Cricket With Heart T20 to aid in flood relief

THE QUEEN’S Park Oval in St Clair will be the venue for a charity T20 cricket match, entitled “Cricket With Heart”. The game, which will provide funds for victims affected from nationwide floods on October 19, will take place on November 17 from 6.30 pm.

Organising committee member Colin Murray, during a media conference yesterday, at the President’s Box, Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair, revealed that the match will be a North versus South Classic.

People will have to spend $100 to attend the game, but children under the age of 12 will be allowed free. Murray said, “If you are coming with a child and you want to give (any cash donation), that’s fair enough.”

Douglas Camacho, chairman of the Sports Company of TT (SPORTT) and chairman of the organising committee, announced that contributions will be presented among three sectors – affected schools (25 per cent), institutions, organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (25 per cent) and people directly affected by the floods (50 per cent).

“To ensure that this thing has complete transparency and is totally accountable, the funds will be made available through United Way,” said Camacho.

This is the second time, in as many years, that the Oval will be hosting a T20 game, to help people who suffered damage from natural disasters.

On October 14, 2017, the TT Red Force played the Caribbean XI in a match, titled “Rebuilding the Caribbean One Over At A Time”, to assist Dominica and neighbouring islands ravaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Murray said $886,000 was raised at last year’s game, and he hopes that sum is either matched or bettered this year.

Ex-West Indies all-rounder and Trinbago Knight Riders captain Dwayne Bravo also offered his support to the Cricket With Heart event.

“It’s sad that most times we come together as a nation to really unify people is when something bad happens,” he noted. “There is always a good.”

Bravo will miss the game due to prior commitments in South Africa.

However, he pointed out, “it’s going to be a very good game, very competitive. Both North and South don’t like losing to each other.”

Bravo said the TT Red Force donated their match fee of US$10,000, from an abandoned Regional Super50 game against Canada, toward victims of the October 19 floods.

Camacho admitted that SPORTT “may not have the financial wherewithal to do this in the way that we would like.”

But he acknowledged, “We have committed to ensure that we provide the committee with a full secretariat and all the administrative work that is required over the next two weeks, to get us to where we need to be.”

Other members of the committee are Colin Borde, Sukesh Maniram, Therese Pascall, Kairon Serrette, Baldath Mahabir, Dr Nigel Camacho and Deryck Murray.

Also speaking at the media conference were ex-West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president and current president of the Queen’s Park Cricket Club Ken Gordon, as well as TT Cricket Board (TTCB) head Azim Bassarath, who called on the public to contribute to the project.

Tickets are expected to go on sale on Monday, at various National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) outlets. The Past Cricketers Society of TT, through its member Lester Cassimy, made the first donation towards the cause, courtesy a $2,000 cheque.

Persons who are willing to either sponsor or offer any form of assistance to this year’s venture can call 225-4886 or 790-4051.

In related news, a First Citizens account 2441289, for the 2017 venture, is still active and people can donate to the Cricket With Heart cause.