We are saddened to report that we’ve been informed that Kevin Boller, Historian of Cricket Canada passed away today. Kevin was a huge contributor to cricket in Canada in many ways but notably for his historical work. We are sure a full obituary and appreciation will appear in due course but for those unfamiliar with his work, we reproduce a 1995 interview, originally from the late lamented publication “The Canadian Cricketer” reproduced on the Usenet group rec.sport.cricket in 1995.

The man from Candelo
Cricket historian Kevin Boller, who put Canadian cricket on the world map, talks to the Canadian Cricketer

CC: Tell us about your involvement in the game as player?

KB: I got involved in cricket in a small village in New South Wales, Australia during my school days. After finishing school, I lived in Sydney and got involved with some clubs, including the British Ex-Imperial Club. In the mid-’50s, I joined the Australian Navy and played for numerous navy teams. I was a left-handed batsman and a right-handed slow bowler.

CC: How did your involvement in Toronto and Ontario cricket come about?

KB: In 1972, I came to Canada and, two years later, I joined the Tranzac Club. At first, I didn’t know the club had a cricket team. I was elected the club secretary/treasurer from 1976 to 1978 and president in 1979 and 1980 and again secretary in 1981. I was told to run for the board of Toronto & District Cricket Association. I was surprised when I was elected to the board as secretary in 1978. I didn’t know I had great support in town. In 1979, I became secretary of the Ontario Cricket Association and continued in that position till 1988. During this period, I also served as a public relations officer of the association. In 1993, I became its official historian.

CC: When did you get into the Canadian Cricket Association?

KB: In 1978, the newly elected C.C.A. president, Jack Kyle, asked me to be the public relations officer. I took it up as I had a background in journalism. Since then, I have remained as the public relations officer. In between, I was on the editorial board of The Canadian Cricketer, including its chairman.

CC: How did you get interested in writing?

KB: My writing career began as a travel writer while serving in the Australian navy in the mid-’50s. Later on, I switched to sports reporting, basically cricket and rugby union. On leaving the navy, I stayed in Belfast for some time and submitted a few articles to local newspapers. The articles, however, were not on cricket.

CC: What are your impressions on cricket reporting now compared to the ’70s when you first came here?

KB: In the ’70s, cricket was not reported at all in Canada. Now, because of a large number of ethnic papers, there is a vast improvement in cricket reporting both in the ethnic media and the mainstream media. In the ’70s, there were complaints that the mainstream media did not report on cricket. I took it upon myself to do something. I began sending cricket reports to The Globe & Mail and The Toronto Sun and also to cricket magazines published in England such as The Cricketer, and Wisden Cricket Monthly. That’s how I became involved with cricket journalism here. I joined the editorial board of The Canadian Cricketer, and The Ontario Pitch, published by the O.C.A. I must have written more than 600 articles ranging from the history of Canadian cricket to match reports.

CC: That brings us to your important work on the history of Canadian cricket.

KB: As a little boy, I was interested in history. When I began researching Canadian cricket, I found many interesting facts. I have probably documented ninety percent of Canadian cricket history. I have recorded all matches played by Canada at the senior and junior levels. These are now saved for posterity. I look forward to my book on Canadian cricket being published. It will give me great satisfaction for a life involved with cricket.
Some papers such as The Globe & Mail and The Toronto Telegram did report cricket in the early ’40s. I managed to locate some old cricketers and they provided me with valuable information. There is one important book, Sixty Years of Canadian Cricket, published in 1895. In the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s, the media did cover cricket to some reasonable extent. Collecting data was not easy. Canada has a very colourful cricket history. The 1844 Canada-USA match, besides being the first international cricket match, is also one of the oldest sporting event. Many of the cricket publications until the ’70s refused to acknowledge the 1844 match.

CC: What needs to be done to make cricket more attractive and popular?

KB: The most important need today is a cricket stadium built in or around Toronto. This could give a big boost to the game that has been gaining popularity and recognition in the country over the last few years. Toronto’s claim should be viewed realistically as it is the dominant cricket city in whole of Canada with far more clubs and number of players. A fitting cricket facility with proper dressing rooms and amenities for social activities will give the game a better image. It is just not enough sending teams abroad. A stadium that could accommodate 10,000 people and is accessible by public transit must be at the top of priorities, if the game is to cash in on the current public euphoria. We need to get into one-day international matches. We can only host such matches if we have a fully equipped stadium.

CC: Where do you think is the ideal site for such a stadium?

KB: Currently, the hot spot for cricket is King City on the outskirts of Toronto. Though there are some fine grounds in King City, the place is inaccessible by public transit. Once public transit comes to King City, probably in a few years’ time, it could be a major cricket site. For now, Toronto or its surroundings is in dire need of a stadium. If we fail to get a stadium now, Canada will be a loser in international cricket.

CC: Besides the stadium, what do you think is the next priority for cricket to flourish in the country?

KB: The establishment of an office of executive director, probably based in Ottawa, is the next best thing that could happen to Canadian cricket.
Take the example of Ontario. The addition of the position of technical director gave further impetus to the game as the technical director took the game to the schools. It is only a matter of time before we see bright cricketers coming out of the school system. Cricket should no longer be considered a part-time operation. Times have changed from running the game from the kitchen-table gathering at night to day-to-day administration. I hope my idea of an office in Ottawa bears fruit in my lifetime.

Snapshot
Kevin Boller
Born 6 March 1935 Candelo, New South Wales, Australia.
Wife: Maureen McDowell of Belfast, Northern Ireland
Canadian Cricket Association
Public Relations Officer 1979-
Editorial Board of The Canadian Cricketer (including chairmanship) 1978-88.
Ontario Cricket Association
Secretary 1979-88
Public Relations Officer 1978-92
Historian 1993-
O.C.A. delegate to the C.C.A. 1980
Toronto & District Cricket Association
Secretary 1978-81
Vice President 1980
Delegate to the O.C.A. 1977-81