On Thursday, August 6, 2015 the Mahinur Jahid Memorial Foundation (MJMF) has sponsored and organized a cricket match to celebrate the team sport. The event took place in Giovanni Caboto Park in Edmonton, Alberta, where 2 teams gave each other a suspense-packed fight for the Champions Cup. The players for the two teams represented each an organization, the team of BPCA (Bangladesh PressClub Centre of Alberta), and the team of MJMF (Mahinur Jahid Memorial Foundation).
The sports event is inspired by the memory of Mahinur Jahid, who was actively playing in Winnipeg's cricket team »The Bengal Tigers« in life. Mahinur Jahid died in a car accident in January 2012 in the city of Lloydminster of Alberta at the age of 27.
Cricket match at Giovanni Caboto Park in Edmonton
The match was held at Giovanni Caboto Park in the heart of the city at the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, which offers a soccer field and a kids playground with water fountain, and also takes part in the city's Green Shack Playground Program offering recreational activities to youth.
This year's participating teams were of nearly equal strength, which resulted in a long event beginning at noon and stretching well into the evening. Many visiting families brought along their children and enjoyed the event and sportive atmosphere.
Winning Team BPCA receiving the trophy for the championship title
During the end of the game Team BPCA was able to take home the championship title with an overall score of 140 in 16 overs. Runner's up Team MJMF followed with 116 in 15 overs.
The long path to the trophy
Eminent journalist and chief adviser of the Mahinur Jahid Memorial Foundation Delwar Jahid inaugurated the cricket match, and welcomed the guests of honour attending the event, which was a highlight of the day. The visitors were Bangladeshi national cricketer Faruque Ahmed, past cricketer and commentator Athar Ali Khan, and the Bangladeschi rock fusion band MILES together with Syed Halim Shah and Imran Kabir from SHS Production. The guests of honour were invited to Canada by Edmonton based SHS Production, a supporter of Canada's multicultural community, who organized the Canada Tour for MILES with concerts in Manitoba, Toronto and Edmonton.
Guests of Honour: Faruque Ahmed (left), MILES and organizers of the Canada Tour (middle), Athar Ali Khan (right)
Faruque Ahmed, born in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1966 (Dacca, Pakistan at the time), played cricket internationally from 1988 to 1999, and was Team Captain of the Bangladesh National Team in the 1993/1994 season. Athar Ali Khan, also born 1962 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is the national selector of Bangladesh's cricket team and a well known cricket commentator. He was playing cricket on international level from 1988-1997, and is head coach of the Bangladesh Premier League franchise cricket team Duronto Rajshahi. Rock Fusion Band MILES from Dhaka, Bangladesh, is around and musically active since 1979, having recorded multiple albums and notable songs. Members of the band today are Hamin Ahmed (vocal and guitar), Shafin Ahmed (vocal and bass), Manam Ahmed (keyboards and vocal), Syed Ziaur Rahman Turjo (drums and percussion) and Iqbal Asif Jewel (guitar and vocal).
Delwar Jahid handing out the trophies for the Runners Up, the Man of the Match, and the Champions
At the end of the match the attending cricket players were honoured with trophies for their achievement. A man of the match was selected in overall consideration, and received a third trophy. Man of the Match was Raquibul Hasan Adnan, who stood out with great team spirit and passion for the sports. The runners-up of the match, Team MJMF, were represented by Ahsan Ullah, Tanvir Hasan, Saifuddin Khaled, Syfur Hasan, Abrul Mannan Shan, Khairul Robin Ahad, Roney, Nigar Khan, Sabree, and Anamur Rahman. The winning Team BPCA consisted of players Khademul Islam, M Yasin Rajib, Adnan Kamal, Shusen Das, Raquibul Hasan Adnan, M Hasanuzzaman, Rayhan Ansari, Masod Bhuiyan, Rashedul Chowdhury and Kausar Khondokar.
As the organizer and sponsor of the event, the Mahinur Jahid Memorial Foundation (MJMF) is looking forward to more sportive and recreational outdoor events and activities. For those interested feel free to catch a few impressions at our Events in Pictures section.
