Women's coach confident of Samoan success in EAP Trophy

Maia Lewis, Samoa Women's coach, is optimistic of her team's chances in the ICC EAP Senior Women's Trophy in Japan next week and believes her side can upset any team on its day.

The tournament will see three women's teams taking part in the 50-over contest - hosts Japan, Papua New Guinea and Samoa - with the first match to be played from 3 May 2010.

Each team will play one match against the other to determine table positions, with the first-placed team taking on the winner of the contest between the second the third-placed teams on 7 May.

·What preparations have you made for the event?

Since our players are spread out across Samoa, Australia and New Zealand, practice sessions and coaches have been set up in each region. We have some high-quality coaches such as Melanie Jones (ex-Australian Player) and Mark Borthwick (current Wellington Blaze women's coach). All players have been playing regular club cricket in their region as well. The whole team will assemble in Auckland for a two-day training camp before we head to Japan.

·What have been your most memorable performances in recent times?

We have only played one other country so far, since our recent emergence onto the international scene. We recently won a bi-lateral series 3-0 against Fiji to qualify for this tournament, which has to be our most memorable performance to date.

·How popular is women's cricket in Samoa?

Women's cricket is really growing in Samoa and last year when we started the initial selection process at the Teuila Festival, there were six women's teams competing in that tournament. Now there is a regular weekly club competition with four teams competing. The exposure for local players to now play for their country will aid in the development and interest of women's cricket in Samoa.

·Who is a player that we should look for to perform very well at this event?

Melinda Hodgson - she has been a regular member of the Wellington women's Blaze team for the past three seasons. She is a technically correct top-order batter who is lightning between the wickets and is one of New Zealand's most outstanding fielders. Even at the ripe age of 22, she brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm.

·Do you dream of playing in the ICC Women's World Cup?

To play in the World Cup would be an ultimate dream for the team but it is about taking one step at a time. Of course, being new to the international arena, the team is a bit of an unknown commodity, therefore expectations from other teams may not be very high, which can work in our favour. We are a bit of a dark horse team, which can hopefully create some upsets and history along the way. Our captain, Perelini Mulitalo, is living her dream with the emergence of the Samoa national women's cricket team.

·What are your team strengths and weaknesses?

We have a good mixture of youth and experience, with the players ranging from their teens through to their 40s. Our bowling attack has good variation and some real strike power, led by the aggressive Lily Mulivai. Most of the players have a good tactical understanding of the game, with a large number of them having played for or currently playing for their provinces at different levels. This tactical understanding is critical, especially in cricket, compared to other sports.

I suppose our weakness is our inexperience and that we haven't had a huge opportunity to train regularly as a team. However, this did not affect us when we played against Fiji, and I expect that when we assemble in Auckland again, we will gel again quickly.

For more tournament information, click here.