Back-to-back national cricket champions of Belize, the Excellence Cricket Club of Double Head Cabbage Village in the Belize District, have received an invitation from the Cal-Bel Cricket Club of Los Angeles, California, USA, to play two cricket matches on September 1 and 2 at the Woodley Park Cricket Complex as part of the celebrations for the Independence of Belize and Labor Day in the United States. The Cal-Bel Cricket Club was founded in 1980 by Belizeans who formerly played cricket in Belize and is a member of the Southern California Cricket Association. Last year, they hosted the Belize National Cricket Team over the Labor Day weekend when they played three games. This year, they are inviting the recently crowned back-to-back national champions, Excellence.
Captain Kene Broaster along with team members Ian Broaster and Sylbert Martinez visited our sports desk yesterday to inform us of their fund raising efforts to cover the cost of airplane tickets for team members. They plan to fly out on August 29.
This Saturday, August 3, they will hold a BBQ and fund raising game (40 overs each) in Double Head Cabbage featuring Excellence vs Sunrise of Lords Bank. The game starts at 11:00 a.m. and there will be music as well as food and drinks on sale at the game, and a donations box for fans who wish to contribute directly to team’s fund raising efforts.
Beginning on Saturday, August 10, they also plan to host a 20/20 (20 overs each) quadrangular which will climax with the championship game on Saturday, August 17, followed by a victory party the same day.
A special release, “Excellence,” by Belizean artist in L.A., Dankey Man, will also be on sale as part of the fund raising efforts. According to the Excellence players, Dankey Man composed the “back-to-back champion” song before the final game of the competition, with instructions only to release the song if they had clinched the championship. The rest is history. Dankey Man has reportedly given Excellence permission to market the CD to help raise funds for their L.A. trip.
For more information, contact Kene Broaster at 633-8628 or Sylbert Martinez at 605-6749.