Canada, Sep 9: Cricket is a sport that evokes enthusiasm, passion, flared tempers and intense celebrations. Some of the these emotions were experienced by the 12 teams that participated in the Mangalorean Friendship Series Initiative (MFSI)Cricket Tournament at the Earnscliffe Cricket Grounds, Brampton here recently.

The tournament, a brainchild of Wilson D’Souza (BMO) and Reynold Sequeira (Remax) was sponsored and organized by these two very intrepid businessmen.  It was co-sponsored by Rudy D’Souza of Bluelite Audio.

The tournament also had two Silver sponsors – Udupi Madras Café and Hercules Tires. Fr  Henry Alva travelled especially from Downtown Toronto to cheer and applaud the young and old cricket enthusiasts.

The 12 teams that participated in this event were: Mango Shakers, Mangalorean Association of Canada, BMO/Remax, Hercules 7, Bombay Dinchuk, Jadoo Entertainment, Bluelite Audio (Jr.), Bluelite Audio (Sr.), Mumbai Dinchuk, Anyone’s Seven, Cricmix 7 and Ligers.

It was heartening to watch young adults and teenagers play the game like professional cricketers and displayamazing sportsmanship. Not to be outdone, the older folks put on a tremendous show of agility, fearless batting and some great fielding.

The event commenced with a welcome address from Wilson D’Souza followed by announcements from Rodin Sequeira. The tournament was presided over by Ravi Carnelio and the assistant umpires were Ronald Fernandes, Charles D’Souza, Reginald Fernandes and Alan Sequeira. A Lifetime Achievement was awarded to Anita Fernandes for her outstanding contributions in the field of sports, especially cricket and tennis. The award was presented by Ronald Fernandes, the president of the Mangalorean Association of Canada.

The elimination matches were played with all teams putting on a valiant effort to proceed to the quarter finals, semi finals and of course, the much awaited finals. The final match was not only a battle of two goliath teams but one where sibling rivalry reached its pinnacle. Bombay Dinchuk captained by Whitney D’Cunha and Mumbai Dinchuk captained by Janice D’Cunha played the final game for the coveted MFSI trophy.

Another team bites the dust! A nail biting finish and the Bombay Dinchuk’s were the winners.
It was finally the time that all the players were anxiously anticipating – the award ceremony. A one minute silence was observed over the sad demise of Agnes Sequeira, dear mother of organizer and sponsor, Reynold Sequiera. The awards were won by the following: Best Lady player of the tournament – Janice D’Cunha; Most Sixes awards – Taha Ali; Best Batsman – Taha Ali; Best fielder – Mohammed Ali; Best bowler – Sohan Kabir.

The organizing committee comprising of Orlando Lewis, Cynthia Lewis, Deborah Lewis, Rodin Sequeira, Alan Sequeira and Viyona D’Souza did a fabulous job of ensuring that the event flowed efficiently and smoothly.

The organizing committee and the organizers appreciate the efforts of volunteers – Golden Tauro, Charles D’Souza, Janet D’Souza, Ronald Fernandes, Linda Sequeira, Ajith Noronha, Sandra Noronha, Reginald Fernandes, Vincent Lewis, Hubert Misquith, and Gerry D’Mello who worked tirelessly to assist the organizers to make sure the event was a grand success.