(no title)

Australia Day/ Indian Republic Day Harmony Cricket Match

Urban Seed’s Credo Cricket and Cricket Victoria partnered to do what they do best on Australia Day hosting a fun match between Victoria Police and Indian students who are friends of Urban Seed through our local connections with the Barkly Street Uniting Church Cricket Club and Footscray Baptist Church.

Having run a well publicised street cricket match with Police and Indian students in the city last year; in Footscray on Indian Independence Day (August 15) and at the Diwali Festival in September, the Jai Ho Festival at Myer Music Bowl (celebrating January 26 as both Australia and Indian Republic Day) proved the next perfect location to celebrate the connections that cricket can create.

Urban Seed’s Marcus Curnow said,

“Reports of street violence against Indians in Melbourne on Australia Day and reports coming from India that Australians may not be able play cricket in Mumbai are saddening and the responses of extremists. The Australia Day/ Inidan Republic Day match between Victoria Police and students is a statement that cricket should not be used to bowl hand grenades but can build partnerships that bring our nations together. No matter your background you are always welcome to play cricket in Melbourne and this is made a reality with Urban Seed running matches each week in Footscray and on city streets and through initiatives from Cricket Victoria and Harmony Australia, such as ticket giveaways and developing pathways to cricket umpiring as employment for Indian students.”

Given the profile he has had on the issue, particularly in India recently, it was fantastic to have the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Simon Overland participating in the match. The Spirit of the day was captured well in his partnership with Ravi Bhatia the CEO of Primus Telecom. Their running between the wickets was highly entertaining and went some way to demonstrating that the cultural differences between the countries could be overcome with good spirit, improved communication…and a bit of luck!

See various reports at Indian Local.com.au , Cricket Victoria, The West Australian and Urban Seed.

Later in the evening some Urban Seed Credo Cricketers had opportunity to keep talking cricket when they joined with locals in West Footscray at the busy Indian hub of Barkly Street Village for an Australian’s listening to Indian’s ‘Listening Post’ event organised by members of the Footscray Church of Christ.

Next Local ‘Listening Posts’

Tues 2nd Feb 8pm-10pm [meet outside Public Library on Barkly St West Footscray]

Sat 6th Feb 10am – 12pm [meet outside Subway store at end of Footscray tram line/opposite Footscray station]

Bring: some small folding chairs, Thermos and mugs, plus Indian/Australian colours and banners

Details: Greg Gow 0434 982 070 or Cara Munro 0420 418 16

photo-6 — Yewsie and Custard prepare for the match...feelin the Harmony!

Well batted Blizz…from the Credo Cricketers!

Congratulations to Aiden Blizzard for his fantastic quickfire innings which ended up being the man of the match winning performance in the Big Bash Twenty 20 cricket final for the Victorian Bushrangers against South Australia last week. With the internationals injured Blizz finally got selected and made the most of his opportunity batting down the order. Only the month before Blizz had been presenting the C Grade Trophy to the Credo Cricketers for their victory in the Reclink Australia’s Clem Briggs Jnr Memorial Competition… All the best for the future Blizz!

7pm Project TV Spot

The Credo Cricket mob had a great time with James Matheson from Channel 10’s 7pm Project having a hit of Laneway Cricket with PwC, Victorian Minister for Sport and Rec. Hon. James Merlino and Tony Dodemaide from Cricket Victoria who got it cracking. The footage is here with special comments from Father Bob McGuire!

http://is.gd/5ltwV

Merv meets Boony at Diwali Festival

Phil Yew, Merv Hughes & David Boon run the Diwali Cricket Match.

The Diwali Festival which is the Hindu/Indian Festival of Lights was held at the iconic Whitten Oval in Footscray this week. Urban Seed’s Credo Cricket got involved through local MP Marsha Thompson who was promoting the concept at the recent Harmony in Cricket Forum which discussed the current issue of social inclusion for Indian students.

At the event Victoria’s Acting Premier Rob Hulls said that “Victorians want to work very closely with the Indian community to make sure that … members of our multicultural community are welcomed,”.

“We are an open community; we’re a welcoming community; we’re a peaceful community; and we certainly encourage people from all over the world to come here to Victoria.”

“Diwali is one of India’s most significant festivals – it celebrates goodness and victory over evil and spiritual darkness,” he said.

“At Diwali celebrations over a billion hands across the world will light a billion candles and its certainly a light we’re proud to shine here in Victoria.”

Partnering with Cricket Victoria the cricket match starred David Boon and Merv Hughes (the David Boon being the Credo Cricket variety!) Boony umpired and Phil ‘Yewbeaut ‘ Yew commentated. This was a great opportunity to showcase cricket in the community in Footscray. Congrats to Boony who did an awesome job and had big Merv smiling by the end of it all. The highlight was the Bollywood dancers during the innings break.

Local Newspaper report and photos here.

Credo Cricket meets Cricket for Change in London

Cricket for Change’s ‘Street 20 World XI’ at the Honorable Artillery Ground, London

Credo Cricket’s Phil Yew talked with Urban Seed Director, Marcus Curnow about his recent cricket adventures:

So Marcus the last we heard you were playing cricket with ‘gangsters’ and Hollywood Execs in LA. What were the cricketing highlights from your UK travels?

Well the lowlight, without doubt, was having the Aussies lose the Ashes at the same moment I was arriving at Heathrow. Not great timing lads! The highlight was getting to play at the Honorable Artillery Ground.

Why?

It’s an amazing paddock near Finsbury Circus, smack bang in the middle of London and so surrounded by buildings that I couldn’t even get a mobile phone signal. It’s perhaps the oldest known venue for cricket, which apparently ceased for a time there in 1780 after a bout of match fixing…. Perhaps they sent the culprits over to Australia with the First Fleet because the MCC and the Lords ground took over from about then.

So how did someone of your cricketing ability get to play at such a distinguished venue?

Now, go easy…I was a guest of Cricket for Change, (C4C) and that was my real reason for being there and the real highlight. They are a fantastic, charity that has been running community cricket programs in the UK since they began as a response to the Brixton riots in 1981. They are a great mix of cricketing characters who have basically made it their mission to be at the forefront of each innovation in community cricket. They’ve run coaching apprenticeships, leagues, and participation programs with at risk youth, in schools and prisons and with multi-ethnic groups from disadvantaged neighbourhoods. They have in many ways pioneered much of women’s and disability cricket at grassroots and higher levels in the UK and now increasingly overseas.

Continue reading “Credo Cricket meets Cricket for Change in London”

Credo Cricket meets Compton Cricket Club

Custard and The Rev celebrate post game with Ted Hayes and the Compton Cricket Boys

A great moment for international ‘cricket you can believe in’ was held at the Village Green, Woodley, Los Angeles over the weekend where Credo Cricketer’s, The Rev and the traveling Custard, joined the Compton ‘Homies and Popz’ Cricket Team in a match against Beverly Hills/Hollywood Cricket Club.

Compton is a neighborhood in South Central LA with a reputation for gangs, violence and disadvantage. The Cricket Team was started when the teams patriarch and icon, Ted Hayes, an African American, Republican voting, Jewish, homelessness activist was introduced to cricket by British film producer Katy Haber. Ted resonated with the ‘Spirit of Cricket ‘which he saw as being significantly different to the showy, ‘Me first’ culture of American sport and its mean streets.

With the Hollywood connection it was the Beverly Hills team, made up of ex-pat Englishmen that first taught Ted and the boys how to play. Today however, it was time for the apprentices to become the masters. Compton bowled and fielded well, amongst the trees and undulations of the aptly named ‘Village Green’ to restrict Beverly Hills to 9/134 off 25 overs with America’s version of the Warne/Magill leg spin combination, Ted Hayes (3 for) and The Rev (2 for) proving a handfull.

In response, Compton born and bred, Ricardo starred with the bat with a 50 made up of orthodox forward defense and blistering baseball style swats which peppered the legside boundary. The Rev made 18 and Custard brought the team home with 28 not out. 4/135 with 5 overs to spare.

At the conclusion of the game Marcus Curnow, spoke about the story of Urban Seed’s Credo Cricket with disadvantaged people in Melbourne and the recent Laneway Cricket matches held in response to street violence against Indian students. He handed out Australian team training shirts, and, whilst being heckled by the defeated Beverly Hills Englishmen, recommended the ‘Homies’ wear the shirts for the remainder of the day as the Ashes would be lost by morning! Luckily Ted Hayes received a Victorian Bushrangers 20/20 shirt for whom the Compton ‘Homies and Popz’ will be ‘rootin’in the upcoming Champions league in recognition of Cricket Victoria’s ongoing support for ‘very believable cricket’.

ted and marx downunda

Compton Cricket Club are keen to get ‘Down Under’!

ted crouchin

Ted opened the bowling with a stars and stripes headband and scarf hanging out the back of his trousers, gangsta style. He starts his ‘run up’ crouched in a baseball pitchers stance and shouts out ‘What time is it”?

“Wicket Time!” the fielders respond, to which he cries, “Make it Happen!” and proceeds to deliver fast Anil Kumble like leggies off 3 steps.

He claps the batsmen in, and out and even when they hit boundaries off his bowling!

Ted and Brian wearing their Bushrangers and Credo Cricket shirts

Custard speaks at Harmony in Cricket Forum

http://www.urbanseed.org/News/MarcusCurnowspeaksatHarmonyForum.aspx

Smashing cultural boundaries through cricket

by Kate Allen

Once again, we are thrilled at what Credo Cricket has been able to inspire. In light of recent attacks on Indian students highlighted in the media, the Premier, Indian students, Victorian police as well as Bushrangers Damien Wright, John Hastings and Will Sheridan played in a six-a-side match recently at Birrarung Marr.

Urban Seed’s Executive Officer and Credo Cricket legend Marcus Curnow did the commentary for the game. “It was great to see so such a big turnout. Credo Cricket invites Indian students to a free hit of cricket each week out in the western suburbs which creates an important base for relationship and support in the midst of the real issues,” he said.