West Indies great Brian Lara address the gathering during the banquet.
By Dex Donaldson
The Lawrence Rowe Legendary Cricket Foundation (LRLCF) event this past weekend was superb on every level, having the likes of Courtney Walsh, Brian Lara, Rohan Kanhai, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner and many others being together in South Florida for the entire weekend was definitely epic.
The weekend started on Friday March 4th with a meet and greet affair with an intimate group at the Ft. Lauderdale, Marriott North Hotel with the Legends themselves, the sponsors, the media and close friends. We heard from our major sponsor Exit Realty whose representative was Mr. Greg Richards expressing how much of an honor it was for Exit Realty to align itself with the LRLCF and the ongoing Rowe program titled “Mission of the Heart” – giving back to cricket legends who aren’t doing well, and keeping the love of cricket alive in South Florida.
Courtney Walsh (left) collects the winning trophy from Lawrence Rowe.
We also heard from Ms. Kaye Chung who represented Caribbean Airlines as the Exclusive Airline for the legends weekend and Ms. Hazel Maragh from Grace/Western Union who once again did not disappoint with her humor, as she also expressed the importance for Grace/Western Union’s involvement in supporting such a worthy cause.
The Gala Dinner was excellent, with patrons describing it as being even better than last year, starting with Brian Lara as the keynote speaker and Desmond Haynes doing a rendition of one of international entertainer Beres Hammond’s classics in a duet with Solie Rowe, daughter of Lawrence Rowe, in rocking the house with confidence and bringing the audience to its feet.
Spirit of Excellence Events did not disappoint with their signature presentation, bringing back creative memories of all 18 Legends in their glory days. Also paying tribute to fallen legends in 2015, as the dinner guests observed a moment of silence in memory of fallen West Indies legends Richard “Danny Germs” Austin, Basil Williams and Stephen Camacho.
“The ambiance was immaculate, the food was great, the program was amazing and I truly enjoyed myself,” said Ms. Hall, who attended last year’s event as well, and in support of the LRLCF.
The West Indies Legends did not disappoint their fans at the game on Sunday, at the Central Broward Regional Park, effortlessly displaying their skills and experience dismissing the U.S. Cavaliers XI at 125 for 7 in 20 overs, and replying with 131 for 2 in 18.4 overs, Ramnaresh Sarwan scored 70 not out (5x6s, 4x4s) and Brian Lara 24 not out (5x4s).
County Commissioner Dale Holness (left) presents Brian Lara with the County Key.
County Commissioner Dale Holness presented the Key to the County to Mr. Brian Lara and a Proclamation from the County to Mr. Rohan Kanhai during the half time show. Entertainers Ambilike and Roger George thrilled the cricket fans on hand with their smooth voices as DJ Mikey Mike “Turned it up.”
Mrs. Audrey Rowe, President of the Foundation partnering with “Girl Power” Tania A., Stacy Rose and Producer Jeremiah Campbell from W.A.V.S. spearheaded the new addition to this year’s event “High Tea on the Green” designed to attract the ladies to come out and bring back the authenticity to the classic sport of cricket.
“Howzdat” cooler zone rocked the evening hosting the after party, with special guest Stephen “Kat” Coore from the Third World band hanging out with cricket Legends such as Lawrence Rowe and Courtney Walsh, in supporting the LRLCF cause.
“This was another winner for Lawrence Rowe and his Foundation” said Mr. Dex Donaldson of Spirit of Excellence Events, whose company was responsible for producing this year’s three-day event.
Mr. Lawrence Rowe said, “I would like to express a special thank you to Mr. Brian Lara, Mr. Courtney Walsh, Mr. Rohan Kanhai and all the other Legends who came to support by giving their time from their busy schedules. In addition I would like to thank all the sponsors for their contributions in making this year’s event a success.
I believed our patrons were pleased with their experience over the weekend as we provided two unique games starting with the American Cricket Federation NACCL Champions Massachusetts Patriots vs. a South Florida XI team. “It was very affordable for everyone on all levels and on behalf of Audrey and myself, I would like to thank all the patrons who came out this year in support of cricket and our foundation.”
Part of the crowd at the game.