Samoa defeat Fiji in rain-affected first match

The Samoan Women's national team have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match Women's Challenge Series in Apia, Samoa, with the winner of the series progressing to the Pepsi ICC EAP Women's Cricket Trophy 2010 to be held in Sano, Japan in May 2010.

Samoan captain Perelini Mulitalo won the toss and elected to bat, with 25 overs assigned to each team after heavy and persistent rain delayed the start of play.

Former Samoa International Cricket Association General Manager, Tina Macumber, opened the batting and looked solid early on before being adjudged LBW for just one run. When Claudia Lilii and captain Perelini fell soon after, Samoa was in deep trouble.

Middle-order players Mandy Hodgson (38) and Regina Lilii (26 not out) batted patiently, putting away anything loose to help the hosts to a good score of 124, before being bowled out with two overs still to come.

Fiji started confidently against a fired-up Samoan attack, with South Australian representative Alicia Dean opening the batting with former New Zealand national team member Losalini Vuetibau.

While Dean began confidently, she was bowled by fast bowler Claudia Lilii with the score on 15, with much of the responsibility now placed on her opening partner to steady the innings.

Losalini batted superbly for much of the 25 overs, making an all important 57 runs and almost single-handedly taking Fiji to victory, before star bowlers Claudia Lilii and Tina Macumber grabbed several late wickets to post a seven-run victory for the home side.

Macumber ended with 2-14 from her five overs, while Lilii took a match-winning 4-13 in the same number of overs.