The cricket festival aims to engage with women and girls.
Leicestershire County Cricket Club (LCCC) will be hosting its inaugural Connecting Communities Cricket Match and Festival on September 6.
The event has been set up in collaboration with the High Sheriff of Leicestershire, the club’s former Chairman Mehmooda Duke MBE DL, who will be hosting the Community Awards.
Mehmooda Duke MBE DL, High Sherriff of Leicestershire, said: “This is an important collaboration between the community, LCCC and the LCCC Foundation, which is indicative of the club’s ongoing commitment to engage with the diverse communities of the city and county." The match and festival, which will be followed by the High Sheriff’s Community Awards to celebrate unsung community heroes, will also raise money for the LCCC Foundation. Sean Jarvis, LCCC CEO, said: "We are really looking forward to hosting the inaugural Connecting Communities match. It represents the perfect opportunity to unite our county's diverse communities, celebrate its unsung heroes and raise money for the LCCC Foundation."
The match
Two teams will comprise a diverse group of the community, including different faiths, ages, backgrounds, genders, as well as different organisations and professions.
The fixture, which is set to start at 4pm, will be played in the Hundred-ball format, with the teams to be announced shortly.
Community members including Krupa Bhatt, Kauser Patel, Uzair Makadam, Shirin Mansur, Simon Winfield, Romail Gulzar of Pukaar News, Byron Dixon OBE of Micro – Fresh, Rajesh Modha of Finance Lab, Mark and Diana Esho of Easy Internet and Access Rating and Commander Yakub Ismail are just some of the team members helping to make this event possible. Mehmooda said: “This game gives an incredible opportunity for members of the community to meet, get to know each other and play cricket on a LCCC wicket.”
The match will be spearheaded by Bishop Saju, Bishop of Loughborough, huge cricket enthusiast and Nirav Bhatt, expert in property management and captain of the Shree Sanatan Cricket Club 1st Team.
The festival
Opening at 3pm, the festival is to be run in partnership between the LCCC and the community.
It will provide cricket-related activities, entertainment, food, drinks and stalls reflecting the County’s diverse community.
Mehmooda said: “The festival aims to engage with women, girls, children and families who may never have visited the ground whilst a Hundred game is being played."
People can enquire about setting up a stall by calling Shirin Manur on 079449 36738 or Uzair Makadam on 079637 88723.
To find out about fundraising opportunities, call Simon Winfield on 078966 26862.
The High Sheriff’s awards
Leicester and Leicestershire would come to a standstill if it were not for the volunteers on the ground who freely give their time, energy and passion for nothing in return, to so many different areas of community life. Serving the community is a labour of love and so often goes unrecognised. The High Sheriff of Leicestershire invites you to help her find individuals who deserve recognition for their contribution to community life.
And those who embody the values of Mahatma Gandhi’s motto: "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
There are eight categories open for nomination:
1. Sport 2. Education 3. Health 4. Law and Order 5. Charity 6. Different Ability 7. Women and Girls 8. Children and Young People The awards reception will take place at the home of Leicestershire County Cricket Club (Uptonsteel County Ground) in the Charles Palmer Suite at 7.30pm on September 6 for the players of the community match, the winners, and the High Sheriff’s invited guests. Nominations can be made online and will be sent to the High Sheriff. Award sponsorship enquiries can be made by calling Krupa Bhatt on 07944 253 644 or Kauser Patel on 07903 213372, or by emailing awards@highsheriffleicestershire.com.
