Cricket Festival to showcase ethnic cricketing talent

Cricket is thriving in Canterbury, with various tournaments providing players with the opportunity to hone their skills and be noticed. One such highly popular cricket tournament is the Ara Institute of Canterbury All Nations Festival which aims to connect players from different nations and offer ongoing playing opportunities.

Organised by Christchurch Metro Cricket, which was formed in 2012 following the merger of Canterbury Cricket Christchurch Club and Youth Cricket departments and Christchurch Suburban Cricket Association, the Ara Institute of Canterbury. The All Nations Festival will run for three Sundays at Hagley Park in Christchurch beginning on 27 November.

This season we will have 10 teams taking part representing many regions from within South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

It is the fourth season of the Ara Festival, but the Christchurch Multicultural Council ran the "World Sevens" for ten years for the cricket communities in Christchurch.

A total of 30 games will be played throughout the festival, beginning with round robin matches for the teams and ending with finals to determine the overall champions. Defending champions, The Cornered Tigers, will try to make it consecutive winning seasons.

Due to its unique ability to present players from different ethnicities competing passionately and bringing their best games, the festival enjoys a solid following

“Christchurch Metro Cricket are thrilled to deliver this event in conjunction with the Christchurch Multicultural Council and with support from the Christchurch City Council and Ara/Te Pukenga.  It allows us to maintain engagement with the growing South Asian population in Christchurch and help us understand their passion for cricket.  One of the main outcomes we have seen over the years is how the festival can connect participants to ongoing playing opportunities through our club system and we are delighted to help facilitate these opportunities with teams and players alike,” says Mike Harvey of Christchurch Metro Cricket.