Members of the Dunedin Tamil Society Lions cricket team and the Pakistani Association of Canterbury Cornered Tigers cricket team played each other in two T20 games yesterday.
The Cornered Tigers won the games.
Let's Play Aotearoa organiser Faisal Abbas, of Christchurch, said 13 players and their families had travelled south on Thursday for the games held at the North East Valley Cricket Ground.
Rain, at times heavy, was no hindrance to play, he said.
"Their [player’s] spouses were telling them to come inside out of the rain but we all absolutely love cricket so we kept on going."
The cricket match was not only about who was winning, he said, but also bringing different ethnic communities together.
"Focusing on integrating different communities is very important as well because we get to experience and meet other cultures and extend ourselves."
While the Pakistani Association of Canterbury had hosted similar events in Christchurch, it was the first time they had travelled for a sports game, he said.
The game had taken about a month to organise, and Christmas Day was chosen as many members were off work and available to participate.
A shared Christmas lunch was also held between the two games.
"You put cricket and food together and people are very happy ... I think everyone has had a great time."
The Christchurch team returns home today.
