That’s the only thing that came to mind for Ammar Sikandar, director of the Barrie Cricket League, as he watched a match on the league’s new pitch Sunday afternoon.
“We have been waiting and waiting for a place to play,” he said. “This is great.”
The league celebrated its new home at Maitland Park, off of Johnson Street, last weekend with a match.
“It’s a community thing,” Sikandar said. “It’s always good to have an extra sport on the books. It’s gives people more options.”

Sikandar said you don’t need to know anything about the sport to enjoy it.
“Each team has 11 players. Registration is still open for anyone who wants to come out,” Sikandar said. “When we started there were a lot of players who didn’t know much about the sport. We learn as we go.”
The new location, a city baseball diamond, has been transformed into a pitch thanks to a donation from Atul Ahuja, the former CEO of Cricket Canada.
“He has a lot to do with cricket in Toronto, so when he heard about us, he donated the pitch,” Sikandar said. “There has been a lot of support from community businesses. We are still looking for sponsors though.”
Mark Littlewood brought his son Ethan to check out the action.
“I’ve seen cricket before, I played as a kid growing up in England, but this is great,” he said. “I saw a tweet about it and thought I’d come check it out. It’s been a fast paced game. There have been a lot of great plays.”
Other dignitaries on hand for the inaugural match included local politicians, Ahuja and Bollywood music composer Loy Mendonsa.
The Barrie Cricket League, which has six teams, will run two games every Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.