Osinde and Sandher boost Canada -- Posted Saturday, June 30 2007
Canada v Netherlands, Intercontinental Cup, Ontario, 2nd day
Cricinfo staff
June 30, 2007
Netherlands 297 and 49 for 3 (Szwarczynski 21*, Borren 0*) lead Canada 337 for 9 dec (Dhaniram 73, Osinde 60*, Sandhar 57, Shahzad Khan 55) by nine runs
A ninth-wicket stand of 89 between Kevin Sandher and Henry Osinde earned Canada a handy lead against Netherlands, in their Intercontinental Cup tie in Toronto, before three late wickets left them on top at the end of the second day.
Sandher and Osinde came together with Canada still 49 behind Netherlands' 297 and both players hit their highest first-class scores to swing the momentum. The visitors had taken the early honours by reducing Canada to 141 for 6 after Ashish Bagai, the captain, had fallen for 33.
Sunil Dhaniram began the fightback with an 87-ball 73, but Canada's cause wasn't helped when Umar Bhatti had to retire hurt on 0. Sandher, though, provided solid support, firstly for Dhaniram, then for the aggressive Osinde.
After being in a position to take a lead, Netherlands now had to wipe off a deficit and they started poorly when Alex Kervezee, who made 98 in the first innings, fell to Osinde's fourth ball. Two further wickets fell before the close and Netherlands hold a narrow advantage of nine runs moving into a pivotal third day.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/icccont2007/content/story/300173.html
INTER UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE TOURNAMENT -- Posted Saturday, June 30 2007
After last year's provincial level tournament, and as Canadian cricket moves from strength to strength, the Canadian Universities' & Colleges' Cricket Federation (CUCCF) continues to honour its commitment to the development of cricket at post secondary level with the hosting of the first ever national level Championship Tournament.
Universities and Colleges, from all across Canada, for the very first time, battle it out on a Cricket pitch.
Partnered with Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation and UNICEF, this event will support the UNAIDS and ASAAP (South Asian AIDS program) initiative.
Games, and ceremony schedule
The Tournament, scheduled for July 16 - 20, inclusive, will start at 10:00am each day. Toronto's King City grounds will provide the setting for an event which promises to introduce the public to some of Canada's aspiring young cricketers.
The tournament extends an open invitation for members of the public to attend, admission free.
Opening Ceremony : Monday, July 16, 2007; 9.00 AM
Closing Ceremony : Friday, July 20, 2007; 5.00 PM
On-site events
Affiliated with the International Cricket Council, this 20Twenty tournament promises to showcase fast paced and competitive Cricket on GTA's best grounds, approved by the ICC for international matches. First of its kind, teams will be playing in attractive coloured & sponsored jerseys representing their institutions. Highlights include ICC's Level-A umpires, Women's Cricket and High-school teams. Event partners include Century Cricket, the cricket equipment retailer based in Toronto.
Refreshments will be on sale at the grounds.
Grounds located East of Dufferin St. going North, after Bloomington Rd or 15th Sdrd., King City.
Abhimanyu Sharma
Canadian Universities' and Colleges' Cricket Federation,
(416) 795-6487 or abhimanyu.sharma@cuccf.com
Canada well placed against the Dutch -- Posted Saturday, June 30 2007
The ICC Intercontinental Cup match at Maple Leaf CC, King City, Ontario - June 29, 2007 (day 2 of scheduled 4)
Canada won the toss and elected to field.
The Netherlands scored 297 runs all out
Alexei Kervezee 98 runs, Mudassar Bukhari 66 runs not out, Tom de Grooth 38 runs.
Henry Osinde 4 wickets for 47 runs, Umar Bhatti 3 wickets for 64 runs
Canada 337 runs for 9 wickets declared (Sunil Dhaniram 73 runs, Henry Osinde 60 runs not out, Kevin Sandher 57 runs, Shahzad Khan 55 runs, Mudassar Bukhari 3 wickets for 61 runs)
Report
Canada was well placed at the end of day 2 of the ICC Intercontinental Cup match with the Netherlands. Four Canadian batsmen scored half-centuries as the home team took a 30 run first innings lead and followed with three early wickets. The Dutch were just 10 runs ahead with 7 wickets standing at close of play. Canada will hope for an early morning breakthrough on Saturday to force home this advantage and clinch an overall win.
The Dutch missed a number of catches, especially in the morning session and Canadian captain Ashish Bagai survived a catch from a no-ball.
Later in the day, the Dutch bowling lost some direction and length, but the wicket still gave hope for good length balls.
Debut-making Canadian batsman Shahzad Khan scored 55 runs (5x4's). Middle-order batsman Sunil Dhaniram sculpted a fine 73 runs (9x4's) with support from tail-end batsmen Kevin Sandher, who made 57 runs (7x4's) and Henry Osinde, who ended 60 runs not out (7x4's).
Umar Bhatti was hit on the thumb by a ball and retired hurt. He was ready to bat in an attempt to take the lead, but when Sandher was out at 337 runs for 9 wickets, Canada opted to declare.
Osinde then roared in to take the first Dutch wicket, that of Alexei Kervezee who scored 98 runs in the first innings. Two more wickets made it a good day for Canada.
Play resumes at 10.30 am at Maple Leaf Cricket Club, King City, on Saturday.
Canadian coach Pubudu Dassanayake paid tribute to his players for "a great comeback, the tail batted very well. I'm happy with the way it went, we played as a team today."
He pointed out how "a few of the guys came one day before the game. This makes it very hard to put a team together." The later batsmen had done a fine job; "they left a lot of balls and waited for the bad ball." However, "the game is still open but I am really happy with 3 wickets under our belt."
It was a tremendous day for the three players who made their maiden international 50's: Kahn, Sandher and Osinde. Kevin Sandher has been playing for Canada since his junior days. It is a reward for lots of hard work, but it also sets a new plateau from which to further improve. That is the beauty, and challenge, of cricket.
The Netherlands 297 runs all out (Alexei Kervezee 98 runs, Mudassar Bukhari 66 runs not out, Tom de Grooth 38 runs; Henry Osinde 4 wickets for 47 runs, Umar Bhatti 3 wickets for 64 runs) and 50 runs for 3 wickets
Canada 337 runs for 9 wickets declared (Sunil Dhaniram 73 runs, Henry Osinde 60 runs not out, Kevin Sandher 57 runs, Shahzad Khan 55 runs, Mudassar Bukhari 3 wickets for 61 runs)
At close of play the Netherlands leads by 10 runs with 7 second innings wickets standing.
Eddie Norfolk
 Sandher |  Dhaniram |  Osinde |
Hair returns to umpiring -- Posted Friday, June 29 2007
Canada v Netherlands, Intercontinental Cup, Ontario
Darrell Hair made his return to international cricket on Thursday when he officiated on the first day of the Intercontinental Cup clash between Canada and the Netherlands in Ontario.
Hair, a veteran of 76 Tests, was voted off the ICC's panel of elite umpires in November last year, following his handling of the Oval Test against Pakistan in August 2006, when Pakistan were penalised for alleged ball-tampering and subsequently forfeited the match.
He remains under contract with the ICC until April 2008, but his appearances since November have been sporadic. He officiated in the World Cricket League final between Kenya and Scotland in Nairobi in February, but there seems little prospect of him ever standing at the highest level again. Hair, 54, is suing the ICC for racial discrimination in a hearing that starts in London on October 1 and is expected to last two weeks.
Since the incident at The Oval, Hair has left his home in the UK to live in Sydney and is believed to be writing his memoirs. In the match at Ontario, he is standing alongside the Bermudan Roger Dill, a 49-year-old firefighter.
Article sourced from:-
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/icccont2007/content/story/299970.html
Dutch have a good day at King City -- Posted Friday, June 29 2007
Scoring Summary: ICC Intercontinental Cup match at Maple Leaf CC, King City, Ontario - June 28, 2007 (day 1 of a scheduled 4)
The Netherlands 297 runs all out (Alexei Kervezee 98 runs, Mudassar Bukhari 66 runs not out, Tom de Grooth 38 runs; Henry Osinde 4 wickets for 47 runs, Umar Bhatti 3 wickets for 64 runs)
Canada 65 runs for 2 wickets (Shehzad Khan 37 runs not out)
Canada won the toss and elected to field.
Canada needs 233 runs to take a first innings lead.
Report
Maple Leaf CC, King City Ontario (June 28):
The opening day of Canada's four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands favoured the visitors.
The Dutch were put in to bat after Canada won the toss, but wickets did not tumble as opening batsmen Alex Kervezee and Tom de Grooth played solidly. The total moved past 50 runs for no wicket and a century stand was looking likely until de Grooth edged a ball to Asif Mulla and was caught of Umar Bhatti's bowling. de Grooth had made 38 runs and the total was 98 runs when this first wicket fell, just before the lunch break.
After lunch, Canada bowled more effectively and began to take wickets. A stand of 49 runs for the 3rd wicket between Kervezee and Atse Buurman, who made 16 runs, was the main resistance. Kervezee was the fifth Dutch wicket to fall. He sent a fine drive through the covers for four, but was caught by Canadian wicketkeeper and captain Ashish Bagai for 98 runs off Henry Osinde.
Canada seemed to be steaming back into the match as the Dutch faltered to 234 runs for 9 wickets. Last man Mark Jonkman then joined Mudassar Bukhari and provided solid resistance in a stand of 63 runs for the tenth wicket.
Jonkman was finally dismissed for 21 runs, leaving Burkhari on 66 runs not out.
Bukhari added to Canada's woes with two wickets in his first over, dismissing Geoff Barnett and Trevin Bastiampillai. Bagai joined opening batsman Shezhad Khan and helped steer Canada to 65 runs for the loss of 2 wickets at close of play. Khan was 37 runs not out, and Bagai 24 runs not out.
Canada needs 233 runs to take first innings lead.
It will be interesting to see how the wicket plays on Friday. Initially, it looked a good toss to win, but the early morning dampness had dried by start of play. Some balls troubled the opening batsmen, but there were some balls too short or wide to apply sustained pressure on the batsmen.
Play resumes at 10.30 am today (on Friday June 29th).
Hopefully, there will be several more spectators for the remainder of this match. It would be highly diplomatic to describe the opening day crowd as 'sparse'.
Admission is free. Maple Leaf CC is at the corner of Bathurst and 15th Sideroad in King City.
Some cricket followers might be interested to get a glimpse of Darrell Hair, the umpire at the height of the controversy over the abandoned Oval Test Match between England and Pakistan last year, in his first match in the Greater Toronto Area. But perhaps this match might be the springboard for Bagai to re-assert his batting form seen in South Africa and Kenya during winter tours.
Kervezee hitting a six to reach his 50.
Eddie Norfolk
Toronto
June 28, 2006
Netherlands openers frustrate Canada -- Posted Friday, June 29 2007
A fine 98 from Alexei Kervezee and a crucial all-round performance from Mudassar Bukhari gave the Netherlands a positive start on the first day of the Intercontinental Cup match against Canada at Toronto. Canada closed on 65 for 2 in reply to Netherlands' 297.
Canada won the toss and asked Netherlands to bat first, a decision that they will have rued as Kervezee and Tom de Grooth put on 96 for the first wicket. Canada finally broke the partnership just before lunch when de Grooth fell for 38.
In the afternoon Canada fought back, and only 17-year-old Kervezee prevented Netherlands from falling apart. When he was caught two runs short of his maiden hundred, Canada appeared to be vindicating their captain's decision. But Bukhari launched a belligerent counterattack, and Canada's frustration grew as he added 63 for the tenth wicket with Mark Jonkman.
No sooner had Bukhari taken off his pads than he was back in the action, removing Geoff Barnett and Trevin Bastiampillai in his first over to leave Canada 5 for 2.
Ashish Bagai and Shezhad Khan ensured there were no more mishaps before the close, but Canada have some hard work ahead of them on a pitch which is expected to deteriorate from the third day.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/icccont2007/content/story/300045.html
Canada v Netherlands Revised Latest Scoreboard -- Posted Thursday, June 28 2007
Canada v Netherlands
Maple Leaf CC, King City, 28 June 2007
ICC Intercontinental Cup
Umpires: R Dill, D Hair
Toss: Canada
Match Notes:
Hours of Play: 14:30-16:30, 17:10-19:10, 19:30-21:30 GMT
Latest update at: 7:45 PM
Netherlands 1st innings
Batsman Score Mins Balls 4s 6s
A Kervezee c +Bagai b Osinde 98 190 142 7 1
T de Grooth c Mulla b Bhatti 38 116 88 4 0
E Swarcynski cBagai b Sandher 4 10 7 1 0
A Buurman b Osinde 16 38 30 2 0
P Borren c Dhaniram b Osinde 11 15 17 0 1
A Raja c sub(M Mulla)b Dhaniram 12 35 37 2 0
J Smits*+ c Dhaniram b Osinde 0 10 8 0 0
M Bukhari not out 24 33 3 0
E Schiferli c Mulla b Bhatti 12 18 15 1 0
M Panchal not out 10 14 2 0
M Jonkman
Extras b , lb 1, nb 4, w 1, p 6
Total 8 wkts, 65.0 overs 231
Bowler O M R W
@U Bhatti 21 6 58 2
H Osinde 15 6 41 4
S Khan 4 0 22 0
A Patel 5 0 25 0
K Sandher 7 0 35 1
SDhaniram1 3 1 49 1
Fall of Wickets
1 96 T de Grooth
2 103 E Swarcynski
3 152 A Buurman
4 167 P Borren
5 174 A Kervezee
6 178 J Smits*+
7 192 A Raja
8 218 E Schiferli
Canada 1st innings
Batsman How Out Score Mins Balls 4s 6s
G Barnett c Swarcynski b Bukhari 1 4 3 0 0
S Khan not out 37 52 5 0
T Bastiampillai c +Smits b Bukhari 0 4 4 0 0
A Bagai+* not out 24 32 4 0
K Sandher
S Dhaniram
U Bhatti
H Osinde
A Patel
A Mulla
Q Ali
Extras b 2, lb , nb 1, w , p 3
Total 2 wkts, 15.0 overs 65
Bowler O M R W
@E Schiferli 5 0 25 0
M Bukhari 5 2 13 2
M Jonkman 2 1 10 0
P Borren 2 0 15 0
@M Panchal 1 1 0 0
Canada versus Netherlands -- Posted Thursday, June 28 2007
Canada opens its 2007-2008 ICC (International Cricket Council) Intercontinental Cup series of matches against the Netherlands at Maple Leaf CC on Thursday (June 28). Ashish Bagai will lead the team. Two late changes see Mohsin Mulla and Durand Soraine brought into the Canadian squad.
The Intercontinental Cup is now a 2-year tournament with each of the eight teams playing each other once. A final will be staged late in 2008. The overall competition began in Ayr, Scotland, on Wednesday. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) were in severe early trouble at 18 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, but recovered to 174 runs for 4 wickets. Saqib Ali remains 71 runs not out. Khuram Khan made 74 runs.
Canada lost in May to Ireland in the final of the 2006 competition. Canada lost to the Dutch in Sinoville, Pretoria, South Africa, in December 2006. After playing Scotland, the UAE visits the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) to meet Canada from July 6-9 at Maple Leaf CC, King City.
Eddie Norfolk
Canada won the toss and opted to field. CricInfo are providing live coverage
Adastrians Cricket Club -- Posted Thursday, June 28 2007
Adastrians Cricket Club is the 3rd oldest and largest cricket club in Quebec. Our Club became an active member of Quebec Cricket League since 1930.
We have four teams playing in different divisions. The 2000-2002 was the finest year in Adastrian’s history. We won Quebec Cricket League, Knock-out championship We won Quebec Cricket league, knock-out championship.
Adastrians prides itself in being one of the most multi-national teams playing cricket in Quebec. Our club is fully functional, with a matting wicket at University de Montreal home ground.
Adastrians continues to grow year to year drawing players from all over the world looking to play and enjoy cricket.
Article sourced from:-
http://adastrians.ac.ca/ground.htm
Cricket in the Okanagan Valley -- Posted Thursday, June 28 2007
In December, 1907, a group of residents met at W.B. Walker's house to discuss the possibility of starting a sports club. It was decided that committees should be set up for cricket, football, and tennis. The following were elected for cricket: W.D. Walker, Captain; W. E. E. Mitchell, vice Captain; F. Thorniloe.
The next year Kelowna cricket team travelled to Revelstoke, playing against Vernon and Armstrong. In short time, KCC gained a strong position in the Valley. While the cricket was developing in Okanagan Valley, the world war was declared in 1914. As a result, the cricket clubs disbanded for their members to go overseas for war.
Finally, the war was over and Canadians retured back to their homes. After the war, the first recorded game was played against Vernon at Kelowna on Empire Day, May 24th, 1924. Kelowna batted first, and made 166, but Vernon was all out for 26. That was a big win for Kelowna, and after that KCC moved on and cricket started to build up again in the Valley.
In 1927, Colonel Victor Spencer presented a cup for competition in the Kelowna valley. The first members of the League formed to play for it, were Kelowna, Armstrong, Lavington, Oyama, Penticton, Salmon Arm, and Vernon. Kelowna won the cup and became first valley champions, and Kelowna is still the valley champions.
To a great past belongs a great future. For Kelowna and District, we can expect years of cricket success. Based on the unswerving loyalties and hard work of their predecessors, future cricketers can be expected to preserve the game and its traditions with no lessening of the enjoyment and comradeship it promotes.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.geocities.com/kelownacricket/
Governing body urged to modernise -- Posted Wednesday, June 27 2007
Cricket's governing body has been urged to modernise by leading cricketers who say they have lost confidence in it.
In a survey by the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, 56% doubted the ICC's ability to govern the game or organise World Cups.
A staggering 89% of international players rated the recent World Cup in the Caribbean as average or worse.
Fica chief executive Tim May said: "There has been growing dissatisfaction regarding the governance of our game."
He added: "An independent review will determine what is the best and most applicable structure for cricket's international governing body.
"We strongly believe that the present structure...is outdated and not in the best interests of the game."
Fica's World Cup survey showed 64% of players believe the same tournament structure - four groups of four, followed by Super 8s - should be retained for the next World Cup.
But 87% felt the competition was too long, with the survey concluding that "The death of Bob Woolmer, the early exit of India and Pakistan, the long and laborious Super 8s, the lack of exciting matches, the rain-affected final, the unfortunate umpire/referee error at the final, and the long periods that players had at their disposal between matches all affected the players opinion."
May says the ICC should take the blame for the organisational problems and the controversy surrounding Darrell Hair, its anti-doping policy and Zimbabwe.
The governing body appears has acted swiftly on the former Australia star's criticism of its committees, which used to be made up of nominated representatives from each Test-playing country and leading Associate Member countries.
A new 13-man cricket committee has been formed which will feature former and current Test stars and umpiring officials.
Headed by ex-India skipper Sunil Gavaskar, it will meet for the first time in Dubai, with a remit to "discuss and consult on any cricket-playing matters and formulate recommendations" to the ICC's executive board.
Also on the committee are ex-West Indies pacemen Ian Bishop and Michael Holding, former captains Mark Taylor (Australia) and Craig Wright (Scotland), current Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene, and ex-Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody.
Article sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6657729.stm
Mississauga Ramblers -- Posted Wednesday, June 27 2007
Mississauga Ramblers CC was formed in 1966 with the aim of promoting the game of cricket, specifically at the grass roots level. We are still dedicated to providing an environment where young kids can learn the values of fair play and teamwork. We have one of the most thriving junior programs in the country, with over 125 registered junior members.
Mississauga Ramblers is also proud to host various events that promote and celebrate the cultural diversity of our great country. Membership is also open to those individuals that would like to join us in promoting a strong sense of community and togetherness.
Following is the list of our cricket teams:.
Junior Level:
U-13 A Division
U-15 A Division
U-15 B Division
U-17 A Division
U-17 B Division
U-19 A Division.
Junior And Senior Levels:
Toronto & District 1st Division
Toronto & District 2nd Division
Toronto & District 3rd Division A
Toronto & District 3rd Division B
Hamilton & District A Division
Social Team (Non Competitive)
Ramblers First Divison defeats Caribbean Limers
Written by Administrator Monday, 18 June 2007
Ramblers first division team beat the Caribbean Limers by 3 wickets in a well contested game on the weekend. Limers were bowled out for 174 runs in the 44th over. The main run scorer was Andy Jackson who compiled 56 runs. Hassan Aziz continued his good form and collected three wickets for 35 runs in his 10 overs. Ramblers top order all got starts with Junaid Siddiqui providing the impetus with 49 runs to help the Ramblers win the game. Credit must also be given to the skipper D.V. and Waleed Khan who batted brilliantly under pressure to camly win the game in the last over of the innings. D.V finished with 22 not out and Waleed scored 19 runs not out. Ramblers next game is against Ahmadiyya C.C on Sunday at the Iceland ground.
Last Updated ( Monday, 18 June 2007 )
Mississauga Ramblers is also proud to host various events that promote and celebrate the cultural diversity of our great country. Membership is also open to those individuals that would like to join us in promoting a strong sense of community and togetherness.
Following is the list of our cricket teams:.
Junior Level:
U-13 A Division
U-15 A Division
U-15 B Division
U-17 A Division
U-17 B Division
U-19 A Division.
Junior And Senior Levels:
Toronto & District 1st Division
Toronto & District 2nd Division
Toronto & District 3rd Division A
Toronto & District 3rd Division B
Hamilton & District A Division
Social Team (Non Competitive)
Report and information sourced from:-
http://www.mississaugaramblers.com/ramblers/
Dutch to come out fighting -- Posted Wednesday, June 27 2007
Canada v Netherlands, ICC Intercontinental Cup, Ontario
Bakker urges Dutch to come out fighting
Paul Jan-Bakker, Netherlands' newly appointed coach, says his team will be going all out to win the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Canada in Toronto, starting on Thursday.
Bakker, who took over the reins from Peter Cantrell following the World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year, said players learn more in attempting to win matches than they do from playing out negative draws, even if they end up losing more games along the way.
"I played a lot of this sort of cricket and I always enjoyed going for the win rather than the draw," Bakker, 49, said. "I'll be bringing that same mentality to my job as coach. I want to make it a good game with an exciting final day if possible. I want it to be interesting. I think you learn more from being positive, even if you end up losing the match."
The four-day match gets under way at Ontario on Thursday with the Netherlands keen to reproduce the sort of form that gave them a seven-wicket victory over Canada in this competition last year.
With some players unavailable, Bakker has given the chance to some inexperienced players to show him that they can make the step up from the Hoofdklasse - Netherlands' domestic competition - to the international stage. There are three debutants in the current squad for the tour to Canada, all having shown good form for their clubs.
"Bowlers have to realise that in four-day cricket they have to take wickets - it's not enough just to be economical - and batsmen have to occupy the crease for long periods, and set targets for themselves based on sessions," Bakker said. "You have to go for the kill sometimes and really attack the opposition."
Mudassar Bukhari, the allrounder; the wicketkeeper Atse Buurman Mangesh Panchal, the legspinner, get the chance to make names for themselves. Panchel comes in as a late replacement for Mohammed Kashif, who has been forced to withdraw due to a family bereavement, and has been in excellent form for his club this season with 19 wickets at 10.89. Bas Zuiderent and Ryan ten Doeschate are unavailable, though Bakker hopes both will be fit to play in next month's quadrangular, involving the West Indies, Scotland and the hosts Ireland.
Meanwhile, Canada will also be without some of their more experienced players, with both John Davison and Steve Welsh unavailable. However Ashish Bagai, the captain, sees it as an opportunity to blood new talent and identifies his role as one of rebuilding towards qualification for the next World Cup in 2011.
"I am looking towards the World Cup qualifiers in 2009 and what we want to do is start building a team for that event," Bagai said. "We went into that match without any match practice and not having had a coach since the World Cup. Now we are in the middle of our season. We are fitter, better prepared and ready for the challenge.
"I know the Dutch are missing a few players and I think if we do all the little things right, we should win... I am enjoying my role now as captain. I have the support of all the players, which is awesome, and I'm looking forward to the game."
Canada (from):
Ashish Bagai (captain), Ashishkumar Patel, Ashif Mulla, Geoff Barnett, Henry Osinde, Kevin Sandher, Qaiser Ali, Sunil Dhaniram, Shahzad Khan, Trevin Bastiampillai, Umar Bhatti, Mohsin Mulla, Durand Soraine.
Netherlands (from):
Jeroen Smits (captain), Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Alexei Kervezee, Mangesh Panchal, Adeel Raja, Darron Reekers, Edgar Schiferli, Billy Stelling, Eric Szwarczynski.
Umpires:
Darrell Hair and Roger Dill
Article sourced from:-
www.cricinfo.com/icccont2007/content/story/299700.html
Coach pledges to play positive cricket in Toronto -- Posted Tuesday, June 26 2007
Netherlands coach Bakker pledges to play positive cricket in Toronto
2004 and 2006 finalists Canada ready again to take up challenge, says captain Bagai
Netherlands coach Paul-Jan Bakker says his team will be going all-out to win the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Canada in Toronto, starting on Thursday, even if that means it risks losing it.
Bakker, who took over the reins of the Dutch side from Peter Cantrell following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, says players learn more attempting to win matches than they do from playing out negative draws, even if they end up losing more games along the way.
“I played a lot of this sort of cricket and I always enjoyed going for the win rather than the draw. I’ll be bringing that same mentality to my job as coach,” said the 49-year-old former Hampshire, Quick Haag and Netherlands medium pacer.
“I want to make it a good game with an exciting final day if possible. I want it to be interesting. I think you learn more from being positive, even if you end up losing the match. Bowlers have to realise that in four-day cricket they have to take wickets – it’s not enough just to be economical – and batsmen have to occupy the crease for long periods, and set targets for themselves based on sessions.
“You have to go for the kill sometimes and really attack the opposition,” said Bakker.
The four-day match gets under way at Maple Leaf, King City, Ontario on Thursday with the Netherlands keen to reproduce the sort of form that gave them a seven-wicket victory over Canada in this competition last year.
With some players unavailable, Bakker has given the chance to some inexperienced players to show him that they can make the step up from the Hoofdklasse to the international stage. There are three debutants in the current squad for the tour to Canada, all having shown good form for their clubs.
All-rounder Mudassar Bukhari, wicketkeeper-batsman Atse Buurman, and leg-spinner Mangesh Panchal get the chance to make names for themselves.
Panchel comes in as a late replacement for Mohammed Kashif, who has been forced to withdraw due to a family bereavement. Panchel (33) has been in wonderful form for his club VRA this season, having already taken 19 wickets at an average of 10.89.
Proven performers Bas Zuiderent and Ryan ten Doeschate are both unavailable although Bakker is hopeful they will play a part in the ODI quadrangular tournament involving the West Indies, Ireland and Scotland in Dublin and Belfast next month.
On the other side, Canada will also be without some of their more experienced players for this match with Jon Davison and Steve Welsh both unavailable. But skipper Ashish Bagai is seeing it as an opportunity to blood new talent and identifies his role as one of rebuilding towards qualification for the next ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2011 which, if successful would be Canada’s fourth time to make it to the finals (1979, 2003 and 2007 being the others).
“I am looking towards the World Cup Qualifier in 2009 and what we want to do is start building a team for that event,” said 25-year-old Bagai, who took over the captaincy of the national side from Davison following the CWC. He says that losing the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2006-07 to Ireland in May hurt but he knows his side is better prepared now.
“We went into that match without any match practice and not having had a coach since the World Cup. Now we are in the middle of our season. We are fitter, better prepared and ready for the challenge,” he said, adding he had forged a very good working relationship with the interim national coach Pubudu Dassanayake, who is holding the fort until a permanent replacement for Andy Pick is named.
“I know the Dutch are missing a few players and I think if we do all the little things right, we should win… I am enjoying my role now as captain. I have the support of all the players, which is awesome, and I’m looking forward to the game,” said Bagai.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now ICC's premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.
Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.
Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada earlier this year in the 2006-07 event.
The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 at a venue yet to be decided.
Canada (from): Ashish Bagai (captain), Ashishkumar Patel, Ashif Mulla, Geoff Barnett, Henry Osinde, Kevin Sandher, Qaiser Ali, Sunil Dhaniram, Shahzad Khan, Trevin Bastiampillai, Umar Bhatti, Mohsin Mulla, Durand Soraine.
Netherlands (from): Jeroen Smits (captain), Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Alexei Kervezee, Mangesh Panchal, Adeel Raja, Darron Reekers, Edgar Schiferli, Billy Stelling, Eric Szwarczynski.
Umpires: Darrell Hair (Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires) and Roger Dill (ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires International Panel)
For more information go to: http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/
Guyana beats Canadian Guyanese in Independence Celebration -- Posted Tuesday, June 26 2007
The visiting Guyanese team beat a team of Canadian Guyanese in the Celebrity Cricket match at Scarborough (Ontario's) L'Amoreaux Park on Sunday (June 24). The game was part of the Guyana Festival weekend to celebrate Guyanese independence.
The Canadian side made 143 runs for 8 wickets. Aftab Shamshuddeem, called up for the Canada national side against the United Arab Emirates, top scored with 32 runs. Current Canadian internationals Sunil Dhaniram and Abdool Samad played for the Canadian Guyanese side.
Guyana made the runs for the loss of 3 wickets. Sewnarine Chattergoon made 30 and wicketkeeper Darwin Christian 38 before each retired.
It was the 10th year that Western Union has been the main sponsor for this annual celebrity cricket match. A good crowd was on hand. The food tents were doing a good trade and the beer enclosure was packed. The Guyanese Consul General to Canada presented the main trophy.
Attached pictures: Guyana (yellow and green shirts) and Canadian Guyanese (yellow shirts) teams together at the end of the game.
Guyana captain receives trophy from the Consul General of Guyana in Canada.
Eddie Norfolk
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A Model Team -- Posted Tuesday, June 26 2007
A Model Club (Building a better club)
As with most things in life, business, education, athletics programs etc. some are better organized than others. The better organized entity will in most cases be more successful than a competitor with less structure.
My 2 years of exposure to BCMCL and its member clubs supports that basic principle. Not all clubs are equal, some are run better than others and in most cases the better managed clubs become stronger as others become weaker. What does that mean to the League?
At first glance those fortunate enough to belong to a strong club may say "we are doing fine and it's not our problem, let the opposition sink or swim". An understandable viewpoint perhaps but somewhat naive when we look at the big picture. We as a League are only as strong as the weakest links in our community. How does that impact you and your club you may ask? Unfortunately less organized clubs take up a disproportionate amount of resources, in time and administration, to keep within the cricket community. In short they are high maintenance and detract from all participants in the League. If we build stronger clubs it is not unreasonable to expect a stronger League.
This project is a work in progress and those who chose to participate can all learn something. I want to begin to map out the basic components as we understand them essential to building a stronger club. There is no one magic formulae but somewhere in our combined experiences we have learned some of the basic fundamentals which no good club can do without. This then is an attempt to share those basic building blocks for the benefit of all who participate in the BCMCL.
Some will say that these so called fundamentals are nothing more than common sense and for many clubs that may be the case. My two seasons with the BCMCL has revealed several clubs who lack the management skills and tools necessary for success. I believe a little participation and sharing of knowledge in this exercise has the potential to benefit all clubs in our League, weak or strong.
The building blocks:
1. All clubs must have a workable and enforceable Constitution. Why?
a) Without a Constitution you will not have a mechanism that allows the elected officials to govern, administer and organize a club.
b) The rights and aspirations of the general membership will not have a voice in the affairs of the club.
c) Without a formal structure of checks and balances any volunteer group of diverse personalities and egos must eventually result in conflict and chaos. That is human nature.
2. All clubs need at least 2 of the following, a strong President/Secretary/Treasurer. Why?
a) In order to organize and control a diverse group of individuals you must have strong motivational and organizational leadership.
b) You cannot please all the people all of the time, your decisions must benefit the club as a whole and they may be unpopular.
c) Also, get non playing interested individuals involved, they can help in the necessary details to running an efficient club as they are not hindered by time taken up playing cricket.
3. All clubs must have a clear and enforced subscriptions policy. Why?
a) The key too many of the most successful clubs is the collection of subscriptions. By all means have subsidized status within your club for students or unemployed etc. but eventually someone must pick up the tab. The bills have to be paid or you cannot play cricket.
b) Subs should whenever possible be collected before the season starts and in all cases before the individual has played three games for the club. The longer the season progresses the less chance a club has of collecting subs. Any club collecting subs from anyone but new players in July or August will not succeed.
c) Many clubs are reluctant to apply a "no pay no play" policy for fear of loosing players. If you have the courage to apply such a policy you will encounter resistance from many of the membership in the short term but experience shows that once a player has sat out a couple of weeks funds become available. Adopt the policy and stick to it for one season and your subscriptions will be paid on time in the future. If you loose a couple of players at least some other weak club is paying for their services, you and your club mates are not!
Example: The league has recently raised the team entry fee to $800 per season that may sound a lot but in fact it's the best bargain in sport. Working on the assumption that it takes at least 14 players to field a team every week lets look at the numbers but first let us look at a few facts.
Cricket competes for space with many other sports such as soccer, softball, field hockey, ultimate frizbie, etc. and in the greater scheme of things we are a very minor sport. In most municipalities each of those sports would outnumber us at least 10 to 1 in participants. Our particular sport takes up far more space than all of the competition and about three times longer to play a game. In many ways we are very fortunate to be able to play our game with the intense competition for playing fields.
Let's look at the cost. Most players in BCMCL are scheduled to play 18 games per season and an average game takes about 6 hours to play for a total of 108 hours of recreation. It is reasonable to assume that a team is made up of about 14 players.
$800 divided by 14 players = $57.15 per season. $57.15 divided by 108 hours = 0 .53 cents per hour to participate.
If you can find a better bargain in sport please let me know about it. These figures do not include practice time, 6 a side tournaments, friendies or play off games so in fact 53 cents per hour of entertainment may be on the high side. Anyone not willing to pay subscriptions for that kind of bargain should probably not be playing cricket.
4. All clubs should have fundraising strategies in place. Why?
a) The cost of playing cricket will increase in the future as user fees are introduced in all municipalities and access to gaming funds is reduced.
b) Apart from League dues you also have to buy equipment bats, balls, pads etc in order to participate. How much do you have to spend on cricket equipment and where does the money come from? I play for a club where the effective subscription per player is about $79.00 per season. I am told that some clubs charge up to $200 per season to players, why the disparity? Fundraising I believe.
The costs to field a team in the BCMCL should be about the same for all of us I assume so why would it cost more to belong to one club than another? Once again the answer must be fundraising, or the lack of it.
Fundraising can take many forms from Sponsorship through garage sales to 50/50 draws and most of these initiatives require a lot of work. Therein lies the problem for many clubs, if you cannot commit the membership to give up time and energy for fundraising activities then the funds must be raised by raising subscriptions. This is not difficult math here, you either raise money for your club or you pay more to play for that club. That is a choice to be made by the membership. Some individuals may say I have better things to do with my time I would rather pay more subs. Others may say this is a great way to cut the costs of playing cricket and at the same time creating a better club atmosphere, either way the club cannot exist without these revenues. If a club cannot collect these revenues in a timely manner your season will be long and frustrating and the future uncertain.
5. All club members must be available for umpiring assignment. Why?
As you know each team is tasked 10 assignments to fulfill its obligations to the League. If the club misses assignments then the club incurs penalties. Who pays? In some cases the individual will accrue debts to his club to be paid by the individual or his club. In some cases the entire club is penalized if the umpiring assignments slip below 75% Umpire assignments are part of the cost of participating in the BCMCL. If individuals are not prepared to fulfill this obligation a similar criteria as failure to pay subs should apply, they should not be available for selection. If the individual elects to pay for a substitute umpire to fulfill that assignment it is still his responsibility to ensure the assignment is filled.
6. All clubs must have a definitive selection process, understood by the membership. Why?
The selection process should be a function of the club goals set for that season and the wishes of individual players should be secondary to the goals of the club. The wishes or preferences of individual players can be taken into consideration by the selectors but the decisions of the selectors take precedence. The bottom line is do the players play for the club or do they play for a team within that club? If the latter is the case then a selection committee should quit the charade and let the team captains and players fight for their own personal agendas.
7. The workload of as club should be distributed amongst a manageable amount of the membership. Why?
As with many endeavours in life 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people and in a club environment that is not healthy. I know this is a problem common to many clubs/teams but that doesn't make it right. If you as a club do not get off field participation from a broad section of the club that club will stagnate and eventually fail. Once again this relates to strong leadership and motivational skills and the importance of getting broader participation in club affairs should not be underestimated.
8. No club should be based upon ethnic or religious guidelines. Why?
a) Apart from the Canadian Charter of Rights it is simply a stupid policy and runs contrary to the society we have chosen to live in.
b) Any club, group, body drawn upon ethnic or religious lines is destined to be inward looking and prone to paranoia of the outside world. There is enough of that kind of myopia in the world already without introducing such limiting factors and prejudices into the world of amateur sport. Get over it!
The opinions and ideas stated in this document are based upon my own personal experiences in local cricket. I am sure that many clubs and individuals within the BCMCL have different ideas and theories as to the fundamentals of a good cricket club. This is your chance to share them with your peers.
I would appreciate any feed back, positive or negative on this subject in an effort to improve our game for all its participants.
John McCabe
Article sourced from:-
http://www.victoriacricket.ca/season_stats.html
Coaching and cricket tactics -- Posted Tuesday, June 26 2007
Cricket coaching has come a long way in th past couple of generation. Players used to rely on natural ability and would practise their skills sporadically. Teams didn't have coaches. Instead, players relied on each other to impast technichal tips on playing the game. But in the modern era players have all sorts professional backroom staff to call on. The top professional teams such as those representing counties and nations now have fitness trainers, dieticians, sports psychologists, and speciatist coaches who are experts in one facet of the game such as fielding, batting or bowling.
Cricket coaching may be a relatively modern phenomenon but tactics have always played a big role in the game. The team captain has to decide the tactics, and the challenges facing the captain differ according to whether the team is batting or on the field.
The above was transcribed from "Cricket for Dummies".
English cricket's real problem -- Posted Monday, June 25 2007
The Schofield review into last winter's Ashes debacle, to be published on Thursday, has looked at all aspects of the England set-up - but the fear is that it will only scratch the surface of a wide-ranging problem.
The terms of reference for the seven-strong team focused mainly on 'Team England' - selection, coaching and captaincy issues, preparation, player workload and the role of central contracts.
All were factors in England's 5-0 drubbing by Australia and their insipid World Cup performances - but they do not explain why English cricket consistently fails to match up to the Australian model.
BBC Sport looks at the failings of the grass-roots game in England and Wales and what is being done to rectify the situation.
Nick Gandon has been given what, on paper, looks like an impossible task - breathing life into state school cricket in England and Wales.
"Back in 2004, the government said that 87% of state schools provided cricket," says Gandon, director of the Cricket Foundation, a charity endorsed by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
"But it didn't begin to capture the gut feeling that cricket in state schools had massively declined over the last 30 years.
"Our own survey established fewer than 10% of state schools gave opportunities for pupils to take part in at least five organised cricket matches a year."
The Cricket Foundation's Chance to Shine scheme hopes to take the game to 2m in a third of state schools by 2015.
High-quality coaching, delivered through local clubs, and competitive matches are the aim, and Gandon hopes to raise £50m - half through private funding, half through government-matched funding - over five years.
When you consider that approximately 94% of children in the UK are educated in the state sector, you get some idea of the scale of the problem.
According to Gandon, a generation of potential England cricketers have been lost because of the sale of playing fields and the "sanctimonious dogma" of some local authorities that competition can be harmful to children.
Cricket, Gandon says, is seen as difficult and time-consuming, while a "league-table culture" has led to the withdrawal of goodwill from teachers, some of whom believe their work begins and ends in the classroom.
Gandon, however, senses a shift in the mindset of schools, teachers and, most crucial of all, the present government.
"We've been greatly encouraged by the response of schools and teachers in terms of their commitment," he says.
"When we came along in 2005, we found schools being charged by the government, at last, to provide more and better sporting opportunities, so our timing was pretty good."
In 2005, the ECB announced a bid to add 35,000 volunteers to the 50,000 already involved in the game and around 1,400 'focus clubs' have been charged with transferring their expertise to local schools.
Still, the ECB has a long way to go to match Cricket Australia's commitment to grass-roots cricket.
Cricket Australia wants the game to be the "sport of choice for young Australians - the most played sport in the country".
To that end, more than 500,000 Aussie children take part in Cricket Australia's Milo development programmes each year and the game is played in most schools.
According to Sport England, only 14% of children in state secondary schools play cricket in any form in England - half as many as take part in rounders.
And Wayne Clark, who led Yorkshire to the County Championship title in 2001 and also led Western Australia to two Pura Cups, believes the English counties should be doing more to nurture the game at a lower level.
"In Australia, the states are responsible for delivering the Milo cricket programmes, which involve more than 500,000 children each year," said Clark.
"The states are involved with the schools competitions from the age of eight upwards. In terms of structures and participation, things are a lot stronger."
In club cricket, too, England lags way behind Australia in terms of participation as a percentage of the population.
Sport England statistics reveal that only 0.9% of England's over 16s, roughly 380,000 people out of 39m, played cricket at least once a month in 2005-2006, making it less popular than bowls and yoga.
Cricket Australia claims 478,000 registered cricketers out of a population of 20.2m and is aiming to increase that to 550,000 by 2009.
In 2005, the ECB commissioned a report into the club game in England and Wales and its conclusion, broadly speaking, was that it was in turmoil.
The report, published by the Observer, found many of the 6,200 ECB-affiliated clubs, run on a voluntary basis and starved of money, were under constant pressure to survive.
It also found that facility provision and the training and retention of an ageing band of volunteers were major issues that needed addressing.
Premier League teams receive approximately £1,000 a season from the ECB while just 5% of the £220m Sky TV money filters down to clubs.
The ECB, however, says what money there is is being delivered in a structured, rational way.
"From a facilities and people perspective, the club game in England has never been better," says the ECB's club development manager David Leighton.
"If you're getting an inkling that clubs aren't happy, it will tend to be those that don't want to help themselves and just want a hand-out. That's not going to happen any more."
In short, ECB-affiliated clubs with junior sections, of which there are an estimated 3,500, and which can produce coherent development plans are more likely to receive funding, coaching expertise and facilities than others.
The custodians of English cricket clearly recognise the foundations have been rotting and are applying treatment.
Hopefully, they also recognise that the resuscitation of the grass-roots game will have far greater implications for future national teams than any tinkering with 'Team England'.
Article sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/6398835.stm
Editors comment:
Given the experience of the England and Wales Cricket Board one must muse about the Canadian Cricket Association proposal to develop a programme for introducing cricket into Canadian schools. Is there the organizational clout available to make the proposal into a reality, or is it going to be placed before the wonder boy CEO, whenever we learn who that may be. (JH)
Clean-up in Stanley Park -- Posted Sunday, June 24 2007
In 2006 we had a problem with teams playing at Upper and Lower Brockton not cleaning up after games and leaving tables, chairs, boundary markers, etc. for pavilion staff to put away. The Management Committee responded by announcing a new policy to ensure that this does not happen. The original announcement indicated that the policy would be in place until the end of the 2006 season.
The original intent was that the policy would be put before the Club Delegates for inclusion into the Governing Rules. Unfortunately, when revising the Governing Rules for the 2007 season, this issue was overlooked.
The problem continues however and so at our last meeting the Management Committee unanimously agreed to reintroduce the policy for 2007 and will put it before the Club Delegates at the next opportunity. Therefore, effective immediately the pavilion staff will submit a report to the League on Monday mornings detailing the condition of the park after each game. If the report indicates that equipment is still being left out the captains of BOTH offending teams will be suspended for one game. Please govern yourselves accordingly.
Gary Taylor, President, BCMCL.
Cricket is bowling kids over -- Posted Sunday, June 24 2007
A cricket league in Scarborough would be a hit for a Scarborough physical education teacher.
If Tim Stone had his way there would be cricket at every school in Scarborough and even across the GTA.
Stone helped organize the Vradenburg Cricket Festival that was held at Vradenburg Junior Public School at Warden and Finch avenues on Wednesday. Grade 4, 5 and 6 students from Cornell Public School at Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue and North York's Grenoble Public School at Don
Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue were invited to compete.
"There were cricket information displays and the school soccer field was transformed into a full-fledged cricket stadium with a boundary that goes all the way around," he said. "There were also some tents to make a pavilion area."
Stone said he fell in love with the sport when he was studying for his teaching degree in Australia where the sport is popular.
"When I saw it being played in Australia I thought it was great," he said. "It's a great game. It's a hand-eye co-ordination sport like baseball, but a lot more strategy."
So, along with a baseball team practice, the school held regular cricket practices.
"It provided an opportunity for more of the school to get involved," he said. "Being a Toronto school there's no question that cricket is a sport for a lot of the students that is in their background. Maybe their parents played it."
England is the birthplace of cricket, he said, and the sport spread through South Asia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, including Jamaica and Barbados, and Australia.
Stone said he started working on the school's cricket festival back in March.
Through a partnership with the two other schools and help from Melvin John, president of M D Community Corp., who brought in and paid for cricket coaches as well as supplying equipment.
John said he got involved in the cricket festival to promote the sport.
"I played cricket since I was a child and I like being able to bring cricket into the schools," he said. "I went to the schools and offered my help in any way I could to promote cricket. They didn't have a coach so I found one that could go in and work with the kids."
John, who is an Anglo-Indian from Pakistan, has been in Canada for 20 years and lives in Scarborough. "A lot of kids have never played," he said. "They're very hyped about it."
He would like to see the sport played competitively at a junior level.
"If we had started this in the 1970s we would have had a great team in the World Cup," he said. "We need to groom our kids much earlier. It's not just a game for South Asians, English or Australians. It's a game for everybody."
Stone said he's all for pushing grass roots cricket in the schools.
"One day our national team will be made up of players who learned cricket in Canada," he said.
Stone said part of the problem with promoting the sport is most people are frightened of it. "It seems so strange and different," he said. "There's a lot of strategy, but the kids are attracted to that. The kids like that they have to do some thinking. It's perceived to be a complicated sport but it's not as much as people think."
It involves the skill of overhand bowling.
"You have to throw with a straight arm overhand bowl," he said. "It doesn't compare to any other sport. It's a very unique action."
That's where the coach has been essential to teach them how to do the overhand bowling properly.
"The students have made great progress not only in their skill but also in understanding the spirit of the game," he said. "All sports have sportsmanship but cricket puts a heavy emphasis on the spirit of the game. It's a gentleman's sport and the tradition of the game is very important."
Cricket will probably never become a major sport like baseball or hockey, John said.
"Cricket will find it's own place," John said. "There should be a variety of sports for everybody and cricket is now a part of that variety."
Article sourced from:-
http://www.insidetoronto.com/Sports/Scarborough/article/28540
Toronto Police and OMNI TV winners in CIMA cricket -- Posted Saturday, June 23 2007
The Toronto Police won the CIMA Mayor's Trophy for the public and corporate sector in this year's CIMA Celebration of Cricket festival at Sunnybrook Park, Toronto, on Saturday (June 23, 2007). OMNI TV beat CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) in the Media section.
Toronto Police regained the title it gained in 2005 before being edged out by Scotiabank last year. These two teams met in one semi-final that the Police won handily. The City's Police then beat the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) in the section Final. The TTC had beaten FedEx, a new entry this year, in the second semi-final.
OMNI and CBC were new entries this year and made the final at the expense of teams from City TV, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star and The Toronto Sun . There was major media presence at this event.
At the closing presentations, City Councillor Adam Vaughan, a former City TV correspondent, praised CIMA for the hosting of the event and looked forward to CIMA, Canadian cricket and the City of Toronto repeating the global win in the International Cricket Council (ICC)' s Annual Development Awards for marketing and promotion of cricket that CIMA won for the 2006 Celebration of Cricket.
Vaughan commented on Canada's presence at Cricket World Cup 2007 and saw the potential of young talent who played in the junior section of this CIMA Celebration. Many other youngsters were in the crowd on a sunny day in a beautiful park, some playing in the nets.
Toronto City Mayor, David Miller, took part in the Ceremonial Game between the Public Sector and the Private Sector. Miller scored 14 runs and took 2 wickets for 5 runs. He was proud of the sucess of this event and the recognition CIMA had brought for cricket in Toronto through their success in the ICC Development Awards. ICC Americas Development Manager, Martin Viera, attended the event.
CIMA's Global President, Mr Gordon Grant was delighted to be at this event that features at the top of the CIMA international social and community calendar. He expressed pride in the global recognition from the ICC. CIMA is a global chartered accountants institute with a presence in around 160 countries. Mr. Grant noted Toronto and Canada as having major multi-cultural diversity, similar to CIMA; a global mix that brings a global sport - cricket - to the Toronto community helped by a global corporate entity.
Mr. Grant was surprised, but delighted to meet Canadian World Cup 2007 all-rounder George Codrington, who played for the winning Toronto Police team. Cricket and life can be full of surprises.
Eddie Norfolk
Pictures from Eddie Norfolk
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TDCA Canada Day celebration -- Posted Saturday, June 23 2007
The Toronto District Cricket Association is hosting an inaugural 20/20 knock out Maple Leaf Cup Cricket tournament during the long weekend in celebration of Canada Day festivities.
The entry fee is $500.00 per team. The matches will be played at Maple Leaf Cricket Club in King City. Colour clothing is required. Umpires and balls are provided by the organisers. Scorers are to be provided by the teams.
The draw date will be published and all teams that have registered will be advised via email or phone as needed. More detailed information will be provided to the registered teams.
Cash prizes and trophies to be awarded to Winner and Runner up teams. There are few spots still open at this time. First come first serve.
All teams that have been registered will receive confirmation via email. We hope to make this an annual event.
Come join us, have fun, and start a new beginning.
Interested teams; please contact Ranjit Saini via email at
sainir@sympatico.ca
Ranjit Saini
20/20 Coordinator, TDCA
CANADA DAY CELEBRATION CUP -- Posted Saturday, June 16 2007
On June 30, 2007, the Ottawa Valley Cricket Council (OVCC) will celebrate Canada Day by hosting an under-19 cricket match between OVCC juniors and Quebec Juniors.
OVCC plans to make this an annual event by inviting teams from different regions each year.
The cricket tournament will bring our communities together, to discover and appreciate the wealth and diversity of Canadian society, and to show our love and pride in being Canadian.
The event is designed to introduce the sport and traditions of cricket to a wider community. In Ottawa, and throughout the nation, participating in sport activities play a critical role in promoting fitness and healthy living.
We invite everyone to participate in our local celebration scheduled to take place on Saturday June 30, 2007 at the Governor Generals' ground at Rideau Hall, 126 Mackay Street, Ottawa.
The day's activities commence at 11:00 am with a flag raising and singing of the Canadian National Anthem.
Following the opening ceremonies a full fifty over game will be played between the two teams who will be aiming to win the inaugural CANADA DAY CELEBRATION CUP.
At 6:00 pm we close our day's activities with an awards presentation.
Item submitted by:-
Shawn Manhas
OVCC/OCA Junior Coordinator
Editorial comment.
The above initiative, and the one in British Columbia, suggests that Canada Day could be a day of cricket from coast to coast. (JH)
Business as usual at Cricinfo -- Posted Saturday, June 16 2007
Tom Gleeson answers readers' questions
Cricinfo staff
June 14, 2007
As most of you are aware, Cricinfo has been acquired by ESPN, one of the world's leading sports media companies. We have received a huge amount of feedback to the news from our users from all over the world. Some of you raised some legitimate concerns about how the acquisition might affect the future of Cricinfo and how it might affect the nature of our coverage.
On your behalf we put these questions to Tom Gleeson, the managing director of Cricinfo, and here are the answers.
The biggest worry is that, due to the demands of ESPN's bottom line, Cricinfo will start charging for use of the site, or part of it (especially archives). One of the biggest attractions of Cricinfo is that, unlike most top news portals, the entire site is free to use (and doesn't require registration). Is this in any danger following the takeover?
Cricinfo owes its success and popularity to providing the best and most complete cricket coverage as free content. ESPN recognise this and have no plans to alter the format of Cricinfo. Fans really like the product today; we will just work with ESPN to look to enhance it over time.
One of the biggest running stories in world cricket today is the plethora of TV deals, the millions/billions of dollars involved, how the deals unravel, what pressures they place on the game itself. Cricinfo has done a lot of writing on this issue, much of it critical of how TV programming is taking over the game. The takeover will bring up a conflict of interest - ESPN is part owner of ESPN-Star Sports, one of the biggest broadcasters in world cricket and the organisation that currently holds the ICC's telecast rights. Will Cricinfo manage to retain editorial independence on this issue?
ESPN's acquisition of Cricinfo.com was not a joint venture with ESPN-Star Sports. Cricinfo.com is not defined by regions; nor is it editorially tied only to Asia.
Cricinfo.com is the world's leading cricket website, which is used by fans globally. Our editorial independence will remain intact.
Indian readers have been curious about another aspect to the relationship between Cricinfo and ESPN-Star Sports. There is a feeling that Cricinfo can bring its unmatched insightful analysis, archival storage and wealth of statistics to a greater audience through TV, especially in India. Is this a possibility? What will be the relationship between Cricinfo and ESPN-Star?
Now that the deal has been completed we will begin working with ESPN-Star Sports to explore how we can work together in a mutually beneficial way.
Cricket is a game famous for its idiosyncrasies and its indulgence of eccentricity. It is unlike any mainstream American sport. That culture spills over into cricket journalism, from match commentary to feature writing to the way journalists look at the sport. One of Cricinfo's strengths has been its ability to provide blanket coverage yet maintain that idiosyncratic streak. Is there a danger of Cricinfo's reportage being dovetailed into the more factual, dry, statistics-oriented style that Americans prefer?
There is no danger of this. Cricinfo will continue to offer the highest-quality cricket coverage tailored to our global audience.
On a related theme, one of the bonuses associated with Cricinfo was its regular use of articles from The Wisden Cricketer magazine and Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Will that relationship continue?
The relationship with Wisden will continue and Wisden content will be available on Cricinfo.
Some of our readers in the US hope that "ESPN actually uses this purchase to bring cricket to the States, and not just to expand its international footprint in South Asia/Australia". Any comments on that? Any plans for more US coverage or promotional activities?
The US is a big market for Cricinfo, with two million people in the States already using Cricinfo on a regular basis. We certainly hope that cricket continues to develop in the States and that Cricinfo can be a part of that.
Item sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/297910.html?CMP=NLC-DLY
Davison missing from Canada squad -- Posted Friday, June 15 2007
Intercontinental Cup 2007-08
Canada's selectors have named a 13-man squad for the Intercontinental Cup matches against Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. The players for the two ODI matches with Netherlands will be selected from this same group.
John Davison is not part of this squad. No comment on his situation has been made by the Canadian Cricket Association, although Ian Billcliff is flagged as not being available for these matches.
Sunil Dhaniram returns to the squad after injury that forced him to miss the recent Intercontinental Cup final against Ireland. Pace bowlers Ashish Patel (Gujarat CC, Quebec) and Steve Welsh (Meraloma, British Columbia) return to the national side. Patel took three wickets for Quebec in their Atholstan Cup win over Ontario at the weekend.
The selection likely to set people talking is the naming of Shehzad Afzul. He opened the batting for Canada A against the MCC in 2005 in a three-day game and later showed skill as a medium-pace bowler. He plays for play-off champions Salem Akbar in the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League.
The CCA publication of the squad notes Afzul is selected "pending verification of eligibility". The expanded ODI and Intercontinental Cup program demands professionalism from the players and team support staff. Clearly someone needs to work on the off-field administration. A comment "and a player to be named later" might have met interim needs.
The opening home game with the Dutch is the Intercontinental Cup tie at Maple Leaf CC, King City, from June 28 to July 1 (Canada Day). Someone I spoke to last night said there have not been any net practices so far, based on his knowledge, even for the Toronto-based players. There was a lack of practice prior to the Intercontinental Cup final as well and the national coach's position remains vacant.
The ODIs then take place at Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club on July 3 and 4. The Intercontinental Cup match with the UAE is at Maple Leaf CC from July 6 to 9.
The good news, potentially, is the Dutch have named a squad that is without Ryan ten Doeschate (who is contracted to Essex) and some other veterans, some of whom have retired from international cricket. Young prospect Alexei Kervezee is available from Worcestershire. Wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits will captain the team.
The UAE will also play two one-day matches against a Canadian XI at Maple Leaf CC on July 3 and 4, and face Ontario, also at King City, on July 11. The John Ross Robertson (Eastern) final is set for Montreal on Canada Day, thus clashing with the last day of the match with the Dutch. Montreal hosts the Adastrians (Quebec) v Canterbury (Ottawa Valley) semi-final on Saturday June 30.
Canada squad Ashish Bagai, Sunil Dhaniram, Umar Bhatti, Ashif Mulla, Trevin Bastiampillai, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad (all Ontario) Geoffery Barnett, Kevin Sandher, Steve Welsh, Shehzad Afzul (all British Columbia) Qaiser Ali, Ashish Patel (both Quebec).
Eddie Norfolk
June 14, 2007
Eastern Canada Women’s Cricket Training Camp -- Posted Friday, June 15 2007
Invitation to the Eastern Canada Women’s Cricket Training Camp
This invitation is extended to all females over the age of 16 years who wish to participate in cricket in Canada. The respective Provincial Governing Bodies and local League Associations/clubs are asked to ensure that all female cricketers within their jurisdiction are extended this invitation and encouraged to register their interest.
The dual purpose of the camp is to develop and enhance the skills and knowledge of players and to identify potential nominees for both Eastern Canada and the National Canadian Women’s teams for provincial and international competition.
The Training Camp will be held at the Sunnybrook Park Cricket Field in Toronto, Ontario on:
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Coaches and National Selectors will be in attendance.
Funding may be available for accommodation, transportation and/or meals depending on the number and location of respondents by the deadline set out below:
Response to be submitted to:
Ave Mogan E-mail: cricketgal@rogers.com
A Western Canada Training Camp will be held July 7 and 8, 2007. Persons wishing to be considered for the National team but unable to attend either camp are asked to contact the Women’s Cricket Coordinator, Claire Abbott, at cricketclaire@gmail.com. Only in exceptional circumstances will a player who has not attended a Training Camp be considered for the National team.
Upon compilation of responses, each potential participant will be provided with more details regarding the arrangements for the Camp, available funding and other requirements.
Sincerely,
Claire Abbott
Women’s Cricket Coordinator
Canadian Cricket Association
SPECIAL TRAINING CAMP
Wednesday August 15
Arrival of Ann Browne-John (Coach)
Arrival Team Bermuda
Thursday August 16
Training Session Team Bermuda
Arrival Team Argentina
Friday August 17
Training AM Team Argentina
Training PM Team Bermuda
Arrival Team Canada
Saturday August 18
Training AM Team Bermuda
Training PM Team Canada
Arrival Team T & T
Sunday August 19
Training AM Team Argentina
Training PM Team Bermuda
Ross Lord Nets
Net Practice AM Team T&T
Ross Lord Nets
Net Practice PM Team Canada
All training sessions conducted by Ann Browne-John at Ross Lord Nets
Net Practice for individual teams at Sunnybrook Park Nets on Sunday morning-optional
Americas Women’s Championship
Monday August 20
Trinidad & Tobago vs Canada
Bermuda vs Argentina
Tuesday August 21
Trinidad & Tobago vs Bermuda
Canada vs Argentina
Wednesday August 22
Rest Day / Rain Day
Thursday August 23
Trinidad & Tobago vs Argentina
Canada vs Bermuda
Friday August 24
Trinidad & Tobago vs Americas XI
Rest of Americas “A” vs “B”
Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 -- Posted Friday, June 15 2007
Canada's selectors have named a 13-man squad for the Intercontinental Cup matches against Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. The players for the two ODI matches with Netherlands will be selected from this same group.
John Davison is not part of this squad. No comment on his situation has been made by the Canadian Cricket Association, although Ian Billcliff is flagged as not being available for these matches.
Sunil Dhaniram returns to the squad after injury that forced him to miss the recent Intercontinental Cup final against Ireland. Pace bowlers Ashish Patel (Gujarat CC, Quebec) and Steve Welsh (Meraloma, British Columbia) return to the national side. Patel took three wickets for Quebec in their Atholstan Cup win over Ontario at the weekend.
The selection likely to set people talking is the naming of Shehzad Afzul. He opened the batting for Canada A against the MCC in 2005 in a three-day game and later showed skill as a medium-pace bowler. He plays for play-off champions Salem Akbar in the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League.
The CCA publication of the squad notes Afzul is selected "pending verification of eligibility". The expanded ODI and Intercontinental Cup program demands professionalism from the players and team support staff. Clearly someone needs to work on the off-field administration. A comment "and a player to be named later" might have met interim needs.
The opening home game with the Dutch is the Intercontinental Cup tie at Maple Leaf CC, King City, from June 28 to July 1 (Canada Day). Someone I spoke to last night said there have not been any net practices so far, based on his knowledge, even for the Toronto-based players. There was a lack of practice prior to the Intercontinental Cup final as well and the national coach's position remains vacant.
The ODIs then take place at Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club on July 3 and 4. The Intercontinental Cup match with the UAE is at Maple Leaf CC from July 6 to 9.
The good news, potentially, is the Dutch have named a squad that is without Ryan ten Doeschate (who is contracted to Essex) and some other veterans, some of whom have retired from international cricket. Young prospect Alexei Kervezee is available from Worcestershire. Wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits will captain the team.
The UAE will also play two one-day matches against a Canadian XI at Maple Leaf CC on July 3 and 4, and face Ontario, also at King City, on July 11. The John Ross Robertson (Eastern) final is set for Montreal on Canada Day, thus clashing with the last day of the match with the Dutch. Montreal hosts the Adastrians (Quebec) v Canterbury (Ottawa Valley) semi-final on Saturday June 30.
Canada squad Ashish Bagai, Sunil Dhaniram, Umar Bhatti, Ashif Mulla, Trevin Bastiampillai, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad (all Ontario) Geoffery Barnett, Kevin Sandher, Steve Welsh, Shehzad Afzul (all British Columbia) Qaiser Ali, Ashish Patel (both Quebec).
Report submitted by Eddie Norfolk
Canada Day Centennial Cricket Anyone? -- Posted Thursday, June 14 2007
As part of its Centennial celebrations, Naramata is reviving an old fashioned cricket tradition which flourished in Naramata during the first part of the last century.
Brodie’s Flats — today’s Manitou Park — was where teams from elsewhere in the British Columbia Okanagan Valley would challenge the Naramata squad more than fifty years ago.
The initiative for the formation of Manitou Park, as well as much of the early preparation, was undertaken by locals interested in importing their beloved match from their various native lands. Historic references to cricket matches in Naramata date back to 1937, with the last organized match winding up some time in the late 1950s.
The 2007 Centennial tribute match will take place at Manitou Park at 11 AM, July 1st.
There will be a public-address system with a commentary, so that spectators will be given some idea of how the game is played.
Naramata residents are encouraged to bring a picnic to the park and enjoy the cricket match in much the same way our predecessors would have done on a sunny afternoon more than 50 years earlier.
The event is being organized by Grant Gichard, who has been conferring with long time resident Charles Tyndall for historical details and inspiration.
Since word leaked out about the upcoming game, Gichard has received calls from players in Naramata and elsewhere in the South Okanagan who are interested in being involved.
He says the original "wicket" (playing pitch) is still obvious against the surrounding lawn of Manitou Park due to drainage rock laid some 6 inches below the surface of the pitch many years earlier.
Gichard has been preparing the old pitch for the Canada Day match by using a loaned concrete lawn roller.
For more information, contact Gichard at ggichard@shaw.ca.
According to the historic photographic record the back row depicts:
Kenneth McKay, Paul Turney, (an unknown), Len Smith, (another unknown), Leslie Frances.
In the middle row is::- Jack Hannam, Anson Day, Perry Darling, Rue Overend, Cecil Glass, Phil Hawkes.
In the front row: Gwyn Staniforth, Willie Walton, Brick McKay (team captain), Bob Conway, Phillip Chambers.
It is said the big cup in front of Brick McKay was called the Spencer Cup and was supplied by Spencer’s Department Store in Vancouver, in appreciation for the mail order business from Naramata residents.
In the early years of cricket here, Naramata was in a league with Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton.
Our home team also hosted groups from Toronto, Vancouver, Trail, the West Indies, and the renowned M.C.C from London, England.
Ontario U-19 Accomplishes Decisive Win -- Posted Thursday, June 14 2007
Ontario U-19 played two matches with Quebec U-19 team on June 9 and 10, 2007 in Montreal, Quebec.
The matches were played at Douglas Hospital grounds. The Ontario U-19 team under the guidance and management from the Junior Coordinator, Shawn Manhas, and the junior selection chair, Ranjit Saini performed well in both games and brought home victories in both matches as well as a friendly 20/20 match.
First 50 over Match:
In the first match, Ontario won the toss and decided to field first. Quebec U-19 was bowled out for 55 runs in 24 overs. Vicky P. made 10 runs as the highest scorer. Vicky displayed good cricket skills and was a delight to watch. In response, Ontario U-19 scored 56 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 14 overs. Bhaiyat Suhel was the highest scorer and made 13 not out.
20/20 Match
As the first match came to a conclusion fast and there was sufficient time to play a 20/20 match, the Ontario team manager made a request to play a 20/20 match with the Quebec U-19 team. Quebec accepted the request to play an un-official match. Ontario batted first and made a high score of 195 runs. Bhaiyat Suhel and Abdullah Mohammed were the highest scorers hitting their fifties. In response Quebec-19 made 105. This was a thrilling match and unlike the 50 over match, the Quebec U-19 made a spirited attempt and displayed good cricket. The Ontario U-19 management took out all top order batsmen and made room for younger players to participate in this match.
Second 50 over Match:
Quebec won the toss and invited Ontario to bat first. Ontario made 145 runs in 32+ overs. Salman Arshad was the highest scorer and made 68 runs. This included 7 towering sixes and two 4’s. The ground conditions weren’t suitable for most batsmen because the grass in the outfield was very high and not conducive to shots played on the ground. In response to Ontario’s 145, the Quebec side was able to make only 38 runs. Usama Khalid displayed outstanding bowling skills by taking 5 wickets and giving 4 runs in 7 overs.
Salman Arshad received award for MVP and best batting for game 2. Bhaiyat Suhel received award for best batting for the first game. OCA wishes to congratulate both the recipients of the awards and Usama Khalid for an outstanding performance by taking 5 wickets and gave 4 runs in 7 overs.
Overall, Ontario U-19 team displayed good discipline in ground as well as outside activities. The hosts made several good comments on the performance and behaviour of the Ontario U-19 squad. The young players behaved and acted responsibly as ambassadors of Youth Cricket in Ontario. The tour was well planned and activities well administered by tour manager Mohammed Shaikh. Mr. Mufti from Ottawa and Mr. Mike Kendall, President OCA came to represent Ontario and supported the teams. Mr. Ragoobir Henry was present as senior team manager and helped out with junior team activities as well.
While on its way to Montreal, around Kingston, the Ontario U-19 team was hit hard with a tragedy. The team manager was made aware that the father of Naman Tewatia, a member of the U-19 squad had died. Immediate arrangements were made to send Naman home so that be could be with his family.
Ontario Cricket Association wishes to extend its condolences to theT ewatia family on their loss.
Report submitted by Mohammed R. Shaikh
Canadian Intercontinental Cup and ODI Squad -- Posted Thursday, June 14 2007
Canada's National Selectors have named a 13-man squad for the fast-approaching home Intercontinental Cup matches with the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. The players for the two ODI matches with the Netherlands will be selected from this same squad.
John Davison is not part of this squad. No comment on his situation has initially been published by the Canadian Cricket Association (CCA), but Ian Billcliff is advised as not being available for these matches.
Sunil Dhaniram returns to the squad after injury that forced him to miss the recent ICC Intercontinental Cup Final in Leicester against Ireland. Pace-bowlers Ashish Patel (Gujarat CC, Quebec) and Steve Welsh (Meraloma, British Columbia) return to the national side. Patel took 3 wickets for Quebec in their Atholstan Cup win over Ontario at the weekend.
The selection likely to set people talking is the naming of Shehzad Afzul. He opened the batting for Canada A against the MCC in 2005 in a 3-day game. He later showed skill as a medium pace bowler in that drawn game. Afzul plays for playoff champions Salem Akbar in the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League. He looked good against the MCC in an unusual looking squad for a one-day game (ex-West Indies skipper,now TV Commentator Jimmy Adams played for Canada) and the three-day game. Nick Compton scored a fine century for the MCC in the 3-day game, adding some 275 runs with a player who had a couple of matches for Victoria (Australia).
The CCA publication of the squad notes Afzul in selected 'pending verification of eligibility.' The expanded ODI and Intercontinental Cup program demands professionalism from the players and team support staff.
Clearly someone needs to work on the off-field administration. A comment 'and a player to be named later' might have met interim needs.
The opening home game with the Dutch is the Intercontinental Cup 4-day game at Maple Leaf CC, King City,from June 28 to July 1 (Canada Day).
I spoke with a contact who said there have not been any net practices so far, based on his knowledge, even for the Toronto-based players. There was a lack of practice prior to the Intercontinental Cup Final in Leicester. The National Coach's position is currently vacant, as far as I am aware.
The ODI's take place at the Toronto Cricket,Skating and Curling Club on July 3 & 4. The IC match with the UAE is at Maple Leaf CC from July 6-9.
The good news, potentially, is the Dutch have named a squad that is deviod of Ryan ten Doeschate (playing for Essex in England) and some other veterans, some of whom have retired from international or first class cricket. Young prospect Alexei Kervezee is available from Worcestershire. Wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits will captain the team.
The UAE will also play two one-day matches against a Canadian XI at Maple Leaf CC on July 3 and 4, and face Ontario, also at King City, on July 11.
The John Ross Robertson (Eastern) Final is set for Montreal on Canada Day, thus clashing with the last day of the IC match with the Dutch. Montreal hosts the Adastrians (Quebec) v Canterbury (Ottawa Valley) semi-final on Saturday June 30.
The CCA is advertising for a Chief Executive Officer. “Implementing a long-term strategic plan' is one of the stated needs. The naming of the squad for these matches is accompanied by confirmation of the home venues for these matches. Someone obviously needs to look at some of the shorter-term strategies and plans, as well.
One final note. For whatever reason, some people seem to think Geoff Barnett is an “aging veteran”. Barnett, who plays for Central Districts in New Zealand, is 23 years old. He was the second youngest player on Canada's Cricket World Cup 2007 squad. Umar Bhatti is about one month older.
Bhatti, Ashish Bagai, Kevin Sandher, Trevin Bastiampillai and Ashif Mulla each played Under-19 international cricket for Canada. Bagai, Sandher and Mulla were previously members of the Americas Development XI in an U-19 World Cup, as were two of Bermuda's squad at CWC2007. Sandher was born in Vancouver, the rest are migrants who came to Canada as youngsters with their families.
Canadian Cricket Squad:
Ashish Bagai, Sunil Dhaniram, Umar Bhatti, Ashif Mulla, Trevin Bastiampillai, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad (all Ontario) Geoffery Barnett, Kevin Sandher, Steve Welsh, Shehzad Afzul * (all British Columbia) Qaiser Ali, Ashish Patel (both Quebec).
* Afzul's presence is 'pending verification of eligibility'.
Eddie Norfolk
Canada announce home schedule -- Posted Wednesday, June 13 2007
Canada have announced their home fixtures this summer. They have two Intercontinental Cup matches. Firstly, they will face Netherlands from June 28 to July 1, then UAE in a game starting on July 6.
Two ODIs against Netherlands will be held in between, on July 3 and 4, the same dates as when Canada A are playing UAE in two warm-up ODIs. It’s not ideal to have both Canada A and the full team are playing over the long weekend, but this was somewhat unavoidable, as the UAE having to change their schedule to cope with other ODI requirements. Those changes caused a conflict in Canada with the games which had already been scheduled with Holland.
Ontario will then play UAE in a one-dayer on July 11
Information sourced from:-
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/btw/archives/canada/
Atholstan Cup: Quebec beats battling Ontario -- Posted Monday, June 11 2007
Match played at: Raymond Park, La Salle, Montreal, PQ(Quebec):, June 9 & 10, 2007
Scoring highlights (day 2 of 2):
Quebec 225 runs all out (48.2 overs; Qaiser Ali 64runs , Abdul Jabbar 38 runs) and 165 runs for 8 wickets (50 overs, innings closed; Jitender Singh 35 runs not out, Hezron Lawrence 35 runs, Aftab Shamshoddeem 2 wickets for 13 runs in 10 overs)
Ontario 126 runs all out (43.1 overs: Aftab Shamshoddeem 33 runs, Naresh Patel 3 wickets for 23 runs) and 210 (46.1 overs; Aftab Shamshoddeem 56 runs, Roopnaraine 43 runs; Naresh Patel 3 wickets for 51 runs)
Quebec won the toss and elected to bat.
Quebec won by 44 runs
There was a 50 over limit on each teams' innings (applied to both first and second innings.)
Summary:
Quebec regained the Atholstan Cup in LaSalle (Montreal) on Sunday (June 10), beating Ontario by 44 runs. Ontario battled back on the second day with some solid bowling that restricted Quebec to just 165 runs from 50 overs.
Aftab Shamshoddeem was particularly impressive. He conceded just 13 runs from 10 overs and took 2 wickets. Jitender Singh and Hezron Lawrence each scored 35 runs for Quebec.
Shamshoddeem was pivotal in Ontario's performance, making 56 runs (2x4, 1x6) when opening the second innings batting. He lead the way for the visitors in this match and the hosts celebrated his dismissal. He was fourth out with the total on 102 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
Ontario then slumped to 148 runs for 8 wickets before Naresh Roopnaraine (43 runs) and Harvir Baidwan (24 runs) lead a spirited effort for the last two wickets.
Quebec skipper Naresh Patel again took 3 wickets, but he conceded 51 runs in the second inings as Ontario battled to get back into contention.
The afternoon crowd was bigger on the second day, despite the conter-attraction of the Forumula 1 Grand Prix du Canada.
Junior interprovincial matches:
Ontario won the two one-day matches played between the respective junior sides in Verdun. On Saturday, the Ontario Juniors won by 8 wickets after bowling out Quebec for 55 runs. Ontario then made 146 runs and won by 108 runs on Sunday (June 10).
Overall, it was a positive weekend for Canadian cricket.
Eddie Norfolk
Photos show Asish Patel bowling, and Qaser Ali receiving the MVP award
Quebec well poised in Atholstan Cup -- Posted Sunday, June 10 2007
Match played at: Raymond Park, La Salle, Montreal, PQ(Quebec):, June 9, 2007
Scoring highlights (day 1 of 2): Quebec 225 runs all out (48.2 overs; Qaiser Ali 64runs , Abdul Jabbar 38 runs) and 11-0
Ontario 126 runs all out (43.1 overs: Aftab Shamshoddeem 33 runs, Naresh Patel 3 wickets for 23 runs)
Quebec won the toss and elected to bat.
Quebec, with all ten second innings wickets standing, leads by 110 runs.
Play resumes at 11 am on Sunday June 10.
Summary:
Quebec ended the first day of the Atholstan Cup with a lead of 110 runs over Ontario. The home side won the toss and elected to bat. It was an intesting contest between bat and ball as there was some variable bounce from the wicket. Opening batsman Abdul Jabbar made 38 of the first 58 runs (4x4, 1x6) before being bowled. Qaiser Ali made 64 runs, combining with Singh Jitender to add 68 runs for the 4th wicket. Late-order batsman Roshan Jegaseelan hit 3 sixes in a breezy innings of 25 runs. Six Ontario bowlers combined to take the Quebec innings wickets.
Aftab Shamshoddeem made 33 runs at the start of Ontario's first innings and . The first five Ontario batsmen reached double figures but none was able to go on and make fifty or more on the day. Five Quebec bowlers shared the wickets as a mostly young Ontario side was all out for 126 runs in its first innings. Quebec captain, Naresh Patel, took 3 wickets for 23 runs.
The home side extended the lead from 99 runs , on first innings, to 110 runs by close of play on day 1 of 2. The match resumes at Raymond Park, La Salle, Montreal at 11 am on Sunday (June 10).
Eddie Norfolk
Montreal, Quebec
Scorecard
Quebec - 1st Innings (50 over limit)
Abdul Jabbar b Hussain 38 - 55min 36balls 4x4 1x6
Abis Hussain lbw Roopnaraine 5 - 29m 14b
+ Nonder Edwards b Soraine 14 - 61m 38b
Qaiser Ali c Harvin b Matadard 64 - 84m 70b 3x4 4x6
Jitender Singh Run Out 16 - 36m 33b 0x4 1x6
Hezron Lawrence c Sami Farier b Matadar 4 - 1m 3b 1x4
*Naresh Patel c Haniff b Sami Farier 16 - 23m 23b 1x4, 1x6
Ashish Patel c Azir Ali b Roopnaraine 4 - 22m 16b
Roshan Jegaseelan c Shamshuddeen b Hussain 25 - 29m 18b 0x4 3x6
Krunal Patel b Harvir 15 - 33m 22m 1x4
Amir Bhatti Not Out 2 - 9m 7 b
Extras B1, LB 2, W 15, NB 4 22
TOTAL 225 all out (48.2 overs)
Fall of wickets 30-1 (6.4 overs, Hussain), 58-2 (12.2, Jabbar), 78-3 (14.4 Edwards), 146-4 (31.6, Singh), 150-6 (Lawrence) -7 (, Q. Ali) 176-8 (39.2, N. Patel), 178-8 (40.5, A. Patel) 215-9 (45.4, Jegaseelan), 225-10 (48.2, K. Patel)
Bowling
O M R W
Naresh Roopnaraine 10 - 0 - 37 - 2
Baidwan Harvir 5.2 - 0 - 26 - 2
Durand Soraine 10 - 0 - 35 - 1
Akber Hussain 9 - 2 - 41 - 2
Aftab Shamshuddeem 2 - 0 - 15 - 0
Abus Sami Farier 8 - 1 - 44 - 1
Ayub Matadar 4 - 0 - 24 - 2
Ontario - 1st Innings
Aftab Shamshuddeem c Singh b Jegaseelan 33 77 min, 62b, 3x4
Iqbal Mohammad c Edwards b A.Patel 13 45 m, 62b, 2x4
Azir Ali c A. Patel b Jegaseelan 10 38 m, 23b, 2x4
Ilyas Karim Run out 11 32m 19b
Durand Soraine c Jabbar b N. Patel 21 37m 35b
* Zahir Haniff c A. Patel b Q. Ali 1 4m 4b
Aiyub Matadar c Q. Ali b N. Patel 9 27m 20b
Naresh Roopnaraine c Jabbar b N. Patel 1 13m 15b
Baidwan Harvir c Jegaseelan b K. Patel 7 29m 17b
Akber Hussain c Singh b K. Patel 2 7m 5b
Abus Sami Farier Not Out 6 14m 19b
Extras LB 2, W 10 12
TOTAL 126 (43.1 overs)
Ashish Patel 7 - 2- 18 - 1
Amir Bhatti 7 - 1- 24 - 0
Heron Lawrence 5 - 1- 19- 0
Jegaseelan 6 - 0 -17- 2
Naresh Patel 10 - 1- 23- 2
Qaiser Ali 5 - 1- 13- 1
(Q. Ali bowled off-spin in this innings)
Krunal Patel 3.1- 0 -10- 2
Quebec - 2nd Inninngs
- Overnight 11-0 (7 overs)
Naresh Roopnaraine 4-1-7-0
Durand Soraine 3-1-4-0
Only 3 of the Canada team were born and from Canada. -- Posted Sunday, June 10 2007
John Davison (capt) 09/05/1970 Campbell River RHB OB
Qaiser Ali 20/12/1978 Rawalpindi, Pakistan RHB OB
Asish Bagai 26/01/1982 Delhi, India RHB WK
Geoff Barnett 03/02/1984 Nelson, New Zealand LHB
Umar Bhatti 04/01/1984 Lahore, Pakistan LHB LM
Ian Billcliff 26/10/1972 William's Lake RHB RM
Desmond Chumney 08/01/68 St Kitts RHB OB
Austin Codrington 22/08/1975 Portland, Jamaica RHB RM
George Codrington 26/11/1966 Barbados RHB RMF
Anderson Cummins 07/05/1966 Packers Valley, Barbados RHB RFM
Sunil Dhaniram 17/10/1968 Port Mourant, Guyana LHB SLA
Ashif Mulla 05/05/1980 Gujarat, India RHB WK
Henry Osinde 17/10/1978 Uganda RHB RMF
Abdool Samad 03/05/1979 Guyana RHB WK
Kevin Sandher 16/07/1980 Vancouver RHB SLA
Only 3 of the Canada team were born and from Canada.
Surely this isnt right.
Ok so Canada aint gonna win the world cup and its about taking part but if thats the case then why dont we just make a rest of the world team cause this is what Canada is. I dont think it's right and if your not good enough to play for the West Indies or Australia or whoever then you cant just play for Canada or Scotland.
Item sourced from:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A20786204
John Davison is a middle-order batsman and right-arm spinner who has been at the heart of the Canadian national side for almost a decade. Born in British Colombia, he moved to Australia as a child, playing grade cricket in Melbourne and attending the Australian Cricket Academy in 1993. he was a member of the Victoria state squad for several years but was unable to secure a regular first-team slot and after being released by them he joined South Australia in 2002-03. In 1999 he was approached to spend his off-season in Canada as a player-coach, and he was soon drafted into the national side. He played in the Canadian side that finished third in the 2001and 2005 ICC Trophies, but he hit the headlines in the 2003 World Cup when he stunned the West Indies with the fastest World Cup century in history, clubbing half a dozen sixes in a brilliant 111. He followed this up with the third-fastest World Cup fifty against New Zealand, making most runs and taking most wickets for Canada in the tournament. He was appointed Canada's captain in 2004 and the following year, in their first first-class match for more than half a century, he created history by taking 17 for 137, the best since Jim Laker in 1956, and hitting 84 as Canada beat USA by 104 runs in the Intercontinental Cup. He played his last game for South Australia in 2004-05 and since then has devoted his time to Canada. A bristling 52 from 31 balls against New Zealand in the 2007 World Cup underlined his class.
Martin Williamson April 2007
Information sourced from:-
Atholstan Trophy -- Posted Saturday, June 9 2007
Atholstan Trophy
On the first of two days, Quebec scored 225 all out from 48.2 overs, with Ali making 64 and Jabar scoring 38.
Ontario were bowled out for 126.
More details tomorrow morning. (JH)
Canadian Cricket 2007 -- Posted Saturday, June 9 2007
Some Upcoming Matches and Series
ICC Intercontinental Cup Matches (each 4-days, 2 innings per side)
Canada v The Netherlands – June 28-July 1 Maple Leaf CC, King City, Ontario
Canada v United Arab Emirates – July 6-9 Maple Leaf CC, King City, Ontario
Official One-Day International Matches
Canada v The Netherlands - July 3 & July 4 Toronto Cricket Club
One-Day Limited Overs Matches
Canadian Invitation XI v UAE – July 3 & 4 Maple Leaf CC, King City, Ontario
Ontario v UAE - July 11 (Maple Leaf CC?)
ICC Americas Regional Under-19 Tournament
August 13-18 at Maple Leaf CC, King City (winner goes to World U-19 Cup)
Atholstan Cup Inter-provincial Match (2-day game, 2 innings per side)
Quebec v Ontario – June 9-10 – Raymond Park, Montreal
John Ross Robertson (Eastern) Trophy (Canada’s club championship)
Semi-Finals– Waterloo Sunrise (S. Ontario) v Yorkshire (Toronto& Dist) June 17
Adastrians (Quebec) v Ottawa Valley Champions – June 30
Final - Semi-final winners – July 1 – Montreal
There is also a JRR (Western) Championship (have yet to see dates/venue)
CIMA Celebration of Cricket – Sunnybrook Park, Toronto, June 23
I say, that's not cricket! -- Posted Saturday, June 9 2007
Now that Donald Macdonald, the Trudeau-era finance minister who brought in wage and price controls, can no longer cripple Canada's economy by central planning, he's settling for planning to spend Torontonians' money — on cricket pitches.
Macdonald is helping the Canadian Cricket Association lobby City Hall for more facilities. The group is seeking 20 additional pitches, one or two indoor training facilities, and a doubling of the number of cricket programs in schools to 120 — all within the next 10 years.
During their meeting at City Hall, Macdonald and the CCA pointed to a recent Statistics Canada report that predicted more than half of Toronto's population will be "visible minorities" by 2017. Many of those newcomers will play the sport, the group said.
Macdonald, who introduced wage and price controls under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the '70s, believes taxpayer money should be used to expand the city's cricket facilities. "I think it's important they should feel welcome to play their games with us."
With Donald Macdonald's support, it is apparent that they are feeling quite welcome to play games with us.
Macdonald's plan also would advance the objectives of official multiculturalism, another Trudeau scheme, accentuating the exterior and superficial differences between cultures while encouraging assimilation into the carefully cultivated Canadian societal norms of expectations of entitlement.
Article sourced from:-
http://thelondonfog.blogspot.com/2005_06_26_archive.html
Ottawa Cricket -- Posted Saturday, June 9 2007
Ottawa Cricket – The Early Years (1840-1960)
In 1840, some thirteen years after the first recorded mention of cricket in Canada , the Carleton Cricket Club was established in Ottawa , then named Bytown. This club was dissolved in 1845 and nothing further was heard of the game until 1849 when the Bytown Cricket Club was established. Among the players at that period were Mr. G.P. Baker, postmaster and often referred to as “the father of Ottawa cricket “, and Mr. F. Clemow, later a Senator. Matches were played with Aylmer , Prescott , Belleville , Kingston and Cornwall . The military in Bytown also provided good opposition. Games in Bytown were played on a site of what is now known as Cartier Square . In 1851 Bytown played Belleville in Kingston and, according to the “Kingston Whig “, the Bytown players were “whalers, all able-bodied men, and will smash their opponents all to smithereens”; however, in spite of this emphatic opinion, Bytown lost by an innings. Six years later the Bytown Cricket Club is known to have played five matches in the season. In 1858, when Bytown became the capital of Canada , and its name was changed to Ottawa , the Bytown Cricket Club became the Ottawa Cricket Club (OCC). That same year the first match was played against Montreal , a fixture that has now lasted for one hundred years.
In 1865 Captain Pemberton of the 60 th Royal Rifles laid down the first cricket pitch at Rideau Hall. Two years later Lord Monck, the Governor-General, set aside ten acres on the west side of Rideau Hall for cricket, thus assuring the permanency of the game in Ottawa . At that period the wicket was pitched from east to west. After two quiet years the game was revived in 1870 and about this time matches were played with Almonte, Arnprior, Peterborough , Carleton Place , Kingston , Belleville , Cobourg and Hamilton . For those interested in the ebb and flow over the years of cricket in Ontario it is to be noted that it is only in the larger centres, such as Peterborough, Kingston and Hamilton, that the game has survived, and then often with moribund periods. About this time, too, the first of many fixtures was played with Toronto. In 1872 an English touring side for the first time visited Ottawa , previous trans-Atlantic ventures in 1859 and 1868 having bypassed the city. The 1872 party was a very strong one, including such redoubtable players as Dr. W.G. Grace and Mr. A.N. Hornby. They played twenty-two from Ottawa and District. Only two of the local players reached double figures and the visitors gained a resounding victory by an innings and 109 runs. It was on this occasion that Dr. W.G. Grace made 73 before being bowled by Mr. J. Boothroyd, an underarm bowler from Almonte. The successful bowler was presented with Dr. W.G. Grace's bat, which recently passed into the possession of the Ottawa Valley Cricket Council. In 1875 Ottawa played Port Hope and St. Catharines , and in 1879 Ottawa acted as host for the Canada vs. United States match, an encounter which, with interruptions, was an annual fixture from 1844 until 1921. In 1880 Mr. A. Browning of Montreal made 204 at Rideau Hall, then the highest individual score in Canadian cricket, and still the only double century made in Ottawa . It was about this time that two or three other clubs were founded in Ottawa but their existence was brief and undistinguished In 1882 Winnipeg visited Ottawa . Lord Lorne, who was Governor-General from 1878 until 1883, took a keen interest in the game and occasionally played himself.
If there was a golden era in Ottawa cricket it was surely during the period from 1883 until 1887 when Lord Landsdowne was Governor-General. His Excellency was himself no mean player and did much to popularise the game. In addition, this was before the time when tennis and golf provided serious counter-attractions and, what is perhaps equally significant, before the decline of interest in cricket in the United States had definitely set in. In 1884 the Ottawa Cricket Club played Government House and during this match Sir John A. Macdonald, then Prime Minister, visited the ground and was received by His Excellency in a marquee erected for the vice-regal party. In 1885 a team consisting of members of Parliament and Senators defeated Government House by an innings and 10 runs, His Excellency being his side's top scorer in their second innings with 21 runs. In that same year Ottawa had a visit from the famous Longwood Cricket Club in Boston. In 1886 came the first team from the West Indies and Ottawa defeated a strong side from Halifax . Another highlight of the year 1886 was Ottawa 's first tour outside the country. Three matches were played in Boston. It was during one of these matches, played on Boston Common, that a remarkable incident occurred. Mr. L. Coste, an Ottawa player, made a tremendous hit, so powerful indeed that 7 were run, three fielders being required to return the ball. In 1887 Mr. W.C. Little, an Ottawa player, was with a Canadian side which toured England.
In 1888 the Gentlemen of Ireland toured Canada and beat fifteen of Ottawa by an innings. In the same year occurred the first visit from Hamilton and the year following Galt, Guelph and St. Paul's School, Concord, all came to Ottawa, and in 1890, Trinity University of Toronto. In 1891 Lord Hawke's XI defeated Eastern Canada in Ottawa by an innings and it is interesting to note that this match took place as late in the season as the third week in October. In the same year Alexandria , McGill University of Montreal and R.M.C. of Kingston visited the capital. In 1893 a climactic and almost disastrous event occurred, the Pavilion being burnt down. Fortunately, and thanks largely to the Governor-General, Lord Stanley, and the Department of Public Works, a new structure was erected which has now lasted for some sixty-five years. About this time the Ottawa team was very strong and in 1894 they beat London , Ontario , in Toronto , and in that year did not lose a match.
Although it was supported by several well-known Ottawa residents there was no expansion of cricket in the twenty years preceding the outbreak of the First World War. It was at best a period of consolidation. In 1901 Ottawa again was the scene of another Canada vs. United States match. In 1905 Quebec (including Ottawa ) defeated Ontario at Rideau Hall and that same year the Ottawa Cricket Club drew up its first constitution. In 1907 the M.C.C. visited Canada and a close match against Eastern Canada at Rideau Hall resulted in a draw. In 1910 a fortnight was spent touring in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York , only two matches being lost and Johnston, an Ottawa player, making 153 against the Belmont Cricket Club in Philadelphia . American teams were frequent visitors to Ottawa during this period, and among their players was Mr. J. B. King of Philadelphia , whom many consider to have been the finest swerve bowler the world has ever seen. The strength of Philadelphia cricket at that time can readily be understood when it is recalled that, in 1913, a Germantown Cricket Club XII in Philadelphia beat an Australian touring side which included such players as Bardsley, Collins, Mailey and McCartney. This Australian side also visited Ottawa in its itinerary.
In the twenties a modest expansion of Ottawa cricket took place. Three new clubs, Defence (formerly Militia), Christ Church Cathedral and New Edinburgh were formed and they still operate at the present time. For some years a club known as the Wanderers was playing in Ottawa , having taken over from R.C.M.P. In order to organize the cricket, which was now on League scale, the Ottawa Valley Cricket Council had been formed in 1920, the original constitution of which was drawn up in I923. The foundation clubs were Ottawa , Defence, R.C.M.P. and Almonte. In 1922 competition among the clubs for an annual Challenge Cup was instituted which, as of 1960 inclusive, has been won twelve times by Christ Church Cathedral, nine times by New Edinburgh, six times by Ottawa, four times by Defence, twice by Kingston and once each by Almonte and Ashbury College. The Almonte Cricket Club now no longer exists and Ashbury College no longer competes. In one year Defence and New Edinburgh tied and in three years no award was made. It was during this period that Council secured the use of a second ground at Ashbury College , Rockcliffe Park . In 1927, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation, the City of Ottawa presented the Confederation Cup for annual competition between Ottawa and Montreal. In 1928 the Lord Atholstan Trophy inter-provincial match was played in Ottawa. In 1932 a most distinguished group of Australian cricketers played at Rideau Hall, under the captaincy of Richardson, and including Bradman, Fleetwood-Smith, Kippax, Mailey and McCabe. In 1939 there was a visit of schoolboys and girls from England which was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. Other visitors to Ottawa in the period between the two World Wars were the Free Foresters from England and Ridley College, Upper Canada College and St. Andrew's College. Haverford College of Philadelphia also came, a school which first played cricket in 1836. An outstanding player of the inter-war period was Mr. H. Edwards, who donated a trophy for contribution to cricket. A Governor-General of this period who took a keen interest in Ottawa cricket was Lord Willingdon who had been four years in the Cambridge University XI.
The Second World War posed serious problems for the administrators of the game in Ottawa , not the least of which was the loss of so many players. The situation was, however, saved by the influx of Commonwealth players who were serving in the armed forces. Much was owed, too, to the encouragement of Lord Athlone, the Governor-General, who donated trophies for annual competition in batting, bowling and fielding.
The post-war era has seen many changes and improvements. In 1947 a Constitution Committee undertook a radical revision of the League's Constitution and Bye-Laws which, except for revision and amendment in 1941, had remained unchanged since 1923. The main effect of the labours of this Committee was to transfer responsibility for detailed work from the Executive to individual committees, now eleven in number, which report to Council. The Constitution and Bye-Laws have been kept under scrutiny and since 1947 amendments have been sustained at no less than seven annual general meetings. Also in 1947 the inter-provincial match was again played in Ottawa . In 1948 the annual Fixtures booklet was instituted, this providing, amongst other things, a record of Ottawa cricket and some much needed publicity. Sunday cricket became a regular feature and two day matches more common. Games were played with newly established or resuscitated clubs in Brockville, Deep River, Montreal, Oakville and Toronto as well as with Kingston, which joined the League in 1959.
During the past ten years noteworthy visits and matches at Rideau Hall have become numerous, and they include the Pakistan Test Team in 1958, the M.C.C. in 1951 and 1959, and the Australian Old Collegians' in 1960. In 1957 the inter-provincial match was again staged in Ottawa and in that same y Council played the Independent Schools, for which six well-known private schools in Ontario each provided two players. Teams from Bermuda , British Columbia and Philadelphia have also visited. Both Lord Alexander, who became President of the M.C.C., and Mr. Massey took a keen interest in the game, and Mr. Massey generously set aside further space for a second ground at Rideau Hall. Apart from ground and Pavilion maintenance and improvements, a real and not unsuccessful attempt has been made to raise the standard of umpiring and scoring. In umpiring there is affiliation with the Association of Cricket Umpires and two umpires have obtained full membership in the Association by examination.
Only in the vital field of junior cricket has progress in the post-war period been meagre, if not non-existent. This is a serious matter for the future of the game as it points out the inescapable fact that its continuation, even at the present modest level, is dependent upon a steady inflow of Commonwealth immigrants and transmigrants from overseas and temporary Ottawa residents. Ashbury College is now, for all practical purposes, the only local source of junior players. The story of Ottawa cricket would not be complete without mention of this College which has prominently featured the game for half a century or longer, and which has been a mainstay of local cricket by making its ground available to Ottawa players, providing accommodation for visiting teams and other services too numerous to mention. At one time there were regular fixtures with several other schoolboy teams but now their sole rivals appear to be Bishops College School in Lennoxville, Quebec. Although from time to time the College produces unusually good players, they are handicapped by a very short season and lack of sufficient suitable opposition and coaching facilities.
Recently one player, Dr. A.B. Lang, formerly of Sydney, New South Wales, has established a number of records, and this in spite of a war injury. Twice in a season he has exceeded 1,000 runs. His 202, out of an opening stand of 277 at St. Catherines in I957 is the only recorded double century by an Ottawa player and the opening stand is probably also a Canadian record. Two years previously he had made 192 in only 145 minutes against a strong Toronto Cricket Club side on the Rideau Hall ground, which is another record for an Ottawa player. In 1954 he scored a century in each innings of a representative match and is believed to be the only contemporary Canadian player to have achieved this feat. Mention should also be made of Mr. E.F. Hitchman who has been active in Canadian cricket for seventy years, the last forty of them in Ottawa . He founded the Christ Church Cathedral Cricket Club, and was commissioned by the Canadian Cricket Association to prepare the Memorial Album in tribute to the Canadian cricketers who gave their lives in two World Wars. He presented this to the M.C.C. at Lords in 1952. Mr. Hitchman is now covered with cricket honours, being an honorary officer of both the Canadian Cricket Association and the Ontario Cricket Association and he also holds the unique distinction of being both an Honorary Vice-President and an Honorary Life Member of the 0ttawa Valley Cricket Council. In the 1960 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack he is fittingly described as the “grand old man “ of Canadian cricket.
The Ottawa Valley Cricket Council is now the smallest of the five Leagues in the Ontario Cricket Association and nobody will pretend that cricket now plays a significant part in the life of Canada's capital or that its expansion, such as it has been, has kept pace with the growth of the city itself. It has, however, continuously provided a great source of entertainment for many persons in beautiful surroundings and over a long period of time. At Rideau Hall Ottawa possesses a ground which has a setting as fine as any in Canada, if not in the world, and the game has a long and honourable history which is intimately linked with successive Governors-General.
Original Author Unknown
Circa 1960
Umpires -- Posted Friday, June 8 2007
The Toronto Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association Welcomes all Old and New Umpires for the 2007 season of Cricket Umpiring.
Umpires Motto to be remembered.
"When in doubt do not give out"
"Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game.
Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself.
The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains."
The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:
Your opponents
Your own captain and team
The role of the Umpires
The game's traditional values
It is against the Spirit of the Game:
To dispute an umpire's decision by word, action or gesture
To direct abusive language towards an opponent or umpire
To indulge in cheating or any sharp practice, for instance:
a) to appeal knowing that the batsman is not out
b) to advance towards an Umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing
c) to seek to distract an opponent either verbally or by harassment with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of enthusiasm and motivation of one's own side
There is no place for any act of violence on the field of play.
Players
Captains and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a cricket match.
Every player is expected to make an important contribution to this.
"Taken from the 2000 MCC laws"
MCC to nurse US to cricket salvation -- Posted Friday, June 8 2007
MCC to nurse US to cricket salvation
By Donald Trelford Last Updated: 1:25am BST 08/06/2007
Like the cavalry riding to the rescue in the final scene of a western, our own dear Marylebone Cricket Club are poised to save American cricket, still reeling from the shock of expulsion by the International Cricket Council.
The world's governing body expelled the United States in March, exasperated by the failure of the country's warring factions to produce a coherent plan for the game's administration - and fuelled, no doubt, by the relish felt by the International Cricket Council's anti-colonial forces at the chance to kick Uncle Sam's backside. The United States hadn't helped their cause with an abject display in the Champions Trophy in England in 2004.
The MCC, I hear, are planning an American tour in 2009 to mark the 150th anniversary of the first England cricket party to visit North America, of which John Wisden himself was a member. More important still, a scheme is going before the committee at Lord's to create a body called MCC America, which would help with coaching and with co-ordinating the game's development across the Atlantic. A match is even pencilled in at Lord's for 2010 between the United States and Europe - cricket's answer to the Ryder Cup.
The shock of being excluded from the world game has been compounded by the massive recent investment in cricket facilities in the United States, including giant new stadiums near Fort Lauderdale and Houston Astrodome. The United States has 667 cricket clubs, with a player base of 18,000, one of the highest in the world, and a potential television audience of several million, consisting mostly of immigrants from cricketing homelands like England, India, Pakistan, South Africa and the Caribbean.
The ICC's attitude contrasts sharply with FIFA's costly initiatives to develop football in the United States - efforts that have paid off handsomely in the past decade, crowned by the imminent arrival of David Beckham in California. It isn't generally realised that, unlike football, which has always been subsidiary to baseball and American football, cricket was once the leading sport in the US - for at least the first century of the country's existence. By 1850 it was played in 22 states.
In 1873 W G Grace himself played in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. There are surviving photographs of the great man, then a svelte 25-year-old bachelor, in the company of some American lovelies, and first-hand accounts of the touring players, including W G, sampling the notorious night-life of New York. No change there then for England cricketers - though, sadly, there are no reports of the bearded wonder being rescued from drowning while blind drunk.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/06/08/sctrel08.xml
And in Canada the development is local local initiative!!!
Between 2004 and 2006, the number of Brampton cricket teams grew to 74 from just 13, and there is poten