The Kares One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast ‘Cricket for Charity’ match, led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, raised over G$17.5 million at the National Stadium on Saturday evening.
The funds will be distributed to eleven orphanages, the Salvation Army, Dharm Shala Home of Benevolence for All Races, and two animal welfare groups in Guyana- Tails of Hope and Paws for a Cause.
The Private Sector Commission secured the funds through generous donations from various individuals and businesses.
In the charity match, President Ali’s ‘Roraima’ defeated ‘Kanuku, led by former national player Lennox Cush, just before the tournament’s grand finale between eventual champions Eccles All Stars and V-Net Vipers.
After the match, President Ali applauded the organisers for a fantastic tournament. He noted that it will get bigger, highlighting the importance of sport in unifying people to help each other.
The Head-of-State lauded the Private Sector Commission for raising the sum in less than 24 hours.
“We are truly One Guyana, one Guyanese,” he said.
On the day, several businesses pledged further donations based on how many runs or wickets the president took in the match.
MATCH SUMMARY: Team Roraima 125-4 from 12 overs (Shemroy Barrington 42, Dr. Irfaan Ali 21*, Joshua Wade 19; Ramnaresh Sarwan 3-8, Devendra Bishoo 1-13) beat Team Kanuku 119-8 from 12 overs (Christopher Barnwell 42, Sachin Singh 37, Sewanarine Chattergoon 14; Dr. Irfaan Ali 3-13, Imran Tahir 2-25) by six runs
