By Barrie Alpha
Sierra Leone based Kent Cricket Club has once again received a generous donation of equipment from the Australian Big Bash side Sydney Thunder. There is no doubt that the ongoing global pandemic created several challenges for the cricketing world.
Sydney Thunder has continued to help grow cricket in Sierra Leone, with the latest donation being received on the 3rd May 2021.
“We are incredibly grateful for the donation, which include bats, youth gloves, pads, helmets, bags, rubber balls, stumps and Sydney Thunder training gear. This donation is the fourth since January 2019, and the impact that these donations have had on our ability has been immeasurable in helping us achieve our goals of helping the game grow in Freetown.
When reflecting on the contribution, Jake Balnave, the community impact specialist of the Sydney Thunder, presented that sharing the passion of cricket is at the core of the franchise. Balnave explained that, as a franchise, the Thunder are always looking to support communities in need and are happy to continue supporting the process of finding a new home for cricket equipment in an overseas country.
Balnave further elaborated that “I’m happy to see the amazing work of Kent Cricket Club in improving opportunity for men, women, boys and girls in access to cricket.”
Upon receiving the donation, Kent Cricket Club, Emmanuel Pessima, thanked Sydney Thunder for their continued support and stressed their importance in Kent Cricket Club’s current mission. Through the generosity of Sydney Thunder, Kent Cricket Club have helped sport spread across Sierra Leone, with the club further spreading any donated resources to ensure that it has the most significant impact on society.
Kent Cricket Club would also like to thank Mikhail Kallon for his endless support and effort in arranging and collecting the items from Sydney Thunder and the shipment of the items.
Jonathan Leigh, who used to be a part of the Sydney Thunder for his hard work, and Madiba Project, incorporated for their generosity in helping us ship donations from Australia to Sierra Leone for free.