Eddie Norfolk
 
It is good to recognize that indoor cricket continued in 2011 under the auspices of the Regional Peel Secondary Schools Athletic Association. The roots were laid sufficiently in the recent past that, despite one cricketing and educational stalwart having moved on, there is underlying interest and momentum.
 
There were three boys and one girls divisions in 2001. The top division for boys being Senior Tier 1 (9 schools). The Senior Boys Tier 2 comprised 19 schools , grouped into three sub-regional areas, North, Central and South. The junior boys, and the girls competitions each had 9 participating schools.
 
Best wishes and congratulations go to all those who played, umpired, coached and did the work behind the scenes to organize the schedules, get the games played and relay the scores to the Region of Peel Secondary Schools Athletic Association (ROPSSAA). This allows a summary of the outcome of the 2011 season to be produced, which is what follows. Those seeking more information could take a look at the ROPSSAA web-site for more details on standings, match scores and news from other sports within the domain of the ROPSSAA.
 
Who knows, perhaps some youngster or teacher might grab the initiative and try to get their own school to participate at one or more of the available levels and “grow the game of cricket” in the Peel Region.
 
Couple of notes about the game formats: A limit of six overs per team innings is used in the Junior Boys and Girls events. The senior boys events have a limit of eight overs per innings. The loss of six wickets (not ten wickets) means a team is all-out in this indoor cricket.
 
The Girls, Junior Boys and Senior Boys Tier 1 competitions see six teams qualifying for the playoffs. The top two teams are seeded to the semi-finals. The other four teams meet in quarterfinal matches.
 
The Senior Boys Tier 2 competition has more participating teams so the regular season comprises three geographical divisions (North, Central and South). The top team in each division is seeded to the quarter-finals. Eight teams take part in a preliminary playoff round before the four quarter-finals.
 
Girls Division – Heartlake champions
 
Heartlake won the 2011 Girls competition. Heartlake bowled out Glenforest for 24 in 5.5 overs in the Girls Final, then made 25 runs for the loss of two wickets in 5 overs.
Heartlake (41-3, 4 ov) beat TL Kennedy (40-3, 6 ov) in the semi-finals. Glenforest beat Stephen Lewis in a quarter-final playoff and edged out Father Goetz at the semi-final stage.
 
Father Goetz and Heartlake each had a record of 7 wins and 1 loss in the regular season
standings.
 
Senior Boys Tier 1 – Woodlands champions
 
Woodlands made 45 for five wickets in 8 overs, then bowled out Father Goetz for 39 in 7.3 overs to win the Senior Boys championship.
 
In the semi-finals, Woodlands tallied 43 for the loss of one wicket (7.4 ov) to overhaul Lincoln Alexander’s 42 all out (7.4 ov). Stephen Lewis made a useful looking 50 for 3 wickets (8 ov) but this proved insufficient as the Father Goetz openers struck as semi-final winning 51 runs in 6.5 overs.
 
Woodlands had topped the regular season standings with a record of 7 wins and 1 defeat, followed by Father Goetz (6 wins, 2 losses), Stephen Lewis (also 6/2) and Lincoln Alexander (5/3).
 
Senior Boys Tier 2 – Brampton Centennial Champions
 
Brampton Centennial, batting first in the final, tallied 56 for 4 wickets in 8 overs, then restricted Bramalea to just 30 runs for five wickets, to win by 26 runs.
 
Brampton Centennial had a comprehensive win over North Park in the semi-finals. After posting an impressive 67 for two wickets in eight overs, Brampton bowled out North Park for 24 runs in 5.2 overs. Bramalea made 43 for four wickets to overhaul Erindale’s total of 41 for five wickets (8 ov) with three balls to spare in the other semi-final.
 
Brampton Centennial headed the North Division of the regular season with an unbeaten record of 6 wins, followed by North Park (5 wins, 1 loss). Bramalea (4 wins, 1 loss) had placed behind Sandalwood (5/0) in the Central division of the regular season. Port Credit (6/0) topped the South division ahead of Aloysius Gonzaga (4/2).
 
Junior Boys – Rick Hansen champions with one ball to spare
 
The Junior Boys final almost went down to the wire as Rick Hansen reached a winning 52 for two wickets with one ball to spare of an allotted six overs in reply to TL Kennedy’s 50 for four wickets (6 ov).
 
The semi-final between TL Kennedy and Lincoln Alexander was, in fact, determined on the last ball of the game’s 12 overs. TL Kennedy reached 50 for four wickets to squeeze ahead of the 48 for five wickets from Lincoln Alexander. Rick Hansen had a more comfortable margin of success at the semi-final stage, despite making just 34 for five wickets. The dismissal of Woodlands for 20 in 4.3 overs saw Rick Hansen to a 14-run win.
In the regular season standings, Woodlands, TL Kennedy and Stephen Lewis each had records of 6 wins and 2 losses. Sandalwood were fourth in the standings with 5 wins and 3 losses.
 
Closing greetings……
 
Best wishes for Father’s Day, with belated greetings for Mother’s Day. I believe the medical science of life tends to require both a mother and a father in order to produce a child who might advance to become a cricketer and take part, one day, in schools cricket.
 
By a certain coincidence, certain “cricketing leaders” (past and present) who see other people as having “a divine right” to contribute time, money and effort, etc, to Canadian cricket, or their own league, club or team, might be happy to know the “divine” part is partly met by me today. As well as being Father’s Day, today is Trinity Sunday in the Christian church.
 
The actual definition of God the Creator as three-in-one and one-in-three (Father, Son and Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost) and some specific use of words has proved more divisive over the centuries. It is also major a dividing point between Jews (for whom the Son, the Messiah has yet to come to earth) and Christians. And if I had gone to the local Seventh Day Adventist Church yesterday (Saturday) I might have found out if they observe the Trinity on a Saturday in keeping with the Jewish tradition of Saturday as the Sabbath.
 
So, on Father’s Day, some may think of, “the Creator” of the earth (this gives inclusiveness to a range of the main religions of the world). Those who believe only in science could even link Father’s day to an observance of “reactionary day”, which returns us to the concept of needing both a father and a mother, as well as happy and nice people in our world, with a closing greeting to those who might still believe or think that the earth is flat.
 
CIMA Toronto Mayor’s Trophy at Sunnybrook Park
 
As a closing note, next Saturday (June 25) has the Annual CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Toronto Mayor’s Spirit of Cricket event at Sunnybrook Park, Toronto. I may see you there. There will be some new faces at the event this year, including the new mayor of Toronto. At least a couple of the politicians in the advert poster look vulnerable to a ball in the blockhole, an off-spinner or a slow-left arm wrist spinner. But what would I know about the game.    
 
Enjoy your day, life and cricket in the proper spirit, as best you can and with respect for others. 
 
Eddie Norfolk