Vic juniors to aid Sri Lanka through cricket

The Northcote United Cricket Club will send an under-11 and under-15 to the Sri Lankan beach side town of Seenigama to play cricket and assist the local community.

Ravished by the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, the town, 109km south of Colombo, has had a decade of rebuilding through funding and volunteer work – headed by philanthropist Kushil Gunasekara.

Gunasekara started the Foundation of Goodness which has provided more than 30,000 locals with education, medical and sporting assistance.

The Australian juniors – some as young as seven – will be accompanied by parents and will play matches in Singapore before heading north to the island nation to play in one-day and T20 matches while also assisting with the ongoing clean up and re-build.

All-time leading Test wicket-taker Muthiah Muralidaran is part of the foundation’s board and has seen the good work that has taken place after the devastation.

“Our thing is all about empowering the people who need it, there are millions of people in Sri Lanka and they don’t have the facilities to come up, we want to educate and create jobs, give advice, help as much as we can,” Muralidaran said.

According to Muralidaran, Australia has been the biggest contributor to the cause through appearances, volunteering and financial aid.

“A lot of Australian companies donate, sports teams come to play as well and then they help the poor kids who want to get involved in cricket. Michael Clarke and the Australian team came when they were in Galle too.”

The trip was the idea of Cricket Australia High Performance Umpire David Talalla – a former Malaysia international representative – who wanted to assist the people of Sri Lanka after a visit to the country years before the natural disaster.

“When we went to Sri Lanka in 1999, my wife would relax while I would go and play beach cricket with the locals – five years later they were all dead,” Talalla said.

“It always stayed with me. Our kids have such privilege and when I suggested the idea parents were all over it. It’s a chance to play some cricket and learn the culture but also do some good.”

The tour will begin in late June after a fundraising night on May 23 supported by Cricket Australia, Cricket Victoria and the Carlton Football Club.

For more information visit familycrickettour.wordpress.com or unconditionalcompassion.org.