Maritime Cricket Festival Match 1: NSCA defeat NB -- Posted Monday, June 29 2009
Summary:
NSCA (209/7 in 30 overs) defeated New Brunswick (132/9 in 30 overs) by 77 runs.
NSCA played NB on June 28th in a 30 over match, initially match was threatened by rain but the rain stopped and an exciting match followed. NB won the toss and elected to field first, NSCA made a steady start with 64/2 in 15 overs. Matt Lane playing a very sensible innings, holding down one end as he knew what was to come. The push came from over number 21 to 30, from 99/2 in 20 overs NSCA finished with 209/7 in 30, scoring 109 runs in last 10 overs and losing 5 wickets in the process. Accelartion was provided by Saad, who after settling down unfurled some beautiful shots; a highlight was a exquisitly driven six to the cover boundary, when Saad fell Amit picked up where Saad had left and played big shots all over the ground. Lower order continued to hammer the bowling all over the park with Harikrishnan playing anchor role from one end as the innings came to a close.
NB started confidently but were hurt by some very accurate and hostile bowling from Matt Webb (6-4-5-2), Matt claimed 2 quick wickets and bowled his full quota of overs on the trot. Pressure did not let up from the other end with Shailendra and Amit also claiming 5 wickets amongst them. At 15 over Mark NB were struggling with 35/5 and chose to bat out the overs from there on.
NSCA now host PEI for their second game of Maritime Cricket Festival on July 5th
Schedule for the Summer so far is:
Date
Day Event Location
Jun-28-09 Sunday NSCA vs NB Halifax Commons
Jul-5-09 Sunday NSCA vs PEI Halifax Commons
Jul-11-09 Sunday
PEI vs NSCA
PEI
Jul-25-09 Saturday NB vs NSCA Fredericton
Aug-23-09 Sunday Maritime Cric Fest Finals TBD
Aug-30-09 Sunday NSCA vs Lunenburg T-20 Halifax Commons
Sep-05-09 Saturday Maritime T-20 Festival TBD
Sep-06-09 Sunday Maritime T-20 Festival TBD
Sep-13-09 Sunday NSCA vs Lunenburg T-20 Halifax Commons
Sep-27-09 Sunday NSCA vs Lunenburg T-20 Halifax Commons
Thanks: Tushar Sehgal
Canada doubts over 2012 U-19 World Cup (CricInfo) -- Posted Saturday, June 27 2009
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/btw/archives/2009/06/canada_doubts_o.php
In the aftermath of the ICC’s decision to strip Kenya of hosting rights for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, Cricket Canada, who are due to stage the following tournament in 2012, is believed to have expressed serious doubts about its abilities to act as hosts.
Officially, Kenya lost out because of a report stating the grounds would not be ready in time, although it is increasingly looking as if the decision was made some time ago, possibly for commercial reasons.
In light of that, Canada has flagged that it might struggle to meet ICC requirements which sources claim have become much stricter in recent months.
Kamyuka On Fire (Uganda Monitor) -- Posted Friday, June 26 2009
Innocent Ndawula
Kampala — Uganda's semi-professional cricketers Joel Olweny and Kenneth Kamyuka are enjoying a dream season with their club Brampton Masters Parkdale CC in Canada.
They Ugandan duo have proved inevitable to Brampton Masters' assault to reclaim the Toronto & District Cricket Association Elite Division League with consistent performances over the season.
Brampton Masters, champions in 2007, are currently second on the nine-team log with 27 points from seven outings. Leaders PCB Cricket Club have the same points but are atop courtesy of having played only five games.
Kamyuka leads the runs chart with 199 with a highest score of 72 against Vikings CC, two half centuries and an average of 49.75 per inning. In his 46 overs so far, the utility player has picked seven wickets at an average of 23 and impressive economy of 3.58.
"It has been a good start. We are pushing on and hopeful we can do this all the way. We need to bridge the gap further. We must make sure that we are certain of a play-offs spot," Kamyuka told Daily Monitor on phone.
On the other hand, Olweny, another national star is not doing badly either. The 28-year-old top order batsman, who battled with illness on arrival in Canada, has already made 137 runs at 27 per game and is positive his employers are yet to see the best of him.
Ranjit Saini set to take helm at Cricket Canada (South Asian focus) -- Posted Friday, June 26 2009
By NOUMAN KHALIL
Ranjit Saini is set to take over the office of president of Cricket Canada as the outgoing chief retires Tuesday (Jun 30) and the election schedule has not yet been declared.
"As the elections are not yet announced, Saini will take charge as president and likely to continue till February 2010," Calvin Clarke, general secretary of Cricket Canada, told SA Focus.
Clarke said he expects the elections in February 2010, but noted it would be the board of directors who would take the final decision.
Saini was elected First Vice President in March this year following the resignation of Mike Kendal.
Saini is also president of Maple Leaf Cricket Club and takes care of infrastructure developments for Toronto District Cricket Association.
He has a depth of experience in organizing national and international cricket events as well as in infrastructure and finance.
As a matter of fact, Ben Sennik last month stepped down bowing to the immense and sustained pressure from the same board, which is now doing nothing to elect a new chief.
Two newcomers on senior C'dn cricket squad (Share) -- Posted Friday, June 26 2009
http://www.sharenews.com/sports/2009/06/18/two-newcomers-join-senior-canadian-cricket-squad
By RON FANFAIR
Two newcomers have been named to the senior Canadian cricket squad selected for One-Day Internationals and two four-day contests in Scotland and The Netherlands next month.
Former Under-19 all-rounder Shaheed Keshvani welcomed his inclusion with a century for Toronto Cricket Club against Popeye Cricket Club in a Toronto & District Cricket Association (TDCA) Elite league fixture last Saturday while his club mate Zahir Zameer replaces Balaji Rao who is unavailable for the tour because of work commitments.
Keshvani, who represented Vikings before transferring to Toronto Cricket Club four years ago, has picked up 39 wickets with his off-spin in 2006 and 2007 while Sri-Lanka born Zameer has captured 150 wickets with his leg spin in the last seven seasons.
"When Balaji announced he would not be able to make the trip, we looked around at who were the best wrist spinners available and came up with Zahir," said national coach Pubudu Dassanayake. "He's very experienced and we hope he can adequately fill the void, particularly in the four-day games. Shaheed, on the other hand, is a young player who is being given an opportunity to show that he can play at the international level. He's also an outstanding fielder.
"We were looking to use this tour to give some young players experience. However, this is not possible as the upcoming Americas Under-19 tournament clashes with the European tour."
England-based wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai will captain the side in the one-day games for which he's available while medium pacer Umar Bhatti, who is currently playing minor league cricket in England, will lead the team in the game's longer version.
Bhatti captained Canada in last year's Americas Cup series in Florida.
"Umar did a reasonable job there," said Dassanayake. "He has leadership qualities but he still needs to improve his knowledge of the game. Also, he and Sunil (Dhaniram) are the most experienced players on the team."
Former Canadian captain John Davison and middle-order batsman Ian Billcliff are also unavailable for the tour. Davison is a coach with Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane headed by ex-Australian captain Greg Chappell.
"John is contracted to the centre and unable to be with us next month," said manager Mike Henry. "He has indicated, however, that he's committed to Canadian cricket and hopes to represent this country at the 2011 World Cup."
The national squad leaves on June 28 for Aberdeen where they will oppose Scotland in a four-day Intercontinental Cup match July 2-5 and two ODIs on July 7 and 8. Canada will then travel to Amsterdam to meet the Dutch in two one-day matches on July 11 and 12 and a four-day contest July 15-18.
The touring party comprises Ashish Bagai, Umar Bhatti, Qaiser Ali, Harvir Baidwan, Geoffrey Barnett, Trevin Bastiampillai, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, Sunil Dhaniram, Sandeep Jyoti, Shaheed Keshvani, Ashif Mulla, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad and Zahir Zameer.
The junior squad that will take part in next month's International Cricket Council (ICC) Americas Under-19 series at King City was also selected last week. Canada will host Argentina, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and defending champions the United States in that tournament, which runs from July 5 to 12. The top two teams will advance to the global qualifier being held in the Greater Toronto Area in September.
The squad is Rustum Bhatti (capt.), Hiral Patel, Manny Aulaka, Darius D'Souza, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Abishek Krishnamoorthy, Nitesh Kumar, Usman Limbada, Zain Mahmood, Asif Manjra, Riyazkhan Pathan, Arsalan Qadir, Harpeet Singh and Hamza Tariq.
Wilbert Plummer and Farouk Kirmani are the head coach and assistant coach respectively.
Ex-CEO announces Cricket Champions and National Inter City League (South Asian Focus) -- Posted Friday, June 26 2009
Ahuja starts youth leagues to grow grassroots talent
By NOUMAN KHALIL
http://www.southasianfocus.ca/community/article/71571
Erstwhile CEO of Cricket Canada Atul Ahuja has once again donned his gloves come back to the field, just four months after his premature termination.
For the first time in the history of Canadian cricket, a rejuvenated Ahuja has launched a Cricket Champions League - a national under-19 league - and plans to promote the game from the grassroots level.
The inaugural match will be played this Saturday (Jun 27) at Centennial Park, Toronto.
Simultaneously, Ahuja is introducing a professional National Inter-City League, starting this fall, at the Rogers Centre.
Revealing details to SA Focus, Ahuja said the Champions League welcomes all youth teams including Under-14 because his main aim is to hunt young talent.
"All great players like Mushtaq Muhammad, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar were discovered at a very young age, and we also need to hunt that talent in Canada."
For this year, some four GTA teams have been registered in the Under-19 league and will play each other throughout the season for the top 'Cricket Champions Shield' trophy.
Ahuja claims to have the backing of official governing bodies of cricket in Canada.
"We have got registered both our leagues with Ontario Cricket Association as well as Quebec Cricket Federation," said Ahuja.
Commenting on the initiative, Mohan (Mike) Kendall, president of Ontario Cricket Association, said: "It's too early to predict, but it looks promising and we hope it will produce positive results and we will do our best to support and make it successful."
In the Inter-City League, cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have already confirmed participation while the organizers are expecting other cities to register before the tournament begins at Rogers Centre in November.
Ahuja said he also wants international cities to participate to make it more competitive. "I am in touch with former Pakistan test player Iqbal Sikander, development manager of Afghanistan cricket team, and am hopeful the Kabul team will visit Toronto and play in our league."
A cricketer’s dream -Local squad headed to train and compete in England (http://www.metronews.ca/) -- Posted Wednesday, June 24 2009
DAVID SINGH
METRO TORONTO
Ahmed Bakhtiar is about to have one of his life’s dreams come true.
An avid cricketer who has represented Canada in international competition, Bakhtiar is now getting the chance to visit the place he considers to be the home of the sport — England.
The Toronto college student is one of 14 youths from the GTA who will form the 2009 CIMA Toronto Mayor’s team. The club will travel to the UK for 10 days this August on a fully paid scholarship to train, compete in exhibition matches and visit famous cricket sites, including Lord’s Cricket Ground.
“I know a lot of people say it’s a dream come true and it really is that,” said Bakhtiar, 20. “When you dream about cricket, you have that thought of nice green lush grounds, a nice pitch and the sun shining — that’s exactly what it’s like over there.”
The scholarship, which is now in its second year, is officially titled Cricket Across the Pond. Sponsored by various corporate and media partners, it’s the result of a joint initiative between Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation and CIMA Canada. Over 100 youths from what are considered “priority/at risk neighbourhoods” tried out for this year’s club.
Event co-ordinator Ranil Mendes said that each member of the team will receive leadership and community development training from Toronto city hall. The hope is that these players will come back from the U.K. and be positive role models in their communities.
With the mayor’s team playing matches in the U.K, there is also a chance to be scouted by local clubs.
According to Mendes, a top player from the 2008 mayor’s team is currently being considered for a stint on a semi-pro British club. Such are opportunities that the youth would not otherwise receive through Canadian cricket.
Bakhtiar is fully aware of these prospects.
“It’s going to be obviously a life-changing experience,” he said. “As far as my career is concerned ... I’ll feel like I’ve found gold if I get a contract there.”
Toronto Strike cuts off CIMA Celebration of Cricket -- Posted Wednesday, June 24 2009
A strike of various City of Toronto workers has resulted in
Saturday's (June 27) CIMA Celebration of Cricket being called off. An
advisory from CIMA carries the hope that the event might be
re-scheduled for a later date this summer, depending on when the
current industrial action is resolved.
The Chartered Insitute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has run this
promotional cricket event in conjunction with the City of Toronto
Parks, Forestry and Recreation division since 2005. It has been well
supported by the mainstream media, as well as various corporate
sponsors. This year a range of public accounting firms were included
in the list of supporters, as well as one firm of lawyers.
Patently the game of cricket, if it is to flourish and develop in
Canada, needs all the support it can get from companies with money,
or even access to companies that have money.
Sunnybrook Park, where this event was scheduled, was one of the
grounds used for the 2001 ICC Trophy and had a turf wicket. The
wicket was revived for one ICC Intercontinental Cup match against
Bermuda. It would certainly be useful if funds to revive the grass
wickets at this ground could be put in place. Indeed, four field
hockey pitches previously in place at the park are no longer used on
a permanent basis.
I wondered in 2007 about the potential for turning a pair of areas on
the lower fields into a potential new cricket ground. But like
anything else, it would cost money. But perhaps a better set of nets
could also be added - the existing artificial nets basically face the
seating for teams watching play on the two lower cricket grounds, so
some ducking and weaving is needed to avoid being hit by drives from
the nets.
Let's hope this event can be restored to the calendar later in the
season. Last year, the first with RBC as a sponsor, the festival took
place on a rather wet Saturday. RBC is involved again this year, and
in conjunction with other sponsors, is supporting a second Cricket
Across the Pond tour to the UK by a Toronto Mayors XI of junior
cricketers, drawn mostly from priority neighbourhoods in the City of
Toronto. This tour is due in August.
Eddie Norfolk
Guyana wins Western Union 20/20 Guyanese Independence Tournament in Toronto -- Posted Monday, June 22 2009
Guyana wins Western Union 20/20 Guyanese Independence Tournament in Toronto
Western Union 20/20 Final played at L’Amoreaux Park, Scarborough, Ontario; June 21, 2009: Guyana 111 for 5 wickets (15 overs; L. Johnson 47) beat Scarborough CA XI 69 for 7 wickets (15 overs; C. Barnwell 3 for 11) by 42 runs
Qualifying matches: Scarborough CA XI 83 for 5 wickets (13.3 overs) beat Brampton-Etobicoke District League XI 79 for 8 wickets by five wickets.
Guyana 105 for 4 wickets (14.1 overs) beat Toronto & District CA XI 103 for 9 wickets (15 overs) by 6 wickets
Guyana won the Western Union 20/20 celebrity cricket tournament, beating the Scarborough Cricket Association XI by 42 runs in the Final. The tournament formed part of the sporting celebrations of Guyana’s 43rd anniversary of independence and was the second time a 20/20 format has been used. Guyana reversed a defeat by the Scarborough CA in a 10-overs a side final on a rainy day in 2008 with a win on a sunny, and at times steamy, day following heavy Saturday rain. Leon Johnson’s 47 proved the pivotal innings of the Final, but the Scarborough XI paid dearly for six dropped catches.
Earlier, Guyana paced it’s innings well to beat the Toronto & District CA XI with 5 balls to spare to reach the final. Royston Crandon topped the scoring for Guyana with 30 runs and followed with 5 wickets for 18 runs from his 3 overs of spin. Chris Barnwell chipped in 21 runs at the top of the order and 2 wickets for 12 runs in 3 overs. Johnson made a useful 20 to keep the scoreboard ticking along. Yusuf Ravain topped the scoring for the T&D XI with 25 and Kenneth Wong made 22.
The Scarborough CA XI accounted for the Brampton-Etobicoke District League XI in the day’s opening match. Scarborough captain Vishal Arjune scored 30 runs, after conceding just 9 runs from 3 overs as the Brampton-Etobicoke XI was held to just 79 for eight from its 15 overs. Although the outfield was at it’s dampest, including the occasional puddle, at the start of play, but the driving force was the desire to play cricket in a festival atmosphere.
All three tournament matches were reduced to 15 overs a side as the outfield recovered from Saturday’s deluge. A reasonable crowd built up by afternoon as the spectators enjoyed the cricket and the supporting food festival within the cricket ground. This was the 14th year that Western Union had sponsored cricket as part of the Toronto weekend of Guyanese Independence celebrations. Mr. Danny Dube, Guyana’s Consul General who is based in Toronto, was on hand to present the trophy to wining captain Sewnarine Chattergoon. Mr. Dube told how the Toronto celebrations complete a range of annual independence celebrations across Canada’s Guyanese communities. "It was good to see Guyana win," said Dube, mentioning how this young side bodes well for the future of Guyanese cricket.
The three teams from the Greater Toronto Area cricket leagues were dominated by players either born in Guyana, or of Guyanese heritage, such as current Canadian internationals Sunil Dhaniram and Eion Katchay. Most of the Guyanese team had played against Canada last November in the West Indies Cricket Board one-day competition, staged in Guyana.
The Guyanese Independence weekend celebrations in Toronto included a range of cultural events and a trade fair took place at the nearby L’Amoreaux Community Centre.
Eddie Norfolk
Western Union 20/20 at Toronto's Guyana Festival on Sunday -- Posted Tuesday, June 16 2009
Cricket: Western Union 20/20 at Toronto's Guyana Festival on Sunday (June 21)
The Scarborough Cricket League will attempt to defend its title against a Guyana XI, a Toronto & District XI and a Brampton-Etobicoke District League XI in Sunday's Western Union 20/20. The cricket is part of the annual Guyana Independence Festival - this year is the 43rd anniversary of independence for the Guyanese - that takes place on Saturday and Sunday (June 21) at the L'Amoreaux Community Centre and the nearby L'Amoreaux Cricket Grounds. These are found at the intersection of Kennedy Ave and McNicholl in Scarborough.
The Guyanese side includes Sewnarine Chattergoon and the Crandon brothers. Sunil Dhaniram is due to captain the Toronto and District team, that also includes Eion Katchay,
Sunday's cricket competition is due to run from 9am to 8 pm. Admission is $3, but children under 10 are admitted for free. A number of food stalls will be setup in the grounds with an underlying Guyanese flavour.
Various cultural events, tourism and trade show features will be in the Community Centre. Saturday includes both soccer and softball tournaments.
Hopefully the weather will be kinder than last year, when the cricket final between the Guyana XI and the Scarborough League had to be reduced to 10 overs a side. The sun shone the previous year when the Guyana XI played a Canadian Guyanese team in a longer format one-day festival cricket match.
Eddie Norfolk
Brampton cricket in turmoil (South Asian focus) -- Posted Tuesday, June 16 2009
Cricket league rift widens
By NOUMAN KHALIL
Controversies continue to dog the recently renamed Brampton-Etobicoke District Cricket League, with a rift between board members now appearing to be widening.
The league, headed by its president Praim Persaud, is one of the biggest cricketing bodies in the GTA. It has been facing tough challenges since it pulled out of the Ontario Cricket Association, the provincial governing body, last year.
Its legitimacy was challenged when one of its teams, Premier Cricket Club, resigned and launched a parallel Brampton Cricket League on the grounds that promising players would be denied an opportunity of representing their country or their province, since the league was no longer affiliated with the OCA.
In the latest development, just ahead of the unfolding 2009 season, B-EDCL vice-president Don Denhart stepped down in protest against the president "abusive behaviour", even as fellow associates were demanding fresh elections.
The spectacle occurred in front of a large number club captains and board members during a recent President-Captains meeting.
"I stepped down because the president was abusive with the board members in front of the membership. He was disgraceful and crossing the limits," Denhart told SA Focus.
"He (Persaud) was swearing and calling the members (unprintable names)," said Denhart. "He has broken the code of conduct."
Denhart said the members were seeking a dissolution of the board saying it was defective and corrupted, which however precipitated the president's surprising actions.
Following Denhart's resignation two other board members, James Douglas and Lloyd Scott, were allegedly fired, and a new vice-president was appointed by the president.
When asked, Persaud insisted this scribe not run the story, arguing it's a personal and internal matter of the league. But Denhart disagreed, saying it's in the public interest for the membership and associated players to know what is happening inside the board.
Persaud meanwhile told SA Focus Douglas is a "hypocrite" who always manipulated things. "Anything you are hearing is not true. It wasn't me. I didn't fire anyone. It was a board decision. And Denhart stepped down in front of the membership due to personal reasons... because I didn't support the issues that he was trying to manipulate.
"And you don't know how hypocrite and idiot he (Douglas) is.
"I am ashamed - absolutely ashamed - to call this guy (Douglas) a member of my club. For years he has being trying to manipulate the board. I was the one who guided and kept him in there.
"But the board has rules and if it takes a decision, everybody has to support it," said Persaud.
Douglas however said: "He (Persaud) was so abusive to me in front of everyone that Denhart didn't like it and asked him to apologize, but when the president refused to apologize, Denhart resigned."
Douglas said he walked out of the meeting and was later taken off the board along with a third associate, Scott.
According to Douglas, he was publicly humiliated and fired for asking for fresh elections.
However, Persaud said: "The entire membership had okayed (proposals) to continue with the (current) boardâ?¦. This is how he manipulates things, to turn something in his favour - and the board has dealt with him accordingly.
"This group has been trying for years to disturb the board, but finally they have been cornered. And now no one is behind them," Persaud added.
Douglas contends the board is currently being operated illegally because a non-elected vice-president has been appointed. As for Denhart, he has chosen the democratic way to fight for his rights and has pledged to contest the next round of elections to the league's board.
Douglas meanwhile feels since there is no legitimate body at the higher level controlling the league, such as at the provincial level, he and Scott have no option but to ask the City of Brampton to intervene, because the City has granted all privileges to the league.
The Mayor Fennell Cup
- A twenty20 cricket tournament named the Mayor Susan Fennell Cricket Cup 2009 began this week in Brampton.
- The contest is being held under the umbrella of the newly rechristened Brampton-Etobicoke District Cricket League.
- Some 10 teams are competing in the tournament, which will be played 6-9 pm Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays throughout the season.
- All twenty20 game rules will apply. The finals have been scheduled for September.
Thirty years ago : Canada in the Prudential World Cup 1979 -- Posted Tuesday, June 16 2009
In 1979, Canada beat Bermuda by 4 wickets in its ICC Trophy semi-final to gain a place in the Prudential World Cup. Sri Lanka beat Denmark to secure the other World Cup spot, and later beat Canada by 60 runs in the ICC Trophy final at Worcester, England.
This was just the second cricket world cup but the ICC Trophy was the first time ICC Associate countries had the chance to qualify for two places in the World Cup. In 1975 Sri Lanka and East Africa had been added to the six ICC Full Member countries for the first World Cup. (South Africa, one of the three original members of the Imperial Cricket Conference, was under a ban due to apartheid).
Canada was placed in the same group as Australia, England and Pakistan. Australia and England were the other two founding members, in 1909, of the Imperial Cricket Conference, now known as the International Cricket Council. The Pakistan board was behind the moves in the 1960’s to expand cricket from just the test playing nations to include Associate members.
Sri Lanka joined 1975 champions West Indies, India and New Zealand in the other World Cup qualifying group.
Canada twice past the 100-mark, but 45 all out hit the record books
There are many challenges when plunged into matches against countries where cricket is played more regularly and to a higher standard. The biggest hurdle is to be able to put runs on the board. It can be tough on the bowlers, but sometimes the wicket might favour the bowlers and even a higher class opposition might make a relatively low score. It can be tough on fielders if not used to fielding on properly cut, fast outfields. Some of the cow pastures found in Canadian cricket, even today, do not require, or even help, fielders to be able to reach a high standard.
Canada managed to break the 100 run mark in its opening match against Pakistan, closing its innings on 139 for 9 wickets (60 overs) but lost by 8 wickets to a side containing several players with much greater experience of English conditions, not to mention Test match appearances. The number of one-day internationals played by some countries was not very high by the start of this World Cup, but this was Canada’s first ODI game.
Manchester is renowned in some cricketing circles for rain. Canada’s second match was against England at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, and the batsmen struggled against tight bowling in conditions favouring the bowlers. Conditions forced the match into a second day, but the cricket world’s historic memory is how Canada was all out for 45 runs. A total made from 40.3 overs. Canada had England at 11 for 2 wickets, but that was it, from a Canadian perspective. England won by 8 wickets.
Canada completed its matches with a 7 wicket loss to Australia. The Aussies had a weak squad for this tournament, as players associated with Kerry Packer’s independent one-day series of matches, that ultimately helped raise income for leading international players, were not selected. Canada was bowled out for 105, Alan Hurst taking 5 wickets for 21 runs, and Australia sealed the win by 7 wickets after batting for 26 overs.
England and Pakistan advanced from this group to the semi-finals. West Indies and New Zealand were the other two qualifiers.
West Indies beat England to retain World Crown
The semi-final matches saw West Indies and Pakistan playing at Surrey’s home base, the Oval, in south London, while England faced New Zealand at …..
The Oval bristled with noise throughout the day as West Indies reached 283 for 6 wickets, lead by 73 from Gordon Greenidge and 65 from Desmond Haynes. Viv Richards chipped in with 42, skipper Clive Lloyd notched 37 and Collis King made 34. Asif Iqbal’s medium pace bowling accounted for 4 wickets, but at a cost of 56 runs from 11 overs.
Majid Khan struck 81 and Zaheer Abbas 93, but Pakistan was eventually bowled out for 250 in the 57th overs. West Indies won by 43 runs. Colin Croft took 3 wickets for 29 runs from 11 overs.
England made 221 for 8 against New Zealand. Graham Gooch top-scored with 71, captain Mike Brearley made 53 from 115 balls and Derek Randall made 42 not out 50 balls. John Wright lead the New Zealand response with 69, but his side was held to 212 for 9 wickets from 60 overs, leaving England winners by 9 runs.
Viv Richards shone in the Final at Lords. The ‘master blaster’ struck 3 sixes and 11 fours in scoring 138 runs from 157 balls. Collis King thumped 86 runs from 66 balls (3 sixes, 10 fours) as West Indies tallied 286 for 9 wickets. England openers Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott each scored over 50, but both scored at about two runs an over. Michael Holding conceded just 16 runs from 8 overs, taking 2 wickets, and ‘Big Bird’ Joel Garner picked up 5 wickets for 38 runs as the later England batsmen struggled to pick up the scoring pace. The England innings ended on 194 after 51 overs, so West Indies retained its one-day world cricketing crown with a 92 run win, in a match that contrasted with the 9 run win against Australia in the high-scoring 1975 final.
A Summary of Canada’s Group Matches: 1979 Prudential World Cup
Canada v Pakistan
Canada faced Pakistan at the Headingly ground in Leeds, Yorkshire, on June 9. Pakistan’s team included several players with experience playing in the County Championship. Captain Brian Mauricette won the toss and decided to bat. Canada battled away to reach 139 for 9 wickets from 60 overs.
Opening bat Glenroy Sealy top-scored with 45 runs from 100 balls. He was caught and bowled by Asif Iqbal, who took 3 wickets for 28 runs from 12 overs. Franklin Dennis made 25 from 64 balls, captain Mauricette made 15 and opener Chris Chappell 14 for Canada.
Chappell was dismissed by Sikander Bakht, who took 1 wicket for just 18 runs from 12 overs. Opening bowler Sarfraz Nawaz took 3 wickets for 26 (10 overs) and Majid Khan took 1 wicket for 11 runs from 11 overs. Imran Khan was the other opening bowler for Pakistan and took 1 wicket for 27 from 11 overs.
John Valentine struck an early blow for Canada, bowling Majid Khan, but Sadiq Mohammed and Zaheer Abbas moved Pakistan to 61 before Zaheer was run out for 36. Sadiq played the anchor role, making an unbeaten 57, as his side reached a winning 140 for 2 wickets from the first ball of the 41st over. Haroon Rashid made 37 not out. Valentine had the respectable figures of 9 overs, 3 maidens, 18 runs and 1 wicket.
Canada v England
Franklyn Dennis battled away to score 21 runs from 99 balls, as Canada tumbled to 45 all out at the Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester on June 13 and 14. Opener Chris Chappell was next highest scorer with 5 runs from 31 balls. Extras, or sundries, also contributed 5. Bob Willis’ pace bowling accounted for 4 wickets for 11 runs from 10.3 overs at the start and end of the Canadian innings. Chris Old took 4 for 8 from 10 overs, Mike Hendrick 1 for 5 from 8 overs and Ian Botham 1 for 12 from 9 overs. The seam attack was interrupted by just 2 overs from off-spinner Geoff Miller.
John Valentine dismissed England captain Mike Brearley for a duck with just 3 runs on the board, and Robert Callender bowled Derek Randall for 5 to leave England on 11 for 2 wickets. But that was it. Graham Gooch joined Geoff Boycott and the pair took England to 46 for 2 wickets in the 14th over. Gooch made an unbeaten 21runs from 31 balls. Boycott made 14 not out. Valentine took 1 wicket for 20 from 7 overs, and Callender 1 for 14 from 6 overs.
Canada’s total remained the lowest in a World Cup until the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa when Sri Lanka dismissed Canada for just 36. Canada’s scores against England (228 for seven) and New Zealand (249) in CWC 2007 began to turn the corner.
Canada v Australia
Glenroy Sealy scored 25 runs from 30 balls, and fellow-opener Chris Chappell made 19 from 42 balls, but overall Canada struggled to tally 105 all out (33.2 overs) against Australia in its last group match. Pace-bowler Alan Hurst, from Victoria, did most of the damage, taking 5 wickets for 21 runs from 10 overs. Hurst, now on the ICC Elite panel of match referees, played just 8 ODIs for his country. He played in 12 tests, which partly illustrates the limited number of ODIs taking place in the 1970’s. Graeme Porter, from Western Australia, took 2 wickets for 13 from 6 overs. Gary Cosier took two wickets for 17 from 7.2 overs. Left-arm opening bowler Geoff Dymock conceded just 17 runs from his 8 overs, taking 1 wicket.
(I must admit, even though living and seeing much more cricket on public TV, in newspapers and live in England in those days, than has been the norm in Canada since I moved here in 1989, Graeme Porter is pretty much an unknown Australian cricketer to me. He played just 2 ODIs. Perhaps, due to this match, he is better known in Canada ?)
Canadian medium pace bowler Cornelius Henry bowled tidily to take 2 wickets for 27 runs from 10 overs, but Australia reached a winning 106 for 3 at the end of the 26th over. Aussie captain Kim Hughes made 27 not out (40 balls), A[ll]an Border scored 25 (53 balls) and opener Andrew Hilditch 24 runs.
So that was the end of the road for Canada, and also for Australia, at the 1979 Prudential World Cup. Canada completed its stay in England with the ICC Trophy Final against Sri Lanka, which Sri Lanka won by 60 runs.
Eddie Norfolk
Thirty-years ago: Canada at the inaugural ICC Trophy in 1979 -- Posted Sunday, June 14 2009
In 1979 Canada took part in the inaugural ICC Trophy Competition. Fifteen countries participated and the top two sides qualified to play in the Prudential World Cup. The ICC Trophy qualification event came just before the second Cricket World Cup. Both events took place in England.
East Africa and Sri Lanka had been nominated as the non-test playing teams for the first World Cup in 1975. At the time, East Africa drew its players from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. Those countries now operate separately in international cricket. The last appearance of a composite East and Central Africa side in the ICC Trophy came at the 2001 staged in the Greater Toronto Area.
1979 ICC Trophy Qualification Process
The fifteen teams were split into three groups of five, with the top team from each group plus the group runner-up with the best record advancing to the semi-finals. A 60-over limit applied to each innings.. The longer days during an English summer mean it is light until much later in the day than in countries closer to the equator, except when dark clouds and rain takeover. All matches were played at club grounds within a 40 mile radius of Birmingham in the English midlands.
Canada was drawn in Group 2 together with Bangladesh, Denmark, Fiji and Malaysia. Group 1 comprised Argentina, Bermuda, East Africa, Papua New Guinea and Singapore.
Holland, Israel, Sri Lanka, the USA and Wales were in Group 3. Wales participated as late replacements for Gibraltar, who failed to raise enough funds to make the trip to England.
Sri Lanka were under Government orders not to play Israel and defaulted that match as a win for the Israelis. Solid wins over the USA and the Netherlands plus a washed-out match against Wales proved sufficient for the Sri Lankans to win the group, although ending level on points with both the USA and Wales.
Bermuda recorded a 9 wicket win over East Africa in the match that decided Group 1. The East Africans were held to just 94 for 9 wickets from 60 overs.
Canadian Group Match Highlights
Canada began with a 44 run win over Malaysia at Warwick. Cecil Marshall top-scored for Canada with 77 runs. He joined opener Glenroy Sealy in a stand of 108 for the second wicket that was the backbone of a total of 185 all out in 58.3 overs. Malaysia lost two quick wickets but John Vaughan bowled a useful spell that kept the middle order batsmen in check. Batsmen three thru six each reached double figures, but none progressed to a match-winnig score as Vaughan removed four of them at a personal cost of 33 runs from 12 overs. Marshall took 3 late-order wickets for 16 runs as the Malaysians stumbled to 141 all out from 53.3 overs.
Seven Canadian batsmen reached double figures in the next game, against Bangladesh at Lichfield. Franklyn Dennis, the number four bat, went on to reach 61, taking part in what proved a crucial sixth wicket stand of 66 with wicketkeeper Garnett Brisbane, who made 34. John Vaughan chipped in with a useful 22 not out to steer Canada to 190 all out from the 60 overs. Canada’s bowlers managed to keep the Bangladeshi’s in check, with Vaughan taking 3 wickets for 28 runs from 12 overs and opening bowler Valentine taking 2 for 22 from 11.3 overs. Opener Raqibul Hasan top-scored for Bangladesh with 34, but the pressure from Vaughan saw the score stumble from 97 for 3 wickets to 108 for 8. There was a brief flurry from Dipu Chowdhury, who made 17, but Bangladesh was all bowled out (50.3 overs), giving Canada victory by 49 runs.
The match between Canada and Denmark on June 1st proved low-scoring. Denmark’s total of 118 all out from 57 overs was based around a third-wicket stand of 69 runs between Claus Morild and Henrik Mortensen. Morild made 26 before being run out. Mortensen provided the top-score of the match with 36. Only one other player reached double figures. Martin Stead was the main wicket taker for Canada with 4 wickets for 16 runs from 9 overs. Cecil Marshall conceded just 8 runs from his 9 overs and took a wicket.
Canada struggled to 72 all out from 32.4 overs. Carston Morild took 4 wickets for 12 runs from 9 overs and opening bowler Ole Mortensen took 2 for 16 from 10.4 overs. There was a brief early flourish as Morton Peterson conceded 9 runs from the second over of the Canadian innings, but he was then replaced by Henrik Mortensen, who proved much more frugal. He took 2 for 15 from 8 overs. Canada lost by 46 runs at the Knowle and Dorridge ground. Ole Mortensen later went on to play in County Cricket for Derbyshire.
The last group match saw Canada reach a useful score of 209 for 6 wickets from 60 overs against Fiji. Chris Chappell was moved up the order to open the innings and responded with 34. Chappell and Franklyn Dennis added 51 for the second wicket but after losing two further wickets, Dennis and John Vaughan turned the tide back in Canada’s favour with a stand of 30. Tariq Javed (26 runs) and Brian Mauricette (17 not out) provided good support for Vaughan who reached 68 not out when the Canadian innings closed.
Fiji responded with 153 all out from 50.5 overs, giving Canada a win by 56 runs. Opener Cecil Browne struck 34 before being stumped by Mauricette off the bowling of Jitendra Patel. Fiji’s captain and number seven bat, Inoke Tambualevu, made 27 before being bowled by Vaughan. Patel took 3 wickets for 22 from 12 overs and Vaughan 3 for 38 from 10.5 overs.
Canada placed second in the group, but the three wins were good enough to take the team into the semi-finals, along with the three group winners; Denmark, Bermuda and Sri Lanka. Canada locked horns with Bermuda in the semi-final.
Sixth wicket stand steers Canada to semi-final win over Bermuda
Bermudian openers Gladstone Brown (34 runs) and Winston Reid (23 runs) notched up 40 runs before Canada made a breakthrough in its semi-final match at Burton-on-Trent. Bermuda’s innings ticked along without any of the next three batsmen making a major contribution. J Tucker, batting sixth, provided the base from which the total of 181 all out (58.1 overs) was achieved. He scored 49 before being bowled by Vaughan. Six Canadian bowlers shared 8 wickets – there were two run outs.
Tariq Javed and Brian Mauricette provided the batting spark that carried Canada from a precarious 62 for 5 wickets to 173 for 6 against Bermuda in the semi-finals. Canada lost both openers in making 14 runs, then lost wickets at 32 and 36. Skipper Mauricette lead the way with 72 before being caught off the bowling of Winston Trott. Javed went on to reach 47 not out as Canada reached a winning 186 for 6 wickets from 57.5 overs.
This four wicket win took Canada into the Final against Sri Lanka, who beat Denmark by 208 runs in the other semi-final. Sri Lanka posted 318 for 8 wickets from 60 overs. Roy Dias struck 88 and Duleep Mendis 68. Denmark was then bowled out for 110 in 42.5 overs.
Sri Lanka takes inaugural ICC Trophy
The ICC Trophy Final was played after Canada and Sri Lanka had been knocked out of the World Cup proper. Canada lost to Australian, England and Pakistan in the World Cup, but this thirty year will be recalled on another occasion.
Sri Lanka managed to beat its semi-final tally in the ICC Trophy Final played at Worcester, reaching 324 for 8 wickets in 60 overs. Sunil Jayasinghe, batting third, made 64 and joined with Roy Dias (44 runs) to add 87 runs for the third wicket. Duleep Mendis entered the fray and joined with Ranjan Madugalle (33 runs) to post 75 runs for the 5th wicket. Mendis was eventually caught by Chris Chappell for 66 off the bowling of Vaughan. D. S de Silva (39 not out) and Sudath Pasqual (39) each kept the total moving for Sri Lanka. Ranjan Madugalle is now on the ICC Elite Referees panel.
Canada lost an early wicket, but performed creditably with the bat. Opener Chris Chappell made 35, John Vaughan topped the scoring with 80 not out. Vaughan and Cecil Marshall (55 runs) added 100 runs for the fourth wicket, while Tariq Javed (24 runs) and Brian Mauricette (25 not out) helped carry Canada to its best score of the tournament; 264 for 5 wickets from 60 overs. Sure, Sri Lanka won by 60 runs, but few experts would have expected Canada to progress to the World Cup proper back in 1979.
Garnett Brisbane began the tournament as Canada’s captain, but a pulled muscle forced him out of the team. Brisbane told English journalist Mike Stevenson “there is too much made of this West Indian thing. It’s true that nine of us are of West Indian parentage, but most of us have roots in Canada and have lived there for years.” Brisbane underlined “We are not West Indians, but Canadians. We pay taxes and go to the ice hockey.”
Inclusion of the word ‘ice’ in ‘ice hockey’ is an indication that Brisbane’s comments are from an English interview. Stevenson concluded his article ‘Canadian to a man’ with some comments that I believe remain true today.
“Enjoyment is still the single most component of sport; we could learn the odd lesson from the Canadians. When sport ceases to contain and engender joy it ceases to be sport.”
Thirty years on, the second Twenty/20 World Cup is being staged in England, and a couple of months ago, Canada played Ireland in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifier in Centurion, South Africa. A match which Ireland won. But Canada managed to retain its high performance ranking and secure a place in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Eddie Norfolk
Malvern wins inaugural Elsie Boyce Memorial Trophy -- Posted Sunday, June 14 2009
Malvern Cricket and Social Club (Ontario) won the inaugural Elsie Boyce Memorial Trophy. Malvern beat Markham in the final of a Twenty/20 tournament played on May 24.
Nigel Griffith blasted 96 (9 sixes, 3 fours) as Malvern stormed to a winning 141 for 3 wickets in just 14.3 overs. Markham had made a respectable 141 for 3 in 20 overs. Frankln St Paul making 40 not out for Markham.
Metro Police and the Caribbean CC (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) were the other sides who played in the tournament.
Elsie Boyce, born in Barbados, was a founding member of the Malvern C&SC. She passed away last year.
* This information comes courtesy of Dalchand Bissoon and “The Caribbean Camera.”
Calgary cricket faces challenges over Riley Park use (Calgary Herald) -- Posted Sunday, June 14 2009
NICK LEWIS, CALGARY HERALD
CALGARY - The gentleman's sport of cricket has had a fine tradition at Calgary's Riley Park.
It dates from 1908, when Commonwealth immigrants first played the sport on the grounds.
In 1932, Don Bradman, considered the greatest batsman of all time, brought his Australian national team to play on the field.
But now, after a century of tradition, cricket players fear they are being bowled off their home pitch as the city considers the sport a danger to children playing in a wading pool nearby, where stray balls sometimes roll.
"What we've done is request they reduce their level of play to the level of mixed play within the park," said Kyle Ripley, manager of parks planning and development.
"What's been experienced for the past couple of years is errant balls have been put into the wading pool area, out onto 10th Street and even into the condominium units. And that's not acceptable.
"So we've asked the Riley Park group how they might be able to reschedule their play so their premier players aren't playing at Riley and it's more of a demonstration or introductory sport there."
There are two pitches at the park off 10th Street N. W.
The distance from the first pitch to the wading pool fence is 50 metres, and the distance from the other pitch to 10th street is 63 metres.
There has been no recorded incident of a stray ball striking a child in the pool, although there have been reports of property damage to a condo unit.
Ravin Moorthy, vice-president of Cricket Canada and a Calgarian who learned to play the sport on that field as a six-year-old in 1981, says it has been a struggle getting the city to meet them halfway.
"We've asked them several times if we can put up a net near the wading pool, but they won't do that. We've asked them if we can extend the fence, and they won't do that," he said.
"I said, 'Look, you guys put a pool near a cricket ground, we didn't put a cricket ground near a pool,' " Moorthy said.
Chris James, president of Calgary and District Cricket League, said he has been in talks with parks planning and the mayor's office. He said they don't understand the sport enough to realize what's needed.
There are 46 cricket teams in Calgary that use the park for scheduled league play and practice.
"They're telling us that we have to come up with a way to play cricket within the boundaries of the ground," he said. "That's just ignorant. You can't do that. That's like saying you have to keep all baseballs on a baseball field. What about home runs?"
Riley Park is one of two grounds used for cricketing in Calgary, and the other --Inland Park--is meant to be a poorer substitute for the purposes of the sport. A typical cricket pitch is a shortgrass oval slightly larger than a baseball diamond, with a diameter of 150 metres. Regulation pitches must be made of natural turf, but there are only five of these in Canada, predominantly around the Greater Toronto Area.
Cricket has a strong influence in the cultures of many Commonwealth nations, such as England, India, Pakistan, Australia, Scotland and the English-speaking Caribbean. Immigrants from those nations say playing in Calgary helps them acclimate to a new culture and country.
"I came to Calgary in 1982 when I was 15, and I grew up in Riley Park," James said. "All my friends and business associates are because of Riley Park. For teenage immigrants, it's a great place to come and meet people."
The problem in this issue stems primarily from the perception each side has of the park--the cricketers believe it's a cricket ground, while the city believes it's just another public park.
It is widely believed that when politician Ezra Riley donated the land to the city in 1910, it was with the condition that cricket be played there forever--although there is no document verifying that claim. When the issue arose in 2002, local historian Harry Sanders told the Herald he looked at the agreement and saw no mention of cricket. "It is possible that it was understood, but not written down," Sanders said.
The Calgary Herald story from May 4, 1910, also made no mention of the so-called "cricket clause," reading, "There are no stipulations except that it be used as a park. The commissioners have looked over the land with Mr. Riley and find the ground to be most excellent for the purposes intended."
Ald. Druh Farrell, who is mediating the conversations between the two sides, says that while residents in the community say they enjoy watching the evening matches, the park has grown busier with population growth, and conflicts with other park users have risen.
"The trouble is, we have so many conflicting needs for sport in Calgary, and cricket --although it's a highly valued sport for a lot of cultures--the players don't constitute a large percentage of the population," she said. "The needs for soccer are far greater. Cricket falls much lower on the list, which is why the players cling so dearly to Riley Park."
By July, many cricket players in the league will have to move their matches to a temporary location near the northeast Martindale Community Association. The city says it is working on creating a new pitch for them elsewhere, which could be available as early as 2010.The league will agree to this, on the condition junior and women's cricket continue at Riley, for its century-long cricket heritage to stay alive.
"We're not kicking cricket out of Riley Park," parks manager Ripley said.
Canada's 2009 European tour: (CC website) -- Posted Saturday, June 13 2009
July 2-5, 2009 Canada vs Scotland Intercontinental Cup Match
July 7, 2009 Canada vs. Scotland (1st ODI)
July 8, 2009 Canada vs. Scotland (2nd ODI)
July 11, 2009 Canada vs. The Netherlands (1st ODI)
July 12, 2009 Canada vs. The Netherlands (2nd ODI)
July 15-18, 2009 Canada vs. The Netherlands Intercontinental Cup Match
Cricket Canada is pleased to announce the following squad that will participate in the ODI and Intercontinental Cup tour of Scotland and The Netherlands. Ashish Bagai - Captain
Umar Bhatti - Vice Captain
Qaiser Ali
Harvir Baiwan
Geoffrey Barnett
Trevin Bastiampillai
Rizwan Cheema
Khurram Chohan
Sunil Dhaniram
Sandeep Jyoti
Shaheed Keshvani
Ashif Mulla
Henry Osinde
Abdool Samad
Zahir Zameer
Toronto and Peel share honours in indoor cricket -- Posted Wednesday, June 10 2009
E Norfolk
Honours were shared in the indoor playoffs between the Toronto and Peel senior schools cricket championships.
Stephen Lewis (Peel Region) won the senior boys championship with a solid 31 runs win over North Albion (Toronto). Usama Ahmed scored 31 as Stephen Lewis made 75. North Albion replied with 44.
The junior boys event ended with equal scores; North Albion (Toronto) and Lincoln Alexander (Peel) each made 45 runs. The championship tiebreaker came down to wickets lost, so North Albion, having lost less wickets, were declared the winners.
The matches were played at Humber College, Etobicoke.
GTA Indoor Cricket Championships (played at Humber College).
Junior Championship Results:
North Albion 45 (Mobeen Amini, 20) defeated Lincoln Alexander 45 (Abhikesh Agnihotri and Rohit Giri, 9 runs).
Game tied. North Albion won based on losing less wickets.
Senior Championship Results:
Stephen Lewis 75 (Usama Ahmed, 31 runs) defeated North Albion 44 (Faham Ahmad, 11 runs)
Americas Under 19 squad (Cricket Canada) -- Posted Wednesday, June 10 2009
ICC America's U19 Regional Qualifier
Cricket Canada is pleased to announce the following squad for the ICC America's U19 qualification tournament, July 5th - 12th 2009 at Maple Leaf Cricket Club in King City, Ontario. Joining Canada at the tournament are Argentina, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and United States of America. The top two teams from the tournament will go through to the ICC Global Qualifier to be played later this year in Canada; from which the top 5 teams will go through to the 2010 U19 Cricket World Cup.
Rustum Bhatti (captain)
Hiral Patel (vice-captain)
Manny Aulaka
Darius D'Souza
Ruvindu Gunasekara
Abishek Krishnamoorthy
Nitesh Kumar
Usman Limbada
Zain Mahmood
Asif Manjra
Riyazkhan Pathan
Arsalan Qadir
Harpeet Singh
Hamza Tariq
Coach - Wilbert Plummer
Assistant Coach - Farouk Kirmani
Gospel music rings out for new cricket ground -- Posted Tuesday, June 9 2009
Vibrant and passionate gospel music rang out on Saturday night (June 6) at the Humberwood Community Centre, North Etobicoke. Several choirs from the Greater Toronto Area lead a fundraising Community Gospel Concert aimed at ensuring a new international standard cricket ground can be created at Thackeray Park to serve North Etobicoke. However, the priority for the ground is to serve schools and junior cricket in the local community, but it will be available for adult matches, including exhibition and international matches.
The Toronto Apostolic Men’s Fellowship, in conjunction with the nearby Triumphant Church of Jesus Christ (pastor Evon Nunes) and fellow Apostolic and Pentecostal churches from the Greater Toronto Area, provided an inspiring night of gospel music and drama. Participating choirs included the Youth Choir of the Triumphant Church of (Etobicoke), Abiezer Youth Choir (North York), Shekinah Praise Chorale (Praise Sanctuary, Toronto) and the combined voices of the Toronto Apostolic Men’s Fellowship. Two female soloists Ritthea Hortg and Simone Samon (Refuge City Pentecostal, Ajax) provided powerful and passionate renditions, as did Robert Foster (Zion Apostolic Church, Toronto).
A spiritual drama was played out by members of Global Ministries, Scarborough. A cricketing twist was included, with a demonstration of cricket on stage, accompanied by a typically Caribbean commentary, underlining the passion for cricket that brings people from the different islands together through cricket. A spirit that also brings people with different heritages together through cricket in Toronto, and Canada.
The participants not only helped the cricketing cause in song and drama, but even paid admission for the concert!
Pastor Nunes, and Fred Morgan (Elmbank Community Centre) paid thanks to the efforts of local councillor Susan Hall in helping find a plot of land where a ground could be developed. The land is actually within the City of Vaughan. Pastor Nunes also thanked the City of Toronto, and Mayor David Miller for designating funds to assist priority neighbourhoods, areas within the city with socio-economic needs.
Ground development aims
The City of Toronto has committed $250,000 to phase one of the Thackeray Park development, but needs an equal commitment from the community by September 1, 2009. Ideally, this amount needs to be raised quickly so development might begin to level the land and start the process of outfield growth, as this ground might potentially be used to host matches in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Phase Two of the ground development needs a further $1.2 million. It would include the addition of changing and wash rooms, a net facility and sports lighting.
Ground development aims, and a chance to contribute, are accessible via the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation website (www.torontoparksandtrees.org/cricket.htm).
Pastor takes the Church into the Community
On Saturday night, Pastor Nunes told me the gospel concert was taking place at the Humberwood Community Centre, rather than at his church, in order to open the event to the broader community. This event had potential that some people might be attracted to the Triumphant Church of Jesus Christ by taking the church going out to the people, rather than expecting people to come to the church. The core message of the gospel music, passionately demonstrated by the various choirs and soloists, was the love of God, and the love of Jesus. Christian’s recognize Jesus as the son of God.
Respect and love of each other – not love of self - seem to be common within the heart of the world’s leading religions, if the various followers understand the basic philosophies.
One of the local schools that would benefit from the new ground is North Albion Collegiate Institute. Last week (June 4), the North Albion junior boys team won the inaugural Toronto District School Board outdoor cricket championship. Pastor Nunes told how “Cricket rivals basketball as the number one sport at North Albion.” said Pastor Nunes on Saturday night. North Albion runs indoor teams for senior and junior boys, as well as girls. The senior boys team were runners-up in the 2008 outdoor city championships.
But if facilities for cricket remain poor, youngsters in coming generations might switch to the likes of soccer, or even basketball….or ‘play’ their favourite sport or sports on computers. The Canadian men’s team recently qualified for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. In order to sustain progress, there is need for improvement and expansion of cricket grounds, the provision of indoor playing facilities and for more coaches, umpires, scorers and administrators to help the game sustain, develop and promote the game.
Saturday night’s efforts took the church to the community. Some of the cricketing leaders in the community would do well to take a leaf from the efforts of the singers and the likes of Pastor Nunes and take the message of cricket into the broader community. Sadly, none of the national, provincial or local league level leaders of cricket attended the concert. Some of the audience did not raise their hands when asked if they understood some of terms associated with the game. So there was cricket development potential to be tapped, even in a largely Caribbean heritage group. Possibly a reflection that cricket does not feature much on Canadian public television.
But the cricketing community owes the Apostolic Men’s Fellowship, Pastor Nunes, the choirs and audience a since vote of thanks for their efforts.
Eddie Norfolk
GTA Cricket: Community enthusiasts might lead cricket to greener pastures -- Posted Monday, June 8 2009
Cricket leaders fail to shine at City meeting
Last week saw two significant events of cricket interest in Toronto that failed to attract the presence of top officials from the national, provincial, or even local leagues that operate in Toronto. Something that highlights the serious disconnect between Canadian cricket’s needs and some of the skills and interests of some involved in running cricket in this part of the country.
The finals of the Toronto and District School Board outdoor cricket championships took place on Thursday (June 4) for senior and junior boys. Officially. Cricket Canada, the Ontario Cricket Association and other cricketing leaders at local league levels have great interest in schools and junior cricket. But none of the upper echelons turned out for these finals. Some of the usual suspects, including umpires, turned up. The senior boys final had a minute or so of fame on City TV’s news later that night. I wonder if the cricketing leaders were aware?
On Saturday night (June 6) at the Humberwood Community Centre, North Etobicoke, there was a similar dearth of Greater Toronto Area cricketing leaders at a Community Gospel concert, aimed at raising funds for a new international standard cricket ground at Thackeray Park. A ground, if developed, with a priority to serve schools and junior cricket in North Etobicoke, but one where exhibition and international cricket could be staged.
The City of Toronto has committed $250,000 to phase one of this development, but needs an equal commitment from the community by September 1, 2009. Ideally, this amount needs to be raised quickly so development might begin to level the land and start the process of outfield growth, as this ground might potentially be used to host matches in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Phase Two of the ground development needs a further $1.2 million. It would include the addition of changing and wash rooms, a net facility and sports lighting.
The Toronto Apostolic Men’s Fellowship, in conjunction with the nearby Triumphant Church of Jesus Christ and related Apostolic churches in the Greater Toronto Area, provided an inspiring night of gospel music and drama. They did their part to help the cricketing cause – participants even paid admission for the concert! ATN (the Asian Television Network) sent a cameraperson and reporter to the event, but where was the representation from cricket’s leadership in it’s Toronto heartland?
But, a few weeks earlier, some of those leaders failed to excel when attending a meeting organized by the City of Toronto with the intent of promoting and developing cricket in the city.
Toronto Parks May meeting targets cricket promotion and development
The initial phase of the Thackeray Park ground development was the only infrastructure project mentioned during a cricket meeting on May 14 hosted by the Access and Diversity Unit of the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation division.
This meeting aimed to setup a Cricket Resource Group that will work in conjunction with the Access and Diversity Unit to help promote and develop cricket in the City of Toronto.
Elected officials from various cricketing bodies, including the national, Ontario provincial and leagues operating in Toronto were invited to this meeting. Some other people involved in cricket events and activities were also present.
The City is aware from feedback in the community and schools, particularly in some of the thirteen designated ‘priority neighbourhoods’, that cricket is one of the fastest growing sports in the city. There is demand for more cricket facilities, and last year saw the introduction of the ‘Cricket across the Pond’ scheme. A junior team drawn mostly from players living in Toronto’s thirteen priority neighbourhoods – basically the poorer areas of the city – went on a two week tour to Surrey, England for coaching and to play some matches.
The leading contribution for the ground development from a cricketing organization, as of mid-May, was $10,000. Leaving a further $240,000 to be found for phase one. Not to mention the phase two $1 million estimate. But almost all the elected officials of cricketing bodies at the May meeting were looking for the City of Toronto to do things for cricket.
Not only that, but the ranking representatives from Cricket Canada, the Ontario Provincial, and the Toronto & District Cricket Association – the country’s largest cricket league – managed to turn up significantly late. One was over an hour late for a scheduled two hour meeting. I felt that was, at minimum, a disservice to the cricket community, not to mention the failure of any of the representatives to provide any written background information or plans relating to their organization’s activities.
A simple go-round-the-table set of introductions from several of the attending cricket representatives underlined the self-interest, self-importance, self-promotion, egos and lack of focus on moving cricket forward. Most delegates seemed to think they are doing a fine job, if not better, but there was patently little cohesion between league, provincial and individual leagues. An amazing failure when one considers some of the representatives currently are, or previously have been, involved in simultaneous leadership roles at the three levels.
A situation even more ludicrous if one knows some delegates have managed to hold high ranking posts at league, provincial and national levels simultaneously, and still claim not to know what is going on. Some work on management, planning and communications skills is clearly needed before trying to properly promote and develop cricket for some of these folk.
Some of the issues stem from the lack of solid leadership for several years. Logistical skills exist to organize events, but the ability to properly promote the sport is weak at most levels. Communication skills are weak, but this was raised during the 2007 Canadian Cricket Association by at least two speakers, but the cricket gods were too busy to listen.
Several folk at the May meeting gave an initial wonderful response to the rallying cry of ‘let’s move cricket forward’. But soon dissolved into a lot of bickering about not knowing about various events in the recent past, until deciding they really knew more about events they never attended.
It’s even harder to believe someone who states they knew nothing about a particular program, but attended a related media launch. Media gatherings on Canadian cricket are few. And those who criticize, or validly point out deficiencies, tend to be dropped from future gatherings by some of the thin-skinned emperors of Canadian cricket.
Anyway, another start-up meeting will be held sometime. Hopefully the cricket delegates might perform rather better than at the first meeting. But this ‘first meeting’ was really a re-start for an initiative the City previously attempted in 2005 to get cricket moving in Toronto. Just take a look at the 2007 brochure produced in support of “The South Asian Contribution to Cricket” series of exhibitions, if you doubt my word.
Cricket’s leaders need to swing wide the gates!
North Albion Collegiate Institute won the inaugural Toronto District School Board junior boys championship last week. North Albion is one of the neighbourhood schools that would benefit from the new Thackeray Park ground.
On Saturday night, Pastor Nunes told me the gospel concert was taking place at the Humberwood Community Centre, rather than at his church, in order to open the event to the broader community. It also provided potential that some people might be attracted to his church by the church going out to the people. The core message of the gospel music, passionately demonstrated by the various choirs and soloists, was the love of God, and the love of Jesus. Christian’s recognize Jesus as the son of God. Respect and love of each other – not love of self - seem to be common within the heart of the world’s leading religions, if the various followers understand the basic philosophies.
Cricket’s leaders, especially in the national governing body, need to wake up and go out into the broader community to spread the message of cricket. Not just sit by and wait to be contacted. One person attending the mid-May meeting spoke about a particular event he helped to organize. Some full-page advertisements appeared in certain ethic newspapers in the GTA. But the original adverts did not state the date and time of the event.
“Cricket rivals basketball as the number one sport at North Albion,” said Pastor Nunes on Saturday night. But if facilities for cricket remain poor, youngsters in coming generations might switch to the likes of soccer, or even basketball….or ‘play’ their favourite sport or sports on computers.
Playing cricket to a reasonable level requires mental focus, in addition to technical skills. Developing and promoting cricket requires cricket’s leaders to develop plans and schedules then communicate these to the potential participants and spectators.
It will take more than one or two good shepherds to lead GTA and Canadian cricket onto greener pastures on this earth. The Toronto’s Access and Diversity unit will, I am sure, try to move things forward at the next gathering of cricket’s delegates. Hopefully, some will arrive with a fresh attitude. It’s time to swing wide the gates for all to enjoy cricket, or at least be aware the sport exists. And properly thank and recognize the efforts of sponsors and the true friends of cricket.
Someone attending the meeting as a first experience of cricket later mentioned, the meeting underlined the need for a cricket resource group to be setup and lead the sport ‘up to the highest mountains, and down into the lowest valleys’, to use words from one of Saturday’s gospel songs.
Eddie Norfolk
Ontario schools indoor cricket 2008-2009 -- Posted Monday, June 8 2009
Eddie Norfolk
The bulk of the current Toronto School Board indoor cricket competition is played in the West Region. This spring, a city indoor final was staged for senior boys between North Albion Collegiate Institute (CI), winners of the West Region, and the East Region’s David and Mary Thomson CI. North Albion’s Faham Ahmad scored 28 as his side made the necessary 57 runs to beat Thomson’s total of 56.
North Albion began its campaign by winning the West Region senior league division A with a record of 5 wins and no losses. Kipling CI came second with a 4/1 record. North Albion went on to win the Senior playoff final with a win over George Harvey CI. Andrew Boda made 29 of George Harvey’s 55 runs. Faham Ahmad also notched 28 runs as North Albion reached a winning total of 56 runs.
A Senior B division also operated. It was won by George Harvey CI’s ‘B’ team (5/0) topped the standings ahead of Martingrove CI (4/1).
The Senior A division included six teams from five schools. The Senior B division included teams from four additional schools plus two ‘B’ teams.
North Albion won the West Region junior boys regular season standings with a 5/0 record, edging out George Harvey (4/1). North Albion beat George Harvey in the junior playoff final. North Albion scored 46 runs, Malav Patel scoring 24, and George Harvey totalled 41. Saron Boda made 18. The junior boys event involved six competing teams from five schools.
George Harvey’s girls side headed the regular season standings with a 4/0 record. North Albion (3/1) placed second, and progressed to beat York Memorial CI (regular season record 2/2) in the playoff final. Maliha Baig made 40 of George Harvey’s tally of 56, after York Memorial notched 51 runs. York’s Saleha Pathan scored 26.
Maliha Baig scored an impressive 49 as George Harvey reached 71 in a semi-final win against Kipling CI. York Memorial beat North Albion in the other semi-final. The girls event included five teams from four schools.
Region of Peel Senior Schools - Indoor Schools Cricket 2008-2009
It is a promising sign that four different schools won the different categories in the Region of Peel Secondary Schools Athletic Association indoor cricket championships for 2008-2009. Stephen Lewis edged out St Augustine to take the Senior Boys Tier 1 final, St Joseph’s won the Girls championship, Lincoln Alexander won the Junior Boys final and Bramalea won the Senior Boys Tier 2 championship.
The senior events are played as 8 overs a side matches. The girls and junior boys tournaments have innings restricted to 6 overs per side.
The Peel Region includes places such as Mississauga, Brampton and Bramalea.
Stephen Lewis wins Boys Senior on a tie-breaker
The Senior Boys Final between Stephen Lewis and St Augustine ended with both teams scoring 49 runs from 8 overs. Stephen Lewis made 49 for 5 wickets and St Augustine 49 for 2 wickets. Stephen Lewis was declared the winner based on runs scored after 7 overs, having made 41 from 7 overs compared with St Augustine’s 38. A tough way to lose, but the rules are set in advance, and the North American sporting way is not to have ties and shared championships.
Stephen Lewis edged out TL Kennedy in the semi-finals. Kennedy made 51 for 3 (8 overs) to lose to the Lewis total of 54 (8 overs). St Augustine had a clearcut 16 run win against John Fraser in its semi-final. St Augustine tallied 55 for 2 wickets, then restricted John Fraser to 39 (8 overs).
Fifteen schools participated in the Senior Boys Tier 1 championship.
St Joseph’s win Girls Final
In the Girls Final, Rick Hansen made 52 for 1 wicket from 6 overs but lost with 2 balls to spare as St Joseph’s reached 52 for 3 wickets. St Joseph’s powered to 47 for 1 from 5 overs to beat Father Goetz at the semi-final stage. Father Goetz reached 46 for 3 from its 6 overs. Rick Hansen edged to victory with one ball to spare in semi-final action against Heartlake. Heartlake made 41 for 4 from 6 overs, while Hansen reached 42 for 2 wickets from 5.5 overs.
Seven schools took part in the Girls tournament.
Lincoln Alexander secures Junior Boys title
In the Junior Boys Final, Lincoln Alexander made 37 for 4 from 6 overs before bowling out Brampton Central for 26 in 5.4 overs. All out, in this indoor competition, means losing six wickets, not the normal ten wickets of outdoor cricket. Lincoln Alexander won by 11 runs.
In the semi-finals, Lincoln Alexander made 49 for 2 (6 overs) and restricted Sandalwood to 36 (6 overs). Brampton Central restricted Woodlands to 26 for 5 wickets (6 overs), then made 28 for no wicket in just 3 overs.
Sixteen schools took part in the Junior Boys event.
Bramalea takes Senior Boys Tier 2 Championship
In the Senior Boys Tier 2 Final, Bramalea made 58 for 4 from 8 overs and restricted Chinguacousy to an innings closed total of 40 for 5 wickets. Bramalea won by 18 runs.
Bramalea edged home with 2 balls to spare in its semi-final against Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel made 40 for 3 (8 overs) but Bramalea tallied 41 for 5 (7.4 overs). Chinguacousy reached 38 for 5 (8 overs) then limited St Francis Xavier to 34 for 3 (8 overs) to win by 4 runs.
Fourteen schools were involved in the Senior Boys Tier 2 tournament.
Associates shine at World 20-20 -- Posted Monday, June 8 2009
Scotland, Netherlands and Ireland are taking part in the World 20-20 championships in England. Their inclusion was greeted with criticism from some quarters but some fine performances have demonstrated that the gap between full members and associates is by no means as great as some believed, particularly at 20-20 level.
A superb performance from the Netherlands led to a victory over hosts England in the opening match, then Scotland pushed New Zealand in a 7 overs slog. Ireland today completed an easy victory over Bangladesh, restricting them to 137, and reaching the target with an over and a half to spare. Ireland now advance to the next round.
Canada failed to qualify but will surely gain some encouragement from the performances of their fellow associates.
Quebec beats OVCC 3-0 in 20-20 match-up -- Posted Monday, June 8 2009
Quebec beats OVCC 3-0 with the 4th game rained out.
Report by OVCC's John Lexmond from http://www.cricketstar.net/ovcc/:
The less than successful scores are as follow:
Saturday, 30-May - Game 1: QCF - 126 all out (20 overs) & OVCC - 87 for 9 (20 overs) OVCC multiple wickets takers were Anshul Singh with 2 for 25 off 4 overs, Tharindu Nanayakkara with 2 for 34 off 4 and Dennis Fernandez with 3 for 24 off 4. Rajiv Bhatia had 1 catch, made 1 stumping and had 2 run outs while Akber Hussain held 2 catches. Amongst OVCC batsmen, only Akber Hussain reached twenty, scoring 21 off 17 balls with 2 sixes as only Anshul Singh (13 off 37) and Karandeep Singh (14 off 11 - 1 six) joined their skipper in double figures.
Saturday, 30-May - Game 2: OVCC - 106 all out (20 overs) & QCF - 112 for 7 (19.4 overs) Karandeep Singh topscored for OVCC with 28 off 23 with 2 sixes and 1 four. Next highest scorers were Tharindu Nanayakkara with 19 off 17, Ahmed Shah with 16 off 18 - 2 fours and Tauseef Shahid with 10 off 14 - 1 four. Top bowlers were Dravya Sharma with 3 for 12 off 4 and Asif Sheikh with 2 for 19 off 4.
Sunday, 31-May - Game 3: OVCC - 63 all out (15.5 overs) & QCF - 68 for 5 (15.1 overs) Only Ahmed Shah with 11 off 16 and Akber Hussain with 10 off 15 reached double figures for OVCC. The only visitors' wicket takers were Anshul Singh with 1 for 13 off 4 and Asif Sheikh with 1 for 14 off 4. Tharindu Nanayakkara held 1 catch and had 2 run outs.
Sunday, 31-May - Game 4: OVCC - 90 all out (18.3 overs) & QCF did not bat The OVCC double figure batsman were: Asif Sheikh with 15 off 17, Dennis Fernandez with 13 off 20, Tharindu Nanayakkara with 11 off 17 and Karandeep Singh with 10 off 11. QCF scorer Wayne Simms and OVCC scorer John Lexmond sledged the umpires during much of the OVCC innings, asking why the match was continuing through a frigid downpour accompanied by arctic gales which threatened to snatch the umbrellas from our grasp.
Share News on the Sennick resignation -- Posted Friday, June 5 2009
From http://www.sharenews.com/s
Ben Sennik seemed relieved last week when he announced he was stepping down as president of Cricket Canada on June 30.
He said he felt the time was right to pass on the baton because he wanted to spend more quality time with his family, which includes five grand-children, and concentrate more on the expanding family-owned manufacturing and trading business, founded by his grandfather in 1898 in Kenya, which demands extensive traveling overseas.
He also said he had lost his enthusiasm and feeling for the administration of the sport.
"I was not enjoying it anymore," he told Share. "I got the best sleep in months on the night after I made my decision to step down because I would get up about 10 times some nights trying to work out issues related to Canadian cricket. Now, I don't have to do that anymore."
Sennik also does not have to deal with a non-confidence vote that he and Cricket Canada faced from the provincial directors in five of the nine provinces - British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. Some directors were not pleased that players in their constituencies were not being selected to represent Canada. They might have been unaware that teams were selected on merit and not on proportional representation.
Others, on the other hand, questioned Cricket Canada's decision to send national players to participate in a high performance training camp in Colombo, Sri Lanka in preparation for last April's World Cup qualifier in South Africa. Surprise suicide attacks in Colombo killed four people while the squad was there.
Criticism against Sennik escalated after he fired chief executive officer, Atul Ahuja, last January and then first-vice president, Mohan "Mike" Kendall, suddenly resigned a few weeks later while Sennik was out of the country on business.
Kendall, who is also the Ontario Cricket Association president and this province's director, claimed he was frustrated with the way the sport has been governed, adding there's "substantial difference of opinion on important policy matters and the direction of leadership under Sennik's leadership."
And, last March, protestors - some of them women - showed up with placards outside the hotel where the annual general meeting took place, expressing frustration with what they perceived to be indecisive leadership.
A source close to Cricket Canada also suggested that Sennik's interference in the politics of provincial cricket might have led to his sudden resignation.
Sennik dismissed the accusations, claiming that none of the above or health concerns had to do with his decision to step down before the next AGM in December. He also made it clear he was not pushed out by the International Cricket Council (ICC) because of the non-confidence threat hanging over his head.
"Absolutely not," he said vehemently. "As I said before, I was not having fun in the position and I thought it would be best to step down at this time and let a new team take over...This was not an easy decision. However, after reviewing what we have been able to jointly achieve and recognizing what lies ahead for all of us on the cricket scene, I believe the time is right for me to pass the responsibility as president of Cricket Canada to other hands."
First vice-president Ranjit Saini will assume the role until the AGM.
Sennik made his first appearance on the local cricket scene in the late 1980s and played a key role in helping the United Way of Greater Toronto raise over $800,000 through an international limited-overs match at SkyDome 20 years ago.
He successfully contested Cricket Canada's presidency for the first time in late November 2003 at a period when the sport was in crisis. The national program did not succeed in building on the momentum gained by staging the ICC Trophy tournament here in the summer of 2001, with both the government and private sector failing to embrace the sport.
With Sennik at the helm, the sport has become financially healthier and stable. But the game's development has stagnated, especially in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which produces the majority of the national players.
Canada has, however, qualified for two World Cups, finished runner-up in the 2004 and 2006-2007 Intercontinental Cup tournaments and reached the final of this year's World Cup qualifier. The Under-15 side captured the Americas championship last year and the national women won the Americas Cup crown in 2008 and 2009.
In addition, Canada has secured the right to host the 2012 Under-19 World Cup and Cricket Canada has developed long-term partnerships with several corporate partners, including Scotiabank, and procured funding and recognition from the federal government.
Sennik will represent Canada at this month's ICC annual conference at Lords before he steps down at the end of the month.
Concert aims to boost funds for Rexdale Cricket Ground -- Posted Friday, June 5 2009
(Toronto June 6, 2009) A gospel concert on Saturday (June 7) at the Humberwood Community Centre aims to “Let’s Make it Happen” and raise funds for a proposed new cricket ground in the Rexdale area of Toronto. The concert is sponsored by the Toronto Apostolic Men’s Fellowship, part of the Triumphant Church of Jesus Christ. Tickets are $15 and available at the door. The concert begins at 6.30pm.
The ground would be developed to meet the playing conditions of an ICC (International Cricket Council) approved international ground. Funding of $250,000 has been announced by the City of Toronto but a similar amount must be raised from the community in order for phase 1 of the project to commence.
The ground would be built on underused, relatively barren land near Steeles Avenue West and Kipling. The community money needs to be raised by September 2009 for phase one, according to information from the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. The basic preparation of the outfield and turf wickets, as well as some scenic trees would be setup in phase I. The intent is for the ground to be used as an exhibition ground for major matches, including international games. It will also serve as parkland for the community.
The second phase of the development project, including development of a pavilion, has a projected cost of $1.2 million. But that phase only becomes possible once phase I is assured.
Toronto Schools Cricket: Woburn 3peat as TDSB outdoor schools cricket champs -- Posted Thursday, June 4 2009
Eddie Norfolk
(Toronto June 4, 2009) Woburn CI’s resounding 8 wicket win over Winston Churchill CI in the final of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) senior outdoor cricket championships completed a hat-trick of City championships. Woburn beat Kipling CI in the 2007 final and North Albion CI in 2008.
Spin-bowlers Parth Desai (4 wickets for 2 runs) and Pratik Udawaut (4 wickets for 6 runs) destroyed the Winston Churchill batting. A total of 31 runs was never likely to prove enough, but after losing 2 wickets in making 6 runs, Woburn romped home. Yug Rao scored 16 not out.
Woburn beat North Albion CI by 8 runs in one of the morning’s semi-finals at Eglinton Flats, despite scoring only 69 runs. Winston Churchill made 117 runs in 35 overs and beat George Harvey by 36 runs. George Harvey was without its batting star Mark Williams who had made 50 runs in both the West Region championship playoff, against North Albion, and in the City quarter-final against Sir Sanford Fleming Academy.
North Albion won the inaugural TDSB junior outdoor cricket championship, beating Woburn by 41 runs in Thursday’s final. Malav Patel played the key innings of this match, scoring 62 runs and helping North Albion to 116 for 6 wickets from 20 overs. Woburn was bowled out for 75. Mobeen Amini took 3 wickets for 13 runs.
Scores:
TDSB Senior Outdoor Cricket Final (played at Eglinton Flats; 25 overs per side)
Winston Churchill CI 31 all out lost to Woburn CI 36 for 2 wickets, by 8 wickets
TDSB Junior Outdoor Cricket Final (played at Eglinton Flats, 20 overs per side)
North Albion 116 for 6 wickets beat Woburn CI 75 all out, by 41 runs
CEO Cricket Ireland - "What's the point of Associate cricket?" -- Posted Wednesday, June 3 2009
CricInfo reports that Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, has launched a stinging attack on the ICC and the way it handles cricket below Test level.
"“What is the point of Associate cricket?” he said. “Ireland has proved itself head and shoulders above the rest of the Associate nations, winning all the available titles in every form of the game – four-day, 50-over and Twenty20. Yet we are bumping up against a glass ceiling. What does the ICC want us to do? How do we get from high-performance programme to the higher echelons of the world game? There is no road map for us. The issue brings to question the whole mission statement of the ICC High Performance programme: what is it preparing teams for?”
Full story
Cricket Montreal founder profiled by CTV news -- Posted Wednesday, June 3 2009
Senyo Nyakutse came to Montreal from Zimbabwe and is passionate about cricket. He founded Cricket Montreal. This group is described on their own website as follows:-
"Established in 2008, Cricket Montreal is all about the love and spirit of the game. We offer a range of coaching for all ages and skill levels. All Schools, Clubs, Womens Groups, Juniors and Adolescents. We also offer an Academy training regime for anyone looking to prepare for competition. The physical demands of cricket are unique and the preparation is key to long and enjoyable involvement with the game.
The face of the world is changing, and Cricket is our method of choice to share the subtleties of different cultures. Through sport, all involved in this project, from Montréal, Grenada, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, share a common goal. Our goal is to share the invaluable etiquette, respect, discipline and unity felt through this one common passion. Cricket ! 'The Spirit of the Game.'"
You can view a CTV feature on Senyo here - he has introduced cricket to over 7000 Montreal kids in the last 2 years.
Canadian cricket round up -- Posted Monday, June 1 2009
Around the provinces
Calgary
Stallions, the contemporary youth team in Calgary, composed of the best U-19 players in the City, which derive from different clubs like Patriots, United I, Canasia, Cavaliers, Predators and so on have proven their potential, skills, discipline and commitment as one unified team, by an astonishing win over Cavaliers I in the T-20 match on Tuesday May 26, 09.
"The Alberta cricket community got together at the Grenada Community Centre in northeast Calgary to informally celebrate an outstanding achievement by one of its own, Khurram Chohan (KC), playing for Canada in the recent World Cup qualifiers in South Africa). KC claimed the most wickets by a Canadian bowler, 15, and is now regarded as an inspiration to many youngsters in the province, especially here in Calgary. It was great to see a few old-timers in attendance—Horace Goopesingh, Terry Raines, Thatchi Moorthy and Spencer Gooden, as well as Cricket Alberta Secretary Zafar Khan, the lone representative from Edmonton."
Calgary web site
Victoria
The Annual VDCA - 2009 Twenty/20 Tounament took place from May 19 to May 21 at Beacon Hill Ground.
Albion lead the Weekend League with 4 wins out of 4 so far.
Saskatoon
The Saskatoon Cricket Club has got off to a great start to the season winning their first three matches aganist the Under 25s, PCCR and ICCA. The Saskatchewan Cricket Association League features 5 teams this year, Saskatoon Cricket Club, India-Canada Cricket Club, Regina Under-25, Pakistan Cricket Club Of Regina, and the Under 25s.
Manitoba
Cricket in Brandon is being revived with the inclusion of the Brandon Cricket Team in Division 2 of the MCA Summer League. Until they acquire a home facility the team will play a limited schedule of games in Winnipeg.
Sixteen teams will take part in the Winnipeg League. Eight teams - [Bloomfield, All India, India XI, Cosmos, Patriots, Lions, Pakistan XI and WJCC] - will vie for honors in the A Division and six - [Cosmos Lancers, Bharat, MCA Under 19, Seahawks, Lions 2, and Kingz XI] - will do battle in the B Division. The recreational teams - Taverners and Phoenix - are expected to provide good opposition to teams from both divisions on Wednesdays.
Toronto and District Cricket Association
Gujarat CC head the standings in the elite Division with two wins from 3 games played. Nilesh Patel with 75* and 3-28 starred in the opening win over Caviliers - against West Indians the team had 9 Patels in the XI that won by 4 wickets.
Hamilton
The regular season got under way last weekend with wins for Hamilton CC, Crescent, and Cambridge CC. 20-20 competition starts 20th June.
Ottawa
The Ottawa Valley Cricket council is playing a 7-game 20-20 series against Montreal with the first four matches held in Montreal May 30-31.
An interesting item on the web site illustrates the challenges of playing in Rideau Hall
"This is to bring to your notice that when our clubs are playing league games at Rideau Hall ground 2, we MUST make sure that when the Governor General and her family are out for a walk or bicycling in that area, we must stop the game until they have passed through the ground. You will notice an RCMP vehicle escorting the Governor General's family in front of the group which will help you to recognize that the family is on the ground."
Canterbury CC lead the Challenge Division with two wins from 2 matches, and an active 20-20 league is well underway.
Nova Scotia
Cricket is scheduled to start at the Halifax commons on Sunday, May 31st.