A celebrity cricket tournament involving a former Test player, four former first-class players and an ex-Guyana under-19 batsman will be the feature attraction on May 5 when the Diocese of Guyana Mothers’Union holds its Family Fun Day at the YMCA ground in Thomas Lands.
The six-over per-side competition will involve six teams, each led by a ‘Celebrity’ player and all proceeds from this Charity match and the Fair is in aid of the Work of the Mothers’ Union (MU) in Guyana.
The Mothers’ Union (MU) is an organization with 3.6 million members worldwide, all dedicated to promoting stable family life, empowering people through community projects, fellowship, policy and prayer.
The action starts at 10:00hrs and former West Indies off-spinner Clyde Butts, Mark Harper, Neil Barry, Roderick Lovell, Shawn Holder and Rayon Griffith (who replaces former Test pacer Reon King who is unavailable due to his GCC commitments to the WIPA 20/20 tournament in Trinidad), will hope to roll back the years with outstanding performances for their respective teams in the soft-ball competition.
They will also mingle with the fans and will be available for autographs and photographs.
Teams representing the Essequibo Coast, East Bank Demerara, Central George-town, Greater Georgetown, East Coast Demerara and West Coast Berbice will vie for the Diocesan Trophy, while a number of other prizes will be up for grabs including one for the ‘Most Entertaining Celebrity player’.
Tickets cost $100 and admission at the gate is $200 and according to Sheron Harper, the President of the Mothers’ Union and wife of former West Indies player and coach Roger Harper, a fun filled day for the entire family is anticipated.
“Apart from what should be very entertaining cricket matches featuring some of Guyana’s top former players, plenty of food and variety stalls, games, merry-go-round, trampolines, an afternoon tea fashion show and a raffle will also add to what should be a very festive day for the family,” Harper informed.
With music providing additional entertainment, the Mothers’ Union has solicited the services of Guyana ’s present top International cricket scorer to record the scores while broadcaster Troy Peters and International cricket commentator Sean Devers will provide commentary for spectators.
First-Class umpire Colin Alfred and Linden Matthews will officiate in the matches and like the players and commentators will provide their services and time free of charge as their contribution to the Mothers’Union Charity.
“There are 68 active facilities in Guyana and the biggest challenge here is to find funding to continue the parenting groups in the communities, which makes activities like these very important to the success of the Mothers’ Union programme.
“In an attempt to encourage families to spend quality time together as well to raise funds for the work of the Mothers’ Union in the communities, the usual Annual Fair was extended to a Family Fun Day this year,” Harper said.
“We recognized that cricket is the sport that has united the Caribbean for centuries and so we decided to encourage unity among the Mothers’ Union Regions by having our own cricket tournament, not only involving MU members but having the men and youths play alongside us to make it a real family affair,” Harper explained.
In addition to the professional cricketers, mothers will also have the opportunity to play alongside the men in the competition. In addition to the celebrity players, each team will consist of five Mothers’ Union members, two Brotherhood of St Andrews Members, two Youth Group members, a priest or lay minister and a reserve player.
“We realize that the well-being of the family cannot be separated from the welfare of the wider community and therefore we undertake ground breaking community work in 77 countries around the world.
“In Guyana, MU started in 1926, and today we have a membership of approximately 2,000 members spread over 86 MU Branches. Our work in the community helps families through development projects, empowering women and youths through education and life skills, by donations to those in desperate need, in social policy where the grassroots approach is valued and with a worldwide prayer network supporting all of our work,” Harper added.
“I am sure that with the breakdown in moral standards, poverty, and spin-offs of the many social issues that affect our society today, you can appreciate how valuable our work through the school feeding programmes, care of the elderly, counseling services, literacy development programmes, just to name a few, is in the communities.
“Our source of income to continue serving those less fortunate than ourselves and to be concerned with all that affects the stability of family life is through fund raising activities and donations,” Harper added.
