Basil’s bench

Basil Robinson's bench, the Parks, Oxford

Spring has finally arrived in England in late April, and cricket is underway at the Parks in Oxford. Oxford MCCU is being outplayed by Worcestershire, and the cool wind encourages the spectator to not linger in one spot for too long. On the cover boundary a number of park benches sit under shade trees. It is worth reading the dedications carved in the backs of the benches – one is in memory of Colin (later Lord) Cowdrey, another in memory of the great New Zealander Martin Donnelly. The newest is inscribed “In honour of H Basil Robinson, Rhodes scholar (Canada) and Oxford cricket blue (1947, 1948), from his children“.

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Stephen Lewis SS (Mississauga) confirmed as CIMA/CIBC Mississauga Champs

Results and scorecards now posted on the CIMA Canada website confirm the Mississauga version of Stephen Lewis Secondary School won the CIMA Mayor’s Senior Boys High School championship on Tuesday (May 21, 2013). The Markham version of Stephen Lewis S.S. were not so successful in the City of Markham competition, won by Bur Oak, but there is always the opportunity to improve next year.
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6th Annual Elsie Boyce Cricket Tournament this weekend

This week’s Sports blogs in “The Caribbean Camera” (May 23, 2013 ) highlight news of the 6th Annual Elsie Boyce cricket tournament at the Ellesmere Cricket ground, Scarborough, Ontario this weekend (May 25 and May 26). The tournament is hosted by the Malvern Cricket & Social Club.
The event is expected to include four teams from the USA as well as four Canadian teams. Boston CC, Sommerset CC and Toledo CC are due to be at this T20 cricketing tea party. Canadian content is due to feature defending champions Windsor CC, Pickering CC, Markham CC and host Malvern CC. The Ellesemere Cricket ground is near the intersection of Ellesemere and Neilson in Scarborough. Continue reading 6th Annual Elsie Boyce Cricket Tournament this weekend

Share talks to Ashish Bagai

“This is a very important period for Canadian cricket,” said Bagai. “If we fall behind, we will lose funding and there will be little interest in the program for the next three to four years.”…
For nearly three years, he has been hobbled by patella femoral syndrome, a common knee injury among active athletes characterized by intense pain around the kneecap that increases with activity. He took cortisone injections during the last World Cup to ease the pain.
“I have been doing rehab on the knee,” said Bagai. “It’s a lot stronger. Being away from the game has allowed me to rest it. Hopefully, it will stay strong, but I will have to monitor it closely.”…
“I have not played much cricket,” said Bagai. “Last year, I played a few matches for Toronto Cricket Club in the Toronto & District Cricket Association league. It takes me about 2-4 weeks to get back into the swing of things. I have been doing a lot of work in the gym. Physically, I am feeling good but cricket wise, it will take me a little time to get back. Hopefully by the time the National Cricket League (NCL) rolls around, I will be ready to go.”
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Roger Tilbury

Cricket Archive recently announced the death of Mr. Roger Tilbury, Data Input Manager at Cricket Archive with the words: “It is with deep regret that we announce the death, on 18th May, of Roger Tilbury, Cricket Archive’s data input manager. Our thoughts are with his family.”
I sent a brief message that echoed those thoughts for Roger Tilbury’s family, his friends and his colleagues at Cricket Archive. Roger has been a great help, together with the rest of the Cricket Archive family in recent years in adding information about a range of Canadian cricket events, matches and players.
Cricket Archive has an extensive set of scorecards and related playing records, photos and news (print and video) from cricket matches, test series, international tournaments, domestic cricket extending back to the early days in cricket’s history. It includes a wide range of matches and tournaments in Canadian cricketing history, and from some events and series in recent Canadian cricket. As such it is a tremendous resource on the world cricket stage, as well as for some significant parts of Canadian cricket’s rich history.
Eddie Norfolk

CIMA Toronto Mayor’s Boys High Schools Final this Friday (May 24)

The Toronto East Division final and the CIMA Toronto Mayor’s School Cricket Boys High Schools Final are to be played this Friday (May 24, 2013) on Sunnybrook Park’s north ground. At 9am the two East group winners, David and Mary Thomson, and Woburn, will meet in the game to decide North Albion’s opponents in the Toronto final. The final is scheduled for 11 am.
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Tuesday’s Girl Cricketers were in Toronto and not Mississauga

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion asked the question “Where are the girls” during a welcoming talk as the CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket Tournament made a debut at the Boys High School level in Mississauga on Tuesday (May 21, 2013).
Someone on behalf of the organizers chipped in to say that three girls schools will be competing in the Missauaga Girls High Schools event this Friday (May 24). Mayor McCallion was a driving force for Canadian women’s (ice) hockey.
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North Park win Brampton CIMA Trophy

North Park squad, winners of the 2013 CIMA Mayor’s Brampton Boys High School CIBC Trophy
Scorecards are now available on the CIMA Canada website.
North Park won beat Turner Fenton and Heart Lake in qualifying group matches to advance to the playoff semi-finals where North Park beat Louise Arbour by 13 runs. North Park then captured the CIBC Trophy for this Brampton championship with a 16 run victory against Harold M. Brathwaite, the school that is next to the Dixie Sandalwood Park in Brampton. Continue reading North Park win Brampton CIMA Trophy

Hazel McCallion takes a swing in support of GTA-wide cricket tournament

Hazel McCallion bats (Eddie Norfolk picture)

The Globe and Mail reports
Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion picked up her bat on Tuesday to kick off the first-ever GTA-wide cricket tournament.
The 92-year-old politician came out to support high school cricketers from Mississauga, one of four cities participating in the tournament.
“The future is great in Mississauga for cricket,” Ms. McCallion said.
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John Davison inducted into TCC Wall of Fame (Share)

He was Canada’s most productive cricketer for nearly a decade before retiring after the last World Cup two years ago. Introduced to Canadian cricket in 1999 by former Toronto Cricket Club (TCC) player Andrew Bracht during a meeting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the aggressive right-arm off-spinner, hard-hitting batsman and brilliant fielder made an impact in his first season in the Toronto & District Cricket Association’s premier league in 2000 as TCC’s player-coach, heading the bowling average (12.83) for his 24 wickets and finishing second in the batting average with (30.82) from 339 runs.
Last Friday, the club recognized Davison’s contributions by inducting him into its Wall of Fame. He celebrated his 43rd birthday a day earlier.
“I am proud of the contributions I made to Canadian cricket and to Toronto Cricket Club,” said Davison, who was back in the city for the first time in six years. “It’s nice to be recognized and also to be back at the club to see some old faces and renew friendships I made when I came here 13 years ago.”
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The Scarborough Hospital to host local cricket tournament

The Scarborough World Cup of Cricket, a first-of-its kind community-wide tournament and family event, is sure to please fans of the sport that is rapidly gaining popularity in the Greater Toronto Area. The Scarborough World Cup of Cricket is a two-day, 10-team round robin tournament with a reduced format of 10 overs per match. Teams, put together by the sponsors, consist of 15 players, with qualifying games on day one. The top four teams will proceed to day two, which will include two playoff games and a championship game, with the leading three teams receiving gold, silver and bronze medals.
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Woburn CI wins the second Toronto East Boys High Schools Group in CIMA Event

Woburn Collegiate Institute won the second Toronto East Boys High Schools Group on Friday (May 17) with wins against SATEC @ W.A. Porter CI (by eight wickets), Agincourt (by five wickets, but off the last available ball) and Lester B. Pearson (by 25 runs). The three other teams in this group within the CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket Tournament each closed with records of won one and lost two.
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Mississauga CIMA Mayor’s Boys High Schools play on Tuesday (May 21, 2013)

The City of Mississauga Boys High Schools championship in the CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket Championship is scheduled for this coming Tuesday (May 21, 2013) with matches at the Avebury and Iceland cricket grounds normally used by the Mississauga Ramblers.
It will be a busy day of cricket as there are eleven teams involved in the qualifying phase, which begins at 8.45 am. The four group winners are due to meet in semi-final action at 6pm and the Mississauga Final for the CIBC Trophy is due to begin at 7.30 pm at the Iceland ground. Continue reading Mississauga CIMA Mayor’s Boys High Schools play on Tuesday (May 21, 2013)

George Harvey CI wins 2013 Toronto Schools Indoor Senior Boys Championship

George Harvey beat West Humber in the Final of the 2013 Toronto Schools Indoor Cricket Senior Boys Championship. West Humber reached the final thanks to a last over burst of runs that overcame North Albion, who failed to make the final for the first time in seven years. West Humber had needed 17 runs from the sixth and last over to beat North Albion. Ten extras plus seven runs off the bat saw West Humber to semi-final success, but George Harvey triumphed in a 2013 competition that was staged as a one day tournament – there are hopes for an expansion next year.

Valley Park wins Toronto Boys Middle Schools CIBC Trophy

Valley Park Middle School beat Smithfield Middle School in a high-scoring Toronto division Boys Middle Schools CIBC Trophy final on Friday (May 17) at Sunnybrook Park, Toronto. Smithfield, winners of the inaugural CIMA Mayor’s Middle Schools championship, scored 72 for four wickets from eight overs early on Friday morning. Rakshit Patel made 14, Abdullah Abdullah 13 and there were a lot of wides.
Opener Hamza Talal lead the Valley Park response with an innings of 46 not out that included four sixes and four fours. This innings plus quite a few wides took Valley Park to victory by nine wickets after seven overs. Omar made 11 before being caught and bowled by Bharga Patel. Valley Park tallied 77 for one wicket.
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