NEPAL BUDDHA CRICKET ACADEMY
Lachhu Thapa from Nepal who runs the Hungry Buddha restaurant in Curtin, Canberra, first became interested in cricket in 2003 when he attended a test match in Sydney between Australia and Zimbabwe.
Nepal is a well known popular destination for tourists because of its spectacular mountains but interest in cricket has recently become popular locally. Nepal now has a national team which competed in the T20 world cup but the sport lacks governance and administration. There is inadequate funding and infrastructure to develop cricket at the grassroots level hence Lachhu decided to start an academy from the bottom up in order to provide financially underprivileged kids with the opportunity to participate and aspire to become great cricketers.
After chatting with his friend Ben, partner at Hungry Buddha, Lachhu opened a website called roadtolords.com with the aim of fundraising in order to one day to see a team from Nepal play cricket at Lords. He found it hard for people in Nepal to make a connection with the name Lords so he changed the name to the Buddha Cricket Academy.
Land at Pokara, Lachhu’s home town has been leased as there was insufficient capital to purchase the land. Lachhu’s brother Shiva Thapa will supervise the operation of the Academy.
Fundraising dinners are held at the Hungry Buddha restaurant and a portion of the meal proceeds are directed to the Academy.
Support for the Academy has been forthcoming with signed cricket bats donated for auction by Cricket ACT and Cricket NSW. Brian Freedman from Bankstown has provided the Academy with second hand cricket gear. It is waiting to be freighted to Nepal but the cost of freight is an issue.
Lachhu is hoping his dream of establishing an academy can be realised so that Nepalese children can experience the joys of playing cricket.
If people wish to learn more about or are interested in helping the Buddha Cricket Academy go to www.buddhacricketacademy.com
or via email contact lachhuthapa@gmail.com ph 0422657897
One idea I had was to perhaps start a collection of second hand cricket books to help establish a library at the Academy. Ifyou have cricket books you would like to donate please drop them off to John Harms j.t.h@footyalmanac.com.au or contact Pamela Sherpa footypamela@hotmail.com
Pamela Sherpa
About Pamela Sherpa
- Web |
- More Posts
Leave a Comment