It may not have been the prettiest match in sporting history, but Salt Spring’s young and aspiring cricket squad made its Vancouver Island debut in a 20-over match in cool and windy conditions at Shawnigan Lake on Saturday afternoon. For those unaware of the sport’s basic principles, an over consists of six consecutive deliveries, or pitches. According to Phil Goddard, an Australian ex-pat who plays with the Salt Spring group, games that last for several days are rare, mostly played as part of special tournaments by professionals at the international levels.
He compares those long matches to something akin to a seven-game series in hockey or baseball. Contrary to the common misconception, Goddard said, the team wrapped up its match in roughly three hours.
Salt Spring, which picked up two Shawnigan Lake players to field a full 11-person squad, played valiantly but came up short in its 136-80 defeat.
Goddard said he hopes the weekend match will be the first of many regularly scheduled cricket matches this season.
The sport’s popularity on the island has grown slowly since the team began attracting the attention of passers-by during its regular Sunday afternoon meetings at Portlock Park last spring.

“To some extent we are still in training mode,” Goddard said, adding that a few more players are needed to support a full-fledged team capable of league play.

Goddard said many of the team’s players hail from traditional cricket superpowers like Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa, though many Canadian-born players have caught the bug. The sport’s rising popularity in Canada, he said, has been made possible by the game’s popularity among members of South Asian communities.

Men and women of any age are encouraged to stop by, ask questions and take a swing to see if cricket might be the sport for them.

Practices begin at 3 o’clock on most spring and summer Sunday afternoons.

For more information about the team, contact Goddard at 250-537-5104. Goddard also seeks to speak with anyone who has information about the sport’s roots on Salt Spring.