Kent Cricket celebrates Vaisakhi in Gravesend

Sunday 16th April 2023

Kent Cricket celebrates Vaisakhi in Gravesend

Kent Cricket teamed with with the ECB & Cohesion Plus, organisers of community Melas and Culturally Diverse Festivals around the county of Kent, to celebrate the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi in Gravesend town centre this past Saturday.

Thousands flocked to the west Kent town to participate in festivities which celebrate the creation of Khalsa, a community of initiated Sikhs who follow the principles laid down in April 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru. The celebrations attracted both followers of the faith and spectators alike to celebrate the coming together of Sikhism.

Representation from Kent Cricket, including CEO Simon Storey, young Kent seamer Jas Singh & the Kent Cricket Community Trust. Also in attendance was Sussex all-rounder, Ravi Bopara. All were witness to the Nagar Kirtan procession from the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend & around the town itself, before taking part in cricket activies alongside festival goers.

Speaking at the event, Kent Cricket CEO, Simon Storey, said: “What you see here is very much the start of something that is tremendously exciting for the game.

“We have to acknowledge that in the past, the game perhaps hasn’t been as open as it should have been. I think part of moving on and looking forward is to really grasp that and move forward toward.

“This is a terrific opportunity – the more inclusivity and diversity in the dressing room is better for the game. Ultimately, this is a journey that we’re on – it’s a tremendously exciting one and an opportunity for cricket both here in Kent and also more broadly.”

India international bowler Arshdeep Singh will be available to play for the county in five LV= Insurance County Championship matches between June & July, & will become the fourth Indian player to wear the White Horse competitively after Kanwar Shumshere Singh, current India Men’s Head Coach Rahul Dravid & 2022 overseas bowler, Navdeep Saini.