To celebrate the 74th birthday of His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, Melbourne saw its 6th Burhani Cricket Tournament on the 25th of February 2018, hosted by the Youth Club and Sports Committee of the Melbourne Dawoodi Bohra Community, for all of its community members and the like. The spirit of cricket was seen in all its entirety as 4 teams participated fiercely against one another. The teams were represented by their hometowns and origins, namely Pakistan, India as stand-alone teams, as well as two collaborative teams, Middle East/Africa and Sri Lanka/ Australia. The teams consisted of players of all ages and cricketing proficiencies; this inclusivity was what gave way to lively energy and good spirited fun at the event.
Apart from the exciting cricket matches itself, the event involved several other activities, accomplishing a true Family Fun Day. Food Stalls were present, which served a large variety of delectable Indian and Pakistani street food and desserts made by the community members themselves, along with a selection of Carnival Games which were set up for children of all ages, such as Toss The Ring, Obstacle Game, For The Love of Chocolate, Face Painting and Smash The Cans. The venue of the Tournament, Bulleen Park, was a great choice for the event; an open-air recreation site, with plenty of walking trails, playgrounds and outdoorsy facilities, providing large amounts of space and activities for attendees to experience.
The Tournament took place over an entire Sunday, with around 180 community members that attended and participated. This event aimed to bring our community and its participants together by encouraging a sporty atmosphere of inclusivity through the love of one common element: cricket, regardless of nationalities or home countries. An overwhelming amount of participation was present, as all our members were involved in some way or the other – from the organisation of the event, to the intricacies of the matches itself, as well as photography and other complementing activities on the Family Fun Day.
