Sierra Leone and Liberia have signed an agreement to coordinate the development of cricket in their countries and encourage their neighbours to take up the game, according to Development Officer of the Sierra Leone Cricket Association (SLCA) Emmanuel Pessima.
Under the agreement, “the SLCA shall provide coaching and other resource assistance to Liberia including umpiring and groundsmanship.”
Sierra Leone will also advise Liberia on how to produce cricket equipment and introduce the Liberian cricket team to other cricket-playing nations in Africa.
The memorandum also calls for the “convening of biennial and annual conferences on a rotational basis and the launch of cricket series to be hosted rotationally for the Mano River Union trophy.
Cricket was introduced to Sierra Leone by the British Artillery Forces based here in 1898, and the popular game has experienced resurgence since the end of a bloody civil war in 2002.
Sierra Leone has played in international tournaments with English-speaking countries in the sub-region as well as with Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and Tanzania.
Liberia, a country established by freed American slaves, is not a traditional cricketing nation; so too are the former French colonies Guinea and Ivory Coast.
