Thames Titans Cricket Club Inaugurated in Whitechapel
Emdad Rahman
The Tara Tari restaurant hosted the newly formed Thames Titans Cricket Club, and with it, a newly formed badminton club set to host both local and national tournaments. Under the rallying ethos One Team, One Dream!, the dual sport initiative aims to unite people through grassroots participation and high performance pathways.
The event was hosted by Thahed Uzzaman. Tower Hamlets Councillor Abdul Wahid and Deputy Speaker Councillor Suluk Ahmed led a distinguished guest list that included Inner London Football League Chair Rashid Ali, former England star and the Tower Hamlets Mayor’s Sports Advisor Shuhel Malique, BCSA UK President Abdus Salam, and Shahidul Alam Ratan, CEO and President of Capital Kids Cricket. Each speaker highlighted the power of sport to foster community cohesion, personal aspiration, and social attainment.
ILFL chairman Rashid Ali BCAc noted the importance of community sport, “by intertwining cricket’s storied tradition with badminton’s fast paced dynamism, the Thames Titans are setting a fresh benchmark for community sport.”
Malique praised the Titans’ vision, noting that “introducing cricket and badminton together creates year round engagement opportunities for all ages.” Ratan emphasised collaboration, urging local clubs, schools, and businesses to support talent development: “When we work as one team, every dream becomes achievable.”
On the cricket front, the One Team, One Dream mantra will guide youth coaching programmes, weekend leagues, and trials. The badminton arm, meanwhile, has already secured venues for upcoming county and national qualifiers, with plans to host a Tower Hamlets Open.
The Titans’ committee noted the generosity of the team sponsors, which will underwrite equipment grants, venue hire, and general costs, ensuring financial barriers do not impede promising athletes.
Imran Imon from Thames Titans concluded, “I’m really proud to be a part of this great set up and as the Titans’ teams take to nets and courts this season, we can look forward to rivalries won on merit, friendships forged in competition, and the tangible uplift that comes when a region rallies behind its athletes.”
