The Youth Female Patriot National Team is expected to arrive home today from Uganda after participating in the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier.
The team departed Uganda on Sunday following their final match on Saturday against Mozambique at the Entebbe Cricket Oval in Uganda.
Five countries participated in the just concluded tournament: Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Cameroon.
On the final day of the tournament, Sierra Leone faced Mozambique in a battle for third place, while Kenya engaged Malawi in the match for the top position.
Before the final matches, Kenya was leading the table with six points from three matches, followed by Malawi with four points from three matches. Mozambique was in third position with four points from three matches, while Sierra Leone had two points from three matches in fourth position. Cameroon was at the bottom of the table with no points after losing all four matches played.
According to the tournament format, the top two countries will join other teams in Division One to compete in the Division One tournament scheduled to take place in Tanzania in late September 2026. The last team on the table will be relegated to Division Three.
Cricket analysts noted that Sierra Leone missed an opportunity to secure their first win earlier in the tournament when their bowling performance weakened in the middle overs of a match.
Despite failing to qualify for the Division One league, the Sierra Leone U-19 Women’s National Team has shown promising potential for future qualifiers.
A few individual players delivered impressive performances during the tournament. Theresa Tommy, who won the Player of the Match award against Cameroon with 18 runs and two wickets, was among the top five run scorers with 34 runs before the final match against Mozambique. Isha Kariatu Bangura had taken five wickets before the last match, while other players also performed well throughout the tournament.
During the final rest day of the competition, the Uganda Cricket Federation organized a CRIIO programme involving the players and invited school pupils. Three players initially started the CRIIO session, with other team members joining later after lunch at the Oval.
Back home, the players are expected to participate in the Bravery Women’s Premier League scheduled to take place next month at the Kingtom Cricket Oval.
