Cricketers from across the globe will converge on Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya for a three-day tournament to commemorate the life of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, and to raise awareness of the plight on this near-extinct species.
The tournament, the Last Male Standing Rhino Cup, will take place between June 15 and 17 and will see 18 teams play a total of 34 short-format matches on a ground surrounded by wildlife and shadowed by the snow-capped Mount Kenya, to support the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and rhino protection campaigns globally.
The tournament will see teams from Australia, South Africa, Mauritius and England participate, along with local Kenyan teams from around Nairobi and Laikipia. The Foundation for Youth Cricket & Education in Kenya (FYCEK), The Obuya Cricket Academy and The Primary Club of Australia are three high-profile charity-related teams participating in the event.
“There has been a dramatic escalation in rhino poaching in recent years, with over 7 000 rhinos killed in the last decade across Africa, and shockingly there are now only two northern white rhinos left on the planet,” says Rob Stevenson,Tournament Director and Founder of the Rhino Cup.
Stevenson says that the Last Male Standing Rhino Cup is all about drawing on the global love for the game of cricket to help combat poaching of the rhino and help raise much needed funds for Ol Pejeta’s conservation work.
The conservation event is also a showcase for the global reach of cricket and the wider benefits that sport can bring.
Director of Sporting Safaris Kenya, David Waters says: “Despite its fame for producing wonderful runners, Kenya is one of the world’s best kept secrets as far as a sporting tour destination is concerned.” He continues: “There is no better way to promote tourism and international cooperation than through sport.”
Ol Pejeta Conservancy CEO, Richard Vigne said he welcomed seeing cricketers from all corners of the world take over an area usually frequented by wildlife, for a weekend to shine a spotlight on the conservancy. “Ultimately, our aim is to reintroduce a viable population of northern white rhino back into the wild, which is where their true value will be realised, and the Rhino Cup is a great initiative to support this,” comments Vigne.
The event organisers are hoping to raise more than two million Kenyan Shillings (€16 833) from this year’s tournament to support Ol Pejeta and FYCEK, which helps transform the lives of thousands of disadvantaged young Africans through sport and education.
All money raised from the event, including player entry fees and public donations, will be shared between the two organisations.
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