56
Muslim Views . June 2019
Overseas tour a boost for community cricket ALI AHMED SAYED
A FORTUITOUS reading of a Cape Town newspaper has led to a dream-come-true tour for a community-based cricket club. The youth team of the Fish Rite Hanover Park Cricket Club will be touring England and spending some time with its patron, star cricketer, Moeen Ali. The initiative was kick-started when John Barclay, of Arundel Castle Cricket Association, stumbled across an article in a local Cape Town newspaper about the junior cricketers’ dreams of playing cricket in England. Soon after, Western Province Cricket Association and Islamic Relief pledged their support and the young cricketers’ dreams were one step closer to fruition. After months of hard work, administration and fundraising (they still need more money) the tour was officially launched in the suites of the Western Province Cricket Association, at Newlands Cricket Stadium, where club chairperson Ashraf Allie announced that 14 of the Fish Rite Hanover Park Cricket Club youth players will depart for England on August 1, 2019. Speaking at the media briefing, Ashraf Allie touched on a few points that make Hanover Park’s tour unique. He spoke of the tough backgrounds that many of the young cricketers come from
Fundraising gala dinner
Dreaming big. Fish Rite Hanover Park Cricket Club youth team captain, Carl Damon (left), and vice-captain Sherwin Mei (right), along with their team mates will realise their dream of touring England thanks to assistance from humanitarian aid agency, Islamic Relief SA, and support from the Western Province Cricket Association. The announcement was made at a Photo ALI AHMED SAYED news conference at Newlands cricket stadium.
and how this overseas tour to play the sport they love is truly a boundary breaking experience which will expose them to a wider environment, giving the youth an opportunity to dream big outside of their immediate surroundings to which they are confined for most of the year. Nabeal Dien, the Cape Cobras CEO and veteran administrator of Western Province junior cricket, also spoke about the great impact
that cricket can have on community dynamics through the values that the game provides, where the youth can take those values from the cricket field, beyond the boundary, into Hanover Park. Antonio van der Rheede, councillor for Ward 47, which includes Hanover Park, also emphasised the greater social value of cricket, saying that it provides a second chance for many of the youth who, instead of getting involved in
Fish Rite Hanover Park Cricket Club’s plans for its youth team to tour England later this year received a welcome boost with sponsors and supporting organisations pledging their commitment. Making the announcement at the headquarters of the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) at Newlands Cricket Stadium, was Islamic Relief SA’s Shanaaz Ebrahim-Gire. Also present were (seated, from left): Antonio van der Rheede, Hanover Park ward councillor; Aziz Hartley, Fish Rite Hanover Park Cricket Club patron and Cape Argus editor; Robert Zive, CEO Fish Rite; Ashraf Allie, chairperson Fish Rite Hanover Park CC; Nabeal Dien, CEO WPCA; and Punit Balan, CEO Punit Balan Entertainment. Photo ALI AHMED SAYED
street gangs and violence, are given the opportunity to craft their cricket skills and develop meaningful social relations with their peers. Hanover Park Cricket Club’s passion for the game and community upliftment has also drawn the attention of international cricket star and England all-rounder, Moeen Ali, who considers himself a lifetime patron of the club. Ali has also committed to hosting the team in his home town, Birmingham, where they will play a local cricket club. Grade 9 learner, Carl Damon, captain of the Hanover Park youth team, expressed his gratitude to all the members of the club and broader community for their continued support. Humanitarian and development agency, Islamic Relief South Africa (Irsa), has thrown its weight behind the tour and has supported the organising committee with logistics and fundraising initiatives. ‘When we were approached by the cricket club to support their efforts, we did not hesitate,’ CEO Yusuf Mohamed explained, adding that sports is a ‘wonderfully empowering’ vehicle to shape the minds and the future of the youth. Islamic Relief UK office will be providing logistical support, while the local office has set up a crowdfunding page on its official website to raise funds towards what has been dubbed the #BreakingBoundaries Youth Cricket Tour to the
AN appeal has been made to corporates and businesses to support the #BreakingBoundaries fundraising gala dinner, set for Saturday, June 29, 2019, at the President’s Suite at PPC Newlands Cricket Grounds, in Cape Town. ‘We are hosting a five-course meal, black tie event, and are calling on members of the sports and business communities to generously support our tour by sponsoring R10 000 for a 10-seat table,’ Ashraf Allie, Fish Rite Hanover Park Cricket Club chairperson, said. ‘Our total cost is in excess of R400 000 and we are committed to covering all costs for the players and the support team that include coaching and management staff and parents who will accompany the tour group as chaperones.’ The #BreakingBoundaries Youth Cricket Tour to the UK 2019 has been endorsed by the Western Cape Cricket Association. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For information contact Ashraf Allie on 082 442 7920. To donate towards this cause, visit the crowdfunding page on the Islamic Relief South Africa website: www.islamic-relief.org.za. To sponsor a table at the #BreakingBoundaries fundraising gala dinner, contact Taskeen Barday on 079 545 8289 or call the Islamic Relief South Africa Cape Town office 021 696 0145. Alternatively, email Taskeen.Barday@islamicrelief.org.za. UK 2019. The team and support staff will depart on August 1, from Cape Town International Airport, and are asking for the support of the entire cricket-loving community in Cape Town. To keep up to date with the tour on social media, one can follow @HPCricketClub on Twitter. To donate towards the initiative, visit https://crowdfund.islamic-relief.org.za/
Muslim Hands SOUTH AFRICA
Last Ramadan, through your donations, we fed over 950,000 people in need. We held community iftars, distributed family food parcels and delivered staples such as rice and flour in over 40 countries to help families in dire need of food. This Ramadan we’re hoping to reach even more vulnerable people so why not share your iftar with hungry families and spread the blessings of the holy month?
muslimhands.org.za | 021 633 6413
