YRAA outdoor season progressing

Rudra Patel on his way to 50

Update: The YRAA (York Region, Ontario) has posted news that this year’s Varsity Boys Tier 1 outdoor cricket playoffs are scheduled for Wednesday October 19, 2016 at McCowan Reservoir, Markham. Two semi-finals are due to be played with “high-noon” starts (12pm) followed at 3pm by the Final.
The four round-robin games in the East Division scheduled for Thursday, September 29, 2016 were washed out due to persistent rain and have been re-scheduled for Monday, October 17, 2016 at McCowan Reservoir.

The York Region Athletic Association’s (YRAA’s) Outdoor Boys Varsity Tier 1 outdoor cricket championships entered week three with three games at King City’s Maple Leaf Cricket Club on Wednesday (September 28, 2016). Maple High School (HS) beat Huron Heights in the early game (12.30pm start). Maple HS has won both games played to date but sits second in the West Group behind Woodbridge College, now 3/0 after beating Stephen Lewis Secondary School (SS) in one of two games with a 3pm start. Richmond Hill HS posted a first win of the season against Tommy Douglas SS in the other game that started at 3pm.
The Maple HS-Huron Heights match had ended before I arrived at Maple Leaf CC. Maple scored 127 runs from 15 overs and limited Huron Heights to 57, so Maple HS won by 70 runs.
Stephen Lewis HS batted first against Woodbridge College and reached a total of 96 for 5 wickets (96/5) from the available 15 overs. Woodbridge College responded by reaching a winning 97/5 after 10 overs.
Opening bat Rudra Patel led the way with 52 for Richmond Hill HS before being caught and bowled in the late stages of the innings against Tommy Douglas SS. Rudra Patel’s fifty helped Richmond Hill to 121/7 from 15 overs and the words “ActionZone” on his white shirt suggested a link with Sanjay Thurasingham’s indoor sports centre in Scarborough. Abi made 15 for Richmond Hill. Tommy Douglas SS replied with 75 all out from 14.2 overs, Nishaal top-scored with 31.

A wide mix of players are involved in this YRAA cricket championship. Some play regularly for local cricket clubs and academies but cricket is a new game for several others. There is a similar mix of cricket knowledge among the teachers, without whose support this tournament would not exist. During Wednesday afternoon’s 3pm start games, four of the supporting teachers were involved in recording the plays (to use a baseball term) on the scoresheets, two teachers were doubling as coaches and one teacher/coach was standing as square-leg umpire in the Woodbridge College-Stephen Lewis game.
The teachers’ responsibilities do not end when the game ends as there is the need to ensure all players become passengers on the taxis that take the players back to each school, except where other arrangements have been authorized by a players’ parents.
One of the batters learned on Wednesday afternoon that a swing and a miss where the ball hits the pads on your legs may result in you being given out. He completed a run before the umpire and players at the bowler’s end explained “you’re out”. Elsewhere some happiness was expressed that one school had not conceded many wides on Wednesday and another school was hearing the message that more runs had been made than in previous games. So progress along cricket’s learning curve.
On Thursday (September 29, 2016) four games are scheduled at McCowan Reservoir, Markham, in the seven school East Group. Bur Oak SS’s season is due to begin with two games. At present, Pierre Elliott Trudeau SS has won 3 of 3 games, Bill Crothers has won 2 and lost 2 and three schools have won the only game each has played to date. Bur Oak opens against PE Trudeau while Markville (1/0) and Father McGivney (1/0) meet on the other ground at McCowan Reservoir. Bur Oak then plays Father McGivney and PE Trudeau’s second game of the day is against Markville.