SEMENYIH – The University of Nottingham Malaysia aims to turn its under-12 Pentangular Championship into an annual tournament with increased team participation in the years to come.
The inaugural edition of the tournament, held over the weekend (January 20 to 21), featured five teams that were invited to participate.
Speaking to Scoop, tournament adviser and associate professor in the Civil Engineering Department, Anurita Selvarajoo, said that the event was part of the university’s social responsibility programme, carried out with collaborative support from its cricket club and its “The Make a Difference” (MAD) fund.
“We believe that cricket is a growing sport among school students, and we found that many schools lack a proper pitch for practising the sport.
“We also wanted to create a community programme specifically tailored for kids. Hence, we tried this championship this year, focusing on under-12 kids from local schools active in the sport.
“For this year, we approached the teams based on invitations, and with consistent support from our stakeholders, we hope to extend the tournament with more team participation, making it an annual championship in the years to come,” said Anurita.
Anurita expressed satisfaction with the reception and support from parents for the initiative, which has motivated her team to elevate the tournament in the future.
“The reception of the championship has been excellent over the past couple of days, with parents and cricket enthusiasts coming to watch the games, making the championship much merrier.
“Despite our first time coming up with this initiative, we are really happy with the response, as it will encourage us to do better by looking into more potential sponsors for future events.
“Our corporate marketing team has done a great job in marketing this tournament and ensuring no players are left behind with their interesting concepts of player awards and souvenirs.
“The moment that gives us more joy is when we notice the kids enjoying the tournament on our pitch. This makes us happy, making us feel that we are doing a good job for the community,” she added.
Among the five teams that participated in the two-day tournament were Cricket in The Park, SK Beranang, SK Bandar Bukit Mahkota, SJKT Ladang Bukit Cheraka, and SK Puchong Jaya 2.
All participating teams in this friendly invitational tournament were presented with souvenirs and medals based on their ranks, along with specialised awards such as the Best Wicket Keeper Award, Best Bowler Award, Best Batter Award, Most Catches Award, and Best All-Rounder Award. – January 22, 2024