2/2