The Breakfast TV program on City (Toronto) has posted a composite about cricket and the first visit of Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools cricket squads to the Greater Toronto Area. There are interviews with the tourists management, some of the T&T Ladies squad and some of the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Toronto Mayor’s XI for the game at Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club on Monday.

There is mention of some of the Canadian ladies having played in Trinidad and Tobago in recent times. Miryam Khokhar, captain of the CIMA Toronto Mayor’s XI, is briefly interviewed and played in the recent Courts T20 Grand Slam in T&T, as did Achini Perera and several of the T&T squad. At least one Under-19 player had to be included in each team in every game in the Courts T20.

If you listen carefully, there is a quiet hint that the T&T tourists include most of the T&T U19 squad that won the West Indies Invitational Women’s Under-19 earlier this year. Reniece Boyce, who top-scored for the tourists against CIMA Mayor Xi, made her ODI debut in the 2017 ICC Cricket Womens World Cup and was on the Windies tour of New Zealand earlier this year. She played in three T20 internationals during the New Zealand tour.

In November 2018 the West Indies, the reigning champions, host the ICC Womens World T20, so gaining playing time is important in the lead-up to that event. Last year the Windies Women won 3 and lost 3 in the 50-over World Cup. Reniece Boyce was one of the joint second highest scorers for the Windies in her debut game. It was a game for the Windies to forget as only one Windies batter reached double figures against South Africa at Grace Road, Leicester, England. A ground where the Canadian men lost an ICC Intercontinental Cup Final to Ireland back in 2007. Canada went across to the UK a few days before that Intercontinental Cup Final but it was wet so there was limited opportunity to prepare for the game. By contrast, Ireland had been playing against county teams in one-day cricket in the lead up to that Final. Boyce and a couple of teammates each scored 4 against South Africa on a day when things went astray for the Windies.

Opportunities to play, making the existence of different aspects of cricket known, to attract and retain sponsors, as well as to appropriately thank any such sponsors are all important steps along the way for individual cricketers and cricket teams of whatever level from local parks through county/state/provincial representative teams, sponsored T20 teams and national teams. It can be harder to progress in places where cricket does not rank in a country’s leading sports. Quality of work and effort on the field and off the field can make a big difference.

There were lots of youngsters playing tennis as part of summer camps at the Toronto CSCC on Monday, as there had been when the T&T senior boys team had played the CIMA Mayor’s XI last week. Perhaps a set of the plastic cricket bats, balls and stumps could have been setup in the nets area with some volunteers to operate an introductory “This is Cricket” opportunity for some of those who stumbled upon the game. Or for those who responded to the TV invitation to come and see the game? (EN)