Jeff Bell
The cricket pitch at Beacon Hill Park is set to have a $25,000 makeover. Work begins this summer and is expected to be completed in time for the park’s 130th anniversary celebrations next year.
Money for the project is coming from the RBC Foundation, which also recently announced funds for building or renovating cricket facilities in Abbotsford, Toronto and Montreal. The foundation has backed cricket across the country for the past five years through its RBC Wicket Cricket school program, an initiative that has brought equipment and professional instruction to more than 1,100 schools.
Cricket in Victoria dates back to at least 1849, according to the Victoria and District Cricket Association, when British army officer Walter Grant brought cricket gear to the area.
Association president David Norrish said the grant application for the Beacon Hill pitch was made with assistance from the City of Victoria.
“We’re very excited, very grateful to the City of Victoria and to RBC. We hope that we’ll be able to do a lot with the grant and develop the game of cricket in Victoria.”
Norrish said the Beacon Hill cricket ground has been around longer than many people are aware.
“The field itself is actually older than Beacon Hill Park.”
An 1863 newspaper item makes reference to the opening of the cricket season at Beacon Hill Park, a year after Victoria’s incorporation as a city. Beacon Hill was officially made a city park in 1882.
The RBC Foundation funding will go toward such needs as a bowling machine, the repair of practice nets and a new cricket mat. The mat, which costs about $5,000, is the long piece of artificial turf that extends between the wickets.
The Beacon Hill mat generally wears out every three or four years, Norrish said.
Local participation in cricket at Beacon Hill has a solid base, he said. It is also played at Windsor Park and in Metchosin, and is popular in Duncan and Nanaimo.
“We run two leagues in Victoria,” Norrish said. “Altogether we have just over 300 players, plus family and friends and others.”
The RBC funding will also be used to buy new equipment for youth players, and will allow the association to double its school coaching and outreach programs.
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin said the funding is appreciated and will benefit the sport. The cricket facility serves not only players, but the rest of the city as well, he said.
“What I think a lot of people don’t realize is that, although we reserve it specifically during certain times for cricket, it’s open the rest of the time to the public. People can use it as part of the park.”
He pointed out that 2012 is not only a landmark year for Beacon Hill Park, but is also the city’s 150th anniversary.
Deb Linehan, of RBC, said the foundation’s attention to cricket reflects the game’s international popularity and multicultural aspects.
“It’s the second mostwatched sport in the world and, for many newcomers to Canada, it’s a way to help them connect with their old home and pass on a tradition to their children.”
The foundation has arranged for Pakistani cricket legend Wasim Akram to come to Victoria on July 1 to put on two bowling clinics. Victoria will be one of only four Canadian stops for Akram.