International cricket stars to play at Birkby

SPORTING SPIRIT: Co-founder of Eshaki Foundation Tanzil Bukhari, with former England Rugby legend, team up to raise money for disabled youngsters

Eshaki Foundation Charity cricket match brings legends such as Saeed Ajmal, Amir Sohail and Derek Pringle together for a T20 game

A husband-and-wife team are ready-set-go after they secured cricket greats for a charity T20 match under a cricket-carnival atmosphere – all to raise crucial funds for disabled youngsters.

Former legends such as Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Amir Sohail, England’s Derek Pringle, Saj Mahmood and Kabir Ali, along with New Zealand’s Ian O’Brien will join forces to play a game at Birkby Rose HILL CC against an Eshaki XI on Sunday 30th July.

Prior to the main match, cricket fans will have the opportunity to attend a charity dinner with the international cricket stars at Lala’s restaurant in Huddersfield.

There will also be a unique opportunity to meet and dine with Pakistan’s most successful Captain, Misbah-Ul-Haq.

The charity cricket event which is free of charge to attend is being organised by trustees and founders of the Eshaki Foundation, Tabussum and Tanzil Bukhari.

Tabassum Bukhari says: “We are very excited and looking forward to hosting the day’s events.  

“As a charity we take pride in focusing our efforts on driving impact in the UK by engaging and supporting young people. We look forward to engaging with all sections of the community and hope this event is the start of a special relationship between us.

“At The Eshaki Foundation, we believe that all young people, when given the right support and opportunities, can and do make lasting contributions to their communities.

Key social and life skills fostered through the power of sport coupled with a joint commitment to achieve an education deliver the core values we promote.

“To help us to achieve this we focus on three main areas: Providing young people with support and development opportunities; encouraging young people with disabilities to effectively express themselves and creating a platform to drive social acceptance of young girls/women.”

Hosting this event with a galaxy of former international cricket stars will provide the Eshaki Foundation the platform to showcase the charity and raise much-needed funds to support its endeavours.

Tanzil Bukhari comments: “As a family-funded and run charity, we have been supporting many causes over the years. We feel the time is right to take both the charity and its goals to the next level.

“This event is the start of that journey for Eshaki Foundation and so we are extremely thankful to Birkby Rose Hill Cricket Club and all of our sponsors for their support.’

For further information on the Eshaki Foundation and the event please visit the website: http://www.eshakifoundation.com/

Tickets for the dinner at Lala’s are available on http://www.eshakifoundation.com/ site and start from £25

White Ribbon Week

AMBASSADORS: Ikram Butt and Qari Asim are both ambassadors of the White Ribbon campaign

Former rugby international reiterates commitment to ‘tackle’ violence against women

Sixteen days of activism are currently taking place across the UK as men stand up to violence against women as part of the national White Ribbon campaign.

Established more than ten years ago in Britain, the project has grown in size every year and is backed by high profile politicians, celebrities and sportspeople, wearing the charity’s badge.

This year, many members of the House of Commons wore the emblem on White Ribbon Day.

A number of ambassadors represent the initiative locally, from a range of backgrounds, including former England rugby international, Ikram Butt.

In his role as sports campaign manager, Ikram has successfully created a presence for White Ribbon in a number of sports and first began working with the group seven years ago.

SPORTS: Chelsea star, Eden Hazard, wears the White Ribbon badge alongside sports campaign manager, Ikram

He praised the public response to the 16 days of action this year through a number of awareness projects.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support from many of the organisations and agencies that we have been working with over the years and this year we have had a fantastic response,” he said.

“From a cross section of parliamentarians, local authorities, colleges, universities, voluntary and faith organisations and individuals they have all spoken out in support of the campaign.”

Ikram admitted that he knew little about the campaign when he first signed up to be an ambassador in 2008 yet quickly grew into his role.

Launching the sports project last year, it has already proven to be a successful way of interacting with men and boys in regards to the White Ribbon campaign.

He added: “Tackling the sporting arena seemed logical for White Ribbon as it would allow access to and the ability to influence the mind-set and attitudes of men and boys.

“In my experience as a former professional rugby league player, I have witnessed first- hand inexcusable behaviour that when I look back now, by being a bystander and not speaking out, I was just as guilty as the perpetrators.

“Unfortunately, there is still very much a dressing room culture within the sporting environment, whereby derogatory remarks or ‘banter’ goes unchecked. Without the presence of females, the boys and men are uninhibited and unashamed to discuss, or brag about their exploits and conquests.

“For this reason, working with men is crucial to encourage them to report violence and not be bystanders because domestic violence is one of the most chronically under-represented crimes.”

Local sports legends such as Garry Schofield have pledged their support to the campaign alongside internationally renowned names like Chelsea FC’s Eden Hazard.

White Ribbon Day coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and is followed by 16 days of activism against gender violence.

Men and boys in particular are encouraged to wear the white ribbon in support of the campaign.

Leeds set for 2015 World Cup

Fans will be able to plan their Rugby World Cup 2015 tournament in Leeds now as ticket prices and match times have been confirmed by England Rugby 2015 for all games.

As one of the host cities, Leeds is hosting two pool games as part of the tournament and prices for these games have been confirmed as starting as low as £15 for children’s tickets and £20 for adult tickets.

All tickets will be available through five phases next year. Travelling fan packages will go on sale in January 2014, then hospitality packages on sale in February 2014, May and June will see tickets distributed through rugby clubs and then in September the tickets will go on sale to the general public through ballot form.

VENUE: Elland Road will
play host to two internationals at the next Rugby World Cup

Any remaining tickets will be sold off on a first come first serve basis in November and December 2014.
In Leeds, kick-off times for both the Italy against Canada game on Saturday 26th September 2015 and Scotland against the USA game on Sunday 27th September at Elland Road have been confirmed as 2:30pm.

On the lead up to the tournament there will be a number of events happening across the city to get people involved in anything and everything to do with rugby, whether it is fan zones or cultural events.