National Champion of 2017 MoneyGram Cricket Bee Announced

Rahul Walia, Founder of MoneyGram Cricket Bee, Jay Kim, Managing Director of Aaaza, HR Shah, CEO of TV Asia, Aplesh Gohil, National Champion, Senthilkumar Sethuraman, National 1st Runner Up, Johnny Rosario, Head of Account Management of MoneyGram and Lael Daniel, Corridor Development Manager of MoneyGram

METUCHEN, NJ (TIP): In a nail biting and dramatic run up to the Finale of the MoneyGram Cricket Bee, Schaumburg’s Alpesh Gohil correctly answered “Michael Holding” in response to the question “who infamously kicked over the stumps during a test match against New Zealand in 1980”, to become the 2017 National Champion and win the grand prize of $10,000.

The runner-up was Sentilkumar Sethuraman of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, who took home the $2,500 prize money.

The Cricket Bee in its second year is a game of cricket trivia that is conducted in a bee format on a miss and out basis. In 2017 the Bee was expanded to two additional cities and almost 900 enthusiastic cricket whizzes registered to battle it out for a chance to win the coveted title of National Champion.

“We are pleased to be able to return for the 2nd annual MoneyGram Cricket Bee and have it done with such great success,” said Johnny Rosario, MoneyGram’s head of account management. “Congratulations to Alpesh Gohil and all of the finalists. It is an honor to support community events like the Cricket Bee that unite friends and loved ones around the world.”

Contests were held in Hayward, Calif.; Dallas, TX; Chicago, IL; Edison, NJ; and Toronto, Canada, from where the top two were invited to the finals. Cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100 were given out at the regional levels.

MoneyGram, along with its marketing agency, AAAZA, commissioned the idea for the Cricket Bee from leading multicultural agency Touchdown Media to engage and connect with the more than 10 million cricket fans in North America.

“To watch the finals yesterday was no less gripping than the last few overs of a hotly contested T-20 match. It was intense, dramatic and extremely gripping. A hearty congratulations to Alpesh and to all the finalists for what was a truly exciting, edge of your seat finale,” said Rahul Walia, founder of the Cricket Bee.

Malaysia-based food conglomerate Kawan Foods served as the powered by sponsor, while the exclusive broadcast rights were bagged by TV Asia, which will telecast a packaged programming later this year.

“We were very happy to return as powered by sponsors of the MoneyGram Cricket Bee, and watching the finalists battle it out was exhilarating. Very impressed by the knowledge of the finalists and hats off to the winners,” said Tim Tan, managing director of Kawan Foods.

“As the oldest broadcast medium for the community, it was definitely an honor to be returning as the exclusive broadcaster for the MoneyGram Cricket Bee and continuing with its success. We pride ourselves in connecting with our community, and this initiative is in line with our continued commitment to the diaspora in North America,” said H.R. Shah, chairman and CEO of TV Asia and an avid cricketer himself.

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