Bala Yogesh writes for the Cloverleaf Reporter
Lack of facilities in Surrey and Delta is forcing the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League (BCMCL) to schedule more matches in cities elsewhere in the region.
The final schedule of 2018 season of BCMCL is in the works as the league is awaiting approval from various cities to host the matches, and the league expects them by mid-March.
Harjit Sandhu, president of BCMCL, said the league had to deny applications from five teams because they couldn’t fit them in.
“The problem is that we have been trying to put them on the grounds we have right now but eventually if we have more teams, we need more grounds,” Sandhu said.
The majority of the teams and players in BCMCL are from Surrey and Delta. Around 1,000 players compete in the league from these two cities, with 800 from Surrey and more than 200 from Delta.
Surrey has seven grounds in the city while Delta has none, and this has forced the league to schedule matches in Vancouver, Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack.
Todd Stewardson, Delta’s Deputy Director, Parks, Recreation and Culture, said the league has not officially made a request for an addition of facilities in the city.
“The fact that they have 200 players from the City of Delta is news to me,” Stewardson said. “I talked to one team about the possibility of one cricket field but certainly no discussions with the league at all.”
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