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Press Release
06/07/2007
The Massachusetts State Cricket League (MSCL) and the local non-profit charity organization Next Generation Foundation (NGF) have announced the truly international first annual New England Cricket Cup to be held in Boston on June 30th and July 1st. This will arguably be the largest cricket tournament held in New England's history on a truly international scale with participant teams from a multitude of cricket playing communities in New England. We’re hoping for a big turnout, not only to introduce more people to a great sport, but to support a great cause.
The Teams for this season include Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, India, Leeward Islands, Pakistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Windward Islands, and Rest of the World (Australia, England, New Zealand etc.). According to MSCL president Adrian Jordan, cricket is way more exciting than people think, especially in the 20/20 format we’ll be playing. (Traditional cricket matches can last up to five days; a 20/20 game limits each side to 20 overs and lasts only 90 minutes.) Boston-area sports fans are in for a real treat, seeing classy players from all over the world, including India, Jamaica, Pakistan, Barbados, Trinidad, Australia and New Zealand. This will be the largest tournament the Mass Cricket League has hosted in its 101-year history.
In what can possibly be termed the greatest 'casting coup' in Boston's cricket history, the legendary Joel Garner has been roped in as the Ambassador and Spokesperson for New England Cricket Cup. The 7 foot tall Joel Garner, also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", was a prominent West Indian cricket player with an illustious track record, and a member of the highly regarded and highly invincible West Indies cricket sides during the late '70s and early '80s.
MSCL and NGF have also announced a dinner banquet at the chic and most happening Indian restaurant, Dakshin, in Framingham with Joel Garner to honor the legend and give fans the opportunity and privilege of dining with their hero (http://www.tastesofdakshin.com). Tickets for the dinner to be held starting 7PM on Friday, the 29th of June, are on sale for $50 at http://www.mscl.org or at http://www.nextgenfoundation.org.
The 2007 New England Cricket Cup will be held at Franklin Park in
Dorchester. Tickets are available onsite or soon at newenglandcricket.com.
The schedule for the 2007 tournament is as follows:
Saturday, June 2nd, 9am - 6pm
Sunday, July 1st, 9am - 6pm (the finals will be from 3pm - 6pm)
The tournament’s co-founder, the Next Generation Foundation, sponsors health and education projects in Southeast Asia. NGF provides several hundred poor and orphaned children in India with the uniforms and books necessary for them to attend school. According to NGF founder, Peo Nathan of Shrewsbury, Cricket is the most popular sport in much of the Commonwealth world, which happens to be where we focus most of our charitable efforts it’s a natural fit. All proceeds from the tournament will help fund educational programs for children, both here in Massachusetts and overseas. Poor children in India are kept from school because they can’t afford books and uniforms $100 is all it takes to sponsor a child for an entire year.
Asked whether he hoped the tournament would bring more players to the sport, MSCL president Adrian Jordan said, "Sure. Absolutely but cricket’s getting more popular on its own - there are over 50,000 cricket players in America today - so it doesn’t really need my help. The main reason we’re doing this is to have fun." Added NGF founder Peo Nathan, "And to support a great cause at the same time! Companies and individuals interested in becoming sponsors should contact us." In addition to watching the games, visitors will enjoy food and music from the various countries represented in the tournament. Educational programs will be held on both June 30th and July 1st to teach interested children how the game is played.
Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunties exist at various levels. Bring in a lot of visibility and goodwill to your company among a diverse crowd of people from cricket playing nations like Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, India, Leeward Islands, Pakistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Windward Islands, help support the game and cause a difference to chidren's lives at the same time. The tournament is being run as a fundraiser for children’s charities. Your tax-deductible sponsorship will allow the tournament to reach its full potential, as a source of family fun, as a vivid and living example of different races and ethnic groups getting along perfectly well, and as a source of revenue for needy kids.
Please contact us by emailing the above press contacts, or at our websites listed below to know more about the tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities.
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The Massachusetts State Cricket League has 18 member clubs and was founded in 1906. http://www.mscl.org.
The Next Generation Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization devoted to health, education and opportunities for the next generation. http://www.nextgenfoundation.org.
AS AMERICAN AS…CRICKET! Fun Facts about Cricket for the Independence Day Weekend• Cricket was a popular sport in the American colonies. • America’s first favorite past-time flourished even during the War of Independence – historians say American troops played cricket at Valley Forge! • George Washington was elected “chief†before Congress had decided what to call him.According to John Adams, “president†was a title best left to leaders of “fire brigadesand cricket clubs,†and not at all suitable for our nation’s glorious leader. Adams preferred grandiose titles such as "His Majesty the President" or "His High Mightiness" over the simple "President of the United States.†Who would have thought: cricket almost cost George Washington the presidency! • Many American leaders took an avid interest in cricket. Among the books Benjamin Franklin brought back from Europe in 1754 was an up-to-date copy of cricket rules. Cricket welcomes players from all races, and religious beliefs, so it should come as no surprise to cricket fans that Franklin was also president of the first abolition society in America. • In the late 1800s the Imperial Cricket Conference came into being, limiting its members to teams residing within the British Commonwealth. Little did our forefathers realize that declaring our independence resulted in our country's exclusion from the most important emerging international professional cricket organization. • At least three cricket players are among those honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame: George and Harry Wright became professional baseball players despite their legendaryskills as cricket players; ironically, also included in baseballs Hall of Fame is Henry Chadwick, a cricketer credited with writing the first Rules of Baseball! • Several colleges have cricket teams, including Boston University, UMass/Amherst, MIT, Stanford, and Rutgers. (Sources: Wikipedia.com, FunTrivia.com)
Press Release Contact Information:
Adrian Jordan: (617) 947-5279 president@mscl.org
Peo Nathan: (508) 415-0330 pnathan@nextgenfoundation.org
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