AID Cricket Cup 2008Author : Vasanth
AID Cricket Cup 2008
The inaugural AID cricket cup concluded on Sunday, September 28th at Daley Park in Tempe. Spanning four days over two weekends, the tournament brought together the most accomplished cricket players across the Phoenix valley in an exciting, six-a-side, six overs each format. The tournament featured 24 teams, slotted into eight groups of three each. Following a round-robin cycle for each group on the first three days, the tournament entered the knock-off stage on the final day with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. Daredevils emerged the winner, led by a sterling knock by Rajan Kale, who was adjudged the man of the match in the final. The award for most sixes during this novel Six6 tournament went to Niranjan Dravid from Indian Masterblasters, and Dennis was adjudged best bowler. Tariq was awarded the trophy for best batsman. The Super Six offered good resistance to the eventual champions in the final, scoring 40 in their allotted overs.
Winners of AID Cricket Cup 2008-Daredevils 
Earlier, the tournament was off to a dashing start on a festive Saturday night. The atmosphere was enhanced due to the ASU Sun Devils taking on the visiting Georgia Bulldogs at the Sun Devil stadium nearby, and the players and spectators at the cricket were occasionally enthralled by the fireworks from the stadium. The teams, whose names ranged from the comical (WhySoSerious) to the downright aggressive (Annachis from TN) squared off in gripping contests, cheered on by their friends, families and AID volunteers.
The AID Cricket Cup, billed as Cricket for a Cause, was organized to support the EQuIP (Eureka Quality Improvement Program) project being supported by the Tempe chapter of AID (http://tempe.aidindia.org/eureka) partially. The aim of launching the tournament and collecting funds was to utilize a 3:1 matching donation from Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) in support of the EQuIP program. Under the auspices of this matching, CIFF will donate $3 for every $1 raised by AID, upto a maximum of $800,000, towards supporting the Eureka Child program. EQuIP has been instrumental in improving the quality of education in Tamil Nadu state of India, and has been recognized with numerous awards and extensive press coverage in the USA and around the world (http://www.eurekachild.org/awards.php).
Following the overwhelming turnout and support at the cricket tournament, as well as feedback from participants and the audience, AID Tempe is considering an expansion of the cricket tournament from the current 24 teams, as well as an extended edition over the Spring semester.
For more information on AID Tempe, the cricket tournament, or the EQuIP program, please visit http://tempe.aidindia.org .