Ken Jeffers (left, foreground) was presented with an award for his efforts at Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation by CIMA Canada Chair Martin Saxton (right, foreground)
The 10th anniversary of the CIMA Mayor’s Trophy in Toronto attracted six prospective mayors, the brother of the incumbent Mayor who is seeking a second term of office and several people whose past, ongoing and present efforts have ensured cricket continues to be promoted through this and related events.
Metro News lost to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in a special 10th anniversary game played on the north ground at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Park. The TTC, captained by CEO Andy Byford, restricted Metro News to 20 for five wickets from five overs. Byford emphasized to his team between innings that the aim was to win the game, not to blaze a trial that might produce a collapse and a defeat. A wide to start the third over of the TTC’s innings carried cemented victory. The TTC scored 21 for one wicket from 2.0 overs.
The ceremonials, some presentations to commemorate the 10th anniversary and some speeches followed this special game. The annual game between what in the past has been called the Mayor’s XI v the CEO’s XI, but was called the Public Sector v the Private Sector this year, followed the ceremonials. Throughout the day there were other games on the north ground to decide the Mayor’s Trophy while on the two lower grounds there was competition to decide the Accountants Trophy and the Media Trophy.
Mr. Martin Saxton, the current Chair of the CIMA Canada Board wrote in the event program: “When we organized the first Mayor’s Trophy back in 2005, cricket was still seen as very much a niche sport in Toronto. Since then it has really come into its own with teams springing up across the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). I am very proud of the role that CIMA members, all volunteers, have played in encouraging the spread of the game and the ethos that it promotes.”
Since the tournament’s inception in 2005 there have been some spin-off versions of this type of competition as well as the introduction of the annual “Cricket across the Pond Program” and the CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket tournament. “Cricket across the Pond” and the School Cricket tournament each began as City of Toronto events but now embrace the broader Greater Toronto Area. It was good to see an award presented to Mr. Ken Jeffers at the city Parks, Forestry and Recreation division who put in a lot of work alongside the likes of Ranil Mendis of CIMA. “When we began there were many challenges….”, said Mr. Jeffers but progress has been made.
2014 Kaisoca Ladies squad at the 2014 CIMA Mayor's Trophy with Councillor Doug Ford
Progress drew six potential mayors of Toronto to this year’s event, while the master of ceremonies, John Moore of Newstalk 1010, admitted he realized his comment that the next Mayor of Toronto is here today would draw what proved minor criticism from Councillor Doug Ford, brother of current Mayor Rob Ford. Rob Ford has promised to be back on the re-election campaign trail around the end of June.
The five mayoral candidates reported as expected to attend on Friday were all present, namely John Tory, Olivia Chow, Karen Stintz, David Soknacki and Sarah Thompson. Doug Ford effectively represented brother Rob, and an additional mayoral candidate, Ari Goldkind, also attended.
Doug Ford and Karen Stintz shared the podium to congratulate CIMA on behalf of the City of Toronto, and both were in the Public Sector team that was captained by Doug Ford. The Private Sector team was captained by UK Consul General Jonathan Dart, whose tenure in Canada is due to end before next year’s tournament. John Tory, Olivia Chow, David Soknacki and Sarah Thompson were assigned to the Private Sector team and took part in a brief batting warm-up on the pitch.
One of speakers during the ceremonials glitched in making Canada appear officially uni-lingual. But a commemorative concert I attended elsewhere during the afternoon remembered English, French and first nations heritage people who served Canada and commonwealth in World War I, as well as those whose heritage was from countries and cultures who were not always warmly embraced by some of the upper echelons of Canadian society in the past.
Some might wonder, in a present-day context, how warmly women and girls cricket is embraced at provincial and national levels in Canada. The loss of the ICC Americas women’s championship means there will be no team representing the Americas in the next ICC Women’s world cup tournament.
The 2014 CIMA/CIBC GTA School Cricket Girls Final put the game on the map for a while. The final was tied and decided by a SuperOver win for Mississauga’s Father Michael Goetz against Toronto’s York Memorial. Kaisoca Ladies team participated in the Mayor’s Trophy competition on Saturday, and Councillor Doug Ford joined them in a photo.
CIMA’s Mr. Saxton commented: “Over the years we have seen mayors, diplomats, councillors and captains of industry bravely step out to play cricket, in some cases for the first time. This year I am happy that, once again, candidates and councillors of different political stripes are taking the field together, and teams from the public and private sectors will face off in friendly rivalry. Many organizations comment that they are surprised to discover how many cricketers they have amongst their staff, and it is fantastic to see so many teams taking part this year.”
Acting General Manager of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Ms. Janie Romoff, had written: “I am pleased PFR (Parks, Forestry and Recreation) continues to partner with all of the sponsors and the media to highlight one of the fastest growing sports in Toronto. PFR values community partnerships and this is an excellent example of how partnerships pave a path for successful projects such as Cricket Across the Pond and the CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket Tournament.”
Ms. Romoff extended “a special welcome to Keith Luck, Global President of CIMA, who is visiting from London, England.” Mr. Luck spoke and wrote of witnessing “the amazing efforts of those who volunteer to make this individual tournament happen every year. I offer my hearty congratulations to the work of the CIMA Canada branch in putting this event on.”
Mr. Luck continued, “As with any good sporting tournament, there has to be a return match. This is no exception. Cricket Across the Pond (CAP) is a once in a lifetime opportunity for those who are successful in their applications to play cricket and be coached in London. Cricket prowess and community involvement are the criteria for selection to the international team.”
There was talk on Saturday about the possibility of female players being involved in some future Cricket Across the Pond tours. The CIMA Mayor’s Trophy, to borrow Ms. Romoff’s words, is a “unique celebration (which) showcases Toronto’s diversity through sport and has won several awards from the International Cricket Council.”
The Toronto Fire Services Pipes and Drums provided music for the march of organizers, sponsors, dignitaries, team leaders and dancers across the north ground as the prelude to the presentations and speeches.
Congratulations to all involved in promoting cricket in the GTA through events such as these, particularly CIMA, Toronto Parks and Recreation plus the media who continue to show interest in cricket. An interest not always well fed and watered from official cricketing channels in the GTA, Ontario and from the national governing body over recent years. But things will hopefully move forward over the next few years.
Eddie Norfolk