PNG Rokroks claim Under 15 title in Indonesia

Finals day cancelled following Friday's terrorist incidents

The PNG Rokroks have secured a commanding victory in the 2009 Pepsi ICC EAP U15 Cricket 8s Trophy held in Jakarta, Indonesia this week.

With Saturday's finals day of the event cancelled because of the terrorist attacks that took place in the city on Friday, the Rokroks were awarded the title after dominating the round-robin group stage.

The decision to call off Saturday's final day was taken after input consultation involving officials from the ICC's East Asia-Pacific (EAP) office, Cricket Indonesia and the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.

No-one involved in the tournament was caught up in the incidents on Friday morning. The visiting teams will be repatriated as soon as possible.

The Rokroks were hot favorites heading in to the tournament having won the trophy two years ago in Vanuatu, and did not disappoint with a near-flawless display for the entire tournament.

PNG completed their sixth win in a row with a dominant performance over host Indonesia at the Cibubur Ground today in the final round to claim the title, with star paceman Vagi again putting in an outstanding display to grab his fourth Player of the Match Award.

The PNG Rokroks, superbly coached by Seura Loa throughout the tournament, dominated from start to finish, displaying power and class throughout the batting order, while their bowling was led by the dominant Vagi and some handy spin options.

Commenting on the premature end to the tournament, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "We are extremely grateful for the efforts of the ICC's East Asia-Pacific staff, officials of Cricket Indonesia, the Indonesian Government, our Anti-Corruption and Security Unit and numerous other local, national and international agencies for all pulling together at this difficult time to help ensure the well-being of all those involved in this event.

"Our thoughts are with the families of those who are suffering as a result of the terrorist acts.

"Our regional office will continue to work with Cricket Indonesia to try and ensure the game of cricket in the country does not suffer as a result of what has happened."

ICC - EAP Development Manager Matthew Weisheit added: "We are proud of the way Cricket Indonesia officials have managed the dramatic events of the past few hours and the way they have taken responsible actions following advice from security experts.

"The events of Friday morning are sad and unfortunate but the safety of the players and officials is paramount and we have been in regular communication with the respective National Cricket Bodies to facilitate the safe return of players and officials."

2009 Pepsi ICC EAP U/15 Cricket 8s Trophy details:

When: 14th to 17th July 2009
Where: Jakarta, Indonesia
Teams: Papua New Guinea, Japan, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Indonesia.

For further tournament information please follow the link below:
http://www.icc-cricket.com/the-icc/icc_members/eap/index.php