Though the rain threatened at times, it was a mostly sunny day at the second annual Mini World Cup Cricket Tournament, which took place at the Railway Union Sports Club in Sandymount, south Dublin on 21 April.
Organised by Unitas Isac ¬– set up by the Indian diaspora in Dublin to promote integration through sports, arts and culture – and supported by Sport Against Racism Ireland (Sari), the event is designed to introduce cricket to the wider community with a focus on fun and entertainment for all the family.
The idea for the tournament was born at a previous charity event hosted by the diaspora’s Volcano Sports Club, explains Bharath Kumar Arekapudi of Unitas Isac: “India has a lot of passion about cricket, and we wanted to say, we are here almost 10 years now, let us start.”
The key was Ireland’s impressive performance at last year’s Cricket World Cup, particularly Kevin O’Brien’s “great shots”, says Arekapudi.
“All of this passion is growing over cricket, so we said this is the right moment to start promoting it… The format was really just to give a taste for people to come along and play cricket.”
This year’s tournament comprised 10 teams, with the top three – India, Ireland and England – going through to the grand final round robin.
After a closely fought final that resulted in a win by the narrowest of margins, India pipped Ireland by a solitary run to claim the trophy as Mini World Cup cricket champions for 2012.
Special awards were also presented to the tournament’s best batsman, Vikas Dhiman, and best bowler Mohsim Tarar.
Unitas Isac’s Rama Achanta, one of the event’s chief organisers, was delighted to see how the sport he loves can work to bring different communities together, and in doing so raise money for people in need.
“Sport goes beyond barriers, beyond culture and race,” he said. “Cricket plays a vital role in that kind of aspect. For example, take Swords [Cricket Club]: you’ve got players from Ireland, England, Bangladesh, Pakistan – probably 10 nationalities represent them, which shows the spirit of the game.”
Though the initiative is still very much in its early stages, it is already spreading its roots nationwide, says Arekapudi.
“We have four tournaments like this happening across the year in different communities, taking the same model and playing it in different parts of the country now so it is really great to see. Our aim of promoting cricket really [is headed] in the right direction.”
