Seekers Find Friends Through Cricket

Two cricket teams played for a cup in Melbourne on the weekend.

While not the ICC Cricket World Cup, the first Victorian Seeker Cup cricket match was held between the Monash Health Seekers (MHS) and the Asylum Seeker Alliance (ASA) on Saturday.

The match, played at Fawkner Park in South Yarra was an initiative formed by both teams.

Asylum Seeker Alliance coordinator, Douglas Burgos said both sides had previously met at a carnival, where they decided it would be a good idea to play against each other.

“The teams met at the Harmony in Cricket Asylum Seeker and Refugee Cricket Carnival held in Broadmeadows earlier this year and we thought it we be fitting that we wrapped up our cricket season with this game,” Burgos said.

“The ASA runs two sessions, one in Werribee and the other in Sunshine and the team selected players from both centres.

“The aim of our program is to give people from a refugee or asylum seeker background the opportunity to play cricket.

“The boys were really excited to play the game and continued to train once a week in preparation for the match.

“One of the areas we struggled with previously was commitment among the guys, so having things to look forward to such as a uniform, tickets to KFC T20 Big Bash League games or a match like this is definitely important to them.

“The guys don’t get to play competitively often so when the opportunity arose the boys jumped at it.”

The match itself was a thriller, going right down to the last ball.

Earlier in the day, MHS captain Abdul Razzaq won the toss and elected to bat on a picturesque Melbourne Saturday afternoon.

MHS compiled a competitive 5-112 off their allotted twenty overs.

Tight bowling and good fielding restricted ASA to 5-107, leaving six required off the final ball to win.

ASA could only manage one run however, leaving MHS as the winner of the inaugural Victorian Seekers Cup.

MHS coordinator, Rob Koch said regardless of the result there were other important aspects in holding the game.

“MHS are a refugee cricket program and we aim to be inclusive of the wider community through the game,” Koch said.

“We’re based in Dandenong and train once a week with the assistance of Cricket Victoria.

“The boys are very competitive and when the teams met earlier in the year, the thought was let’s get a game going, with a leather ball and all.

“The boys just love cricket.

“We’ve just finished our summer sessions and we’ll be moving indoors in some capacity.

“We’ve built up a good rapport among the group and to drop that would be a missed opportunity.

“Holding a match like this gives they players something to prepare for and a sense of purpose.

“We also discussed amongst our team that the last thing we wanted to do is treat the opposition as an enemy, we wanted to connect through a game like this,” Koch said.

Cricket Victoria Community Programs Coordinator Aaron Wharton commended the initiative of both teams in coming together to play the match.

“Cricket Victoria was very pleased when the teams approached us with the idea of holding the game,” Wharton said.

“To have social groups meet and organise a game on their own accord is fantastic.

“The game is also significant as it aligns with Harmony in Cricket, which is a Cricket Victoria philosophy that celebrates that cricket is a game for everyone.

“Additionally the fact that the match was played in the Twenty20 format is also important.

“It allows participants to have a game finished in around three hours, which for players is important as many still work on weekends and sometimes on match days too.

“Cricket Victoria facilitated the match, covering ground hire, umpires and equipment along with afternoon tea and refreshments which allowed teams to focus on the game itself.

“Playing at Fawkner Park also meant that the ground was central to both teams and meant that either team was not inconvenienced in travelling excessively to the game.

“Both programs have just finished their summer sessions and for the game to coincide with the ICC Cricket World Cup Final was a fitting end for both social programs.”

Wharton also noted that the match provided participants with a taste of competitive cricket, a step toward to formalised club cricket.

“Playing with and against players who have something in common allows players to form a common bond,” Wharton said.

“The short nature of these matches also means players aren’t required for two consecutive weekends or even a whole day to take part in a match.

“The option is there however to join a local club and already some participants have taken up this challenge and I hope many more do.”