It was all smiles at the National Sports Centre’s North Field on Sunday when Devonshire Rec faced Warwick Workmen’s Club in the final of the inaugural T20 women’s cricket league.

Devonshire Rec triumphed by eight wickets in an exciting final watched by a decent crowd, with Peter Philpott’s side completing a notable double after also finishing top of the league.

Warwick posted 131 for three in their innings with Devonshire losing only two wickets on their way to victory with 14 balls to spare, and Kellie Smith, the Bermuda Cricket Board chair of development for youth, women and girls was pleased to see the season come to a thrilling conclusion.

“It’s a start and we’re looking to build on what we have and grow next year,’’ Smith said.

“We started the league with five teams but ended up with four as St George’s struggled to field teams, but to see the women playing is a big success.”

Precious Smith, the Devonshire Rec captain, led the way in her team’s run chase with an unbeaten 44 off 40 40 balls and she was thrilled to have won both competitions.

“It’s a great achievement and the team is very excited to have won both the league and knockout,’’ she said.

“We continued to focus on improving our game and supporting one another despite adversity.

“It was very refreshing getting back in the groove of playing cricket. Despite people having personal commitments and not really having as many training sessions as the coach would have liked, we still managed to stay positive, make the most out of the sessions we were able to have and dig deep in the matches to ensure we came out victorious.

“A strong foundation is essential for any sport to grow sustainably. The investment in infrastructure, training facilities, and grassroots development will nurture a pipeline of talent, ensuring a steady stream of skilled players who will carry the game forward with pride.

“Once we become intentional in developing women’s cricket and hopefully getting more ladies involved, we believe Bermuda could get back to competing on the international stage again.”

Warwick captain Chantal Oosthuizen has identified the aspects of the game that her team need to focus on next season.

“Our batting’s good but we just need to tidy up our fielding,’’ she said.

“We need to do proper bowling drills as there’s no point in doing something wrong a hundred times.

“This was actually the first time we got to play against Devonshire Rec as the first two were rained out so it’s a good start. We’ll be back next year, so they shouldn't get too comfortable with that cup.”

For Antoinette Rabain, at 66 the oldest player in the league, it was amazing to play organised cricket and she intends to continue playing as long as her health permits.

“The new league for the women is really great,’’ Rabain said. “I’m glad women are playing cricket and I played with a great team.

Warwick has a great bunch of women to play with. I enjoyed playing with them and if my health allows me to I’ll be back with the ladies next season.”

Alex Lymbery, a newcomer to the game of cricket found her love for the sport growing as the season went on.

“It was my first time playing cricket,’’ Lymbery said.

“I started as a social sport but I grew to enjoy the game. The passion grew as the league went on and my batting improved from the first game to being not out this game, so it’s a big improvement from when I started.”

Tawana Lee, a former softball player found it hard to adjust to the new sport at first.

“It was different for me,’’ Lee said.

“It was a little difficult to start because I came from playing a different sport, softball versus cricket, and that is completely different.

“Wearing the gear is different so it took me a lot to get used to it and I’m still getting used to it. Playing for the first time, contact was pretty simple for me. I’m looking forward to getting better next season now that I know what to do and learning some laws of the game.”