Van-Etten Cricket Club defeated Larry Hill Cricket Club in the ceremonial Women’s T20 match, bringing the curtain down on a vibrant week-long Cricket Festival in Obuasi.

The festival, organized by the Obuasi Cricket Academy, is an annual initiative aimed at introducing the sport to young players across the Obuasi Municipality.

This year’s edition, held from Monday, June 23 to Saturday, June 28, featured seminars on coaching, umpiring, and the fundamentals of cricket.

Hundreds of students participated in the event, with cricket equipment also donated to several schools to help sustain interest and development.

Grace Adiabey, Secretary of the Obuasi Cricket Academy, expressed her excitement about how far the event has come.

“So far, so good. We’ve seen improvements. We did a lot from Monday till today,” she said.

“We’ve learned a lot — especially me, being a secretary. I also took part in the coaching and umpiring seminar. It was very good. Today, I even served as an umpire during the match. So far, so good — everything went on well, and it was great.”

Nii Yarboi Quaye, P.E. Coordinator of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, lauded the Academy’s efforts and emphasized the need for continuity.

“When we are able to keep the children from a young age like that, you realize that we have a bright future as far as cricket is concerned in Ghana and the world at large.” he noted

“And so doing, I think we have to keep on doing it. It shouldn’t be something that we do today and forget tomorrow. It should be continuous.”

Looking ahead, Founder of Festival, Rhyda Ofori Amanfo said she is optimistic about the future of the festival.

“Next year, we hope to make it bigger and better — involving more schools and increasing the number of days. We also want to create more competitive matches to test the skills students are learning. The goal is to make cricket a household sport in Obuasi.”

As the final ball was bowled and the cheers faded, the Obuasi Cricket Festival reaffirmed its growing impact — not just as a celebration of cricket, but as a platform nurturing the sport’s next generation in Ghana.

On the individual awards; Patricia Suglo was adjudged Most Valuable Player and Best Bowler. Felicia Serwaa as the Best Batter, Kate Awuah as the Best Fielder.